Why is there no International Large Letter option available?

[Chris2014]

Unlike domestic mail were there is a Large Letter option, Air Mail options are Letter (5mm thick) or Parcel.
Several times a month I send small items weighing 30 - 50 grams and 15 - 20 mm thick to international destinations - this costs me £3.00 for Europe and £3.50 to the rest of the world (up to 100 grams).

I have just discovered how much more it costs to send from the UK, when a customer in Ireland wanted to return an item (30 gram, 20mm) and it would cost ONLY £1.36 (€1.65)!
I have checked several countries postal websites (nice that we can do that now) - Ireland, Spain, Netherlands Denmark, Germany and USA. All of them offer options similar to the UK domestic Large Letter (or LxBxH = max. total), and a lot cheaper!

From Spain the same item to send Air Mail to the UK would cost just £1.19 (€1.45), Netherlands £1.73 (€2.10), Denmark £1.55 (DKK 14.00), from Germany it would cost £2.84 (€3.45)... BUT for that it could weigh up to 500g. and be much thicker - from the UK to Germany it would cost £4.95 for the same packet 500 gram packet). From the US it would cost £1.93 ($3.23) but must not be thicker than 3/4" (19mm). I daresay if I checked websites in other countries, the story would be the same.
I am a small business owner, that only sells online to the whole world, BUT I cannot be the only one who is stuck between a Letter (rock) and a Parcel (hard place). The Royal Mail's lack of options is detrimental for UK suppliers competing in the global market place - what can be done about it - anyone got any suggestions?

Would anyone in the Royal Mail, care to tell me why the Royal Mail does not offer a Large Letter option for International mail?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Would anyone in the Royal Mail, care to tell me why the Royal Mail does not offer a Large Letter option for International mail?

You are unlikely to get a serious or official answer from anyone in a capacity or position to give one, on this site. We are not an official site (as per warning on every page), but we will no doubt give you various opinions.

As to what you can do. Perhaps approach Ofcom, or get an online petition going, get your MP to ask a question in the house. I would have suggested a Freedom of Information Request but since privatisation Royal Mail is no longer subject to the Act.

[Lounge Lizard]

Probably fewer options for international mail than inland mail because less international mail is posted.

[Chris2014]

Probably fewer options for international mail than inland mail because less international mail is posted.

Surely the same would apply to other countries? Why are they able to offer 3 options and the UK only 2? I would also suspect that more international mail is sent from the UK than either Ireland or Denmark with populations of of around 5mill. so you would expect some sort of "economies of scale".

Perhaps this all started happening when privatisation of the Royal Mail was in the early planning stages? I don't know if more options were available years ago, but one thing is for sure millions of pounds are being overpaid by businesses (and private customers) that could have used a Large Letter option but are forced to use the Parcel service instead for international mail. It appears to me that the Overseas division of the Royal Mail are making unjustfied profits by restricting the available otions. Don't you wish you had bought underpriced shares in Royal Mail?

BUT, I was hoping that someone might know of a company that offers consolidation services in the UK. So instead having to pay £3.00 to send it to Europe, I could send a Large Letter to an address in the UK for £0.90 (or £0.69 for 2nd. class), and then it is sent in bulk with other "Large Letters" to the destination country and re-posted.

The name "Royal Mail" has a value and most people still don't question it, and just like other state run companies that were privatised, they seem to be able to set their own terms/prices - the "bodies" that are supposed to regulate/monitor those industries seem to have been pretty ineffective - will it be any better with the Royal Mail?

[Lounge Lizard]

"I would also suspect that more international mail is sent from the UK than either Ireland or Denmark with populations of of around 5mill" - but if you're a business sending mail to the nearest 29 million addresses then in the UK it would all be inland but from Ireland or Denmark it would mostly be split between maybe half a dozen countries.