Royal Mail price hi...
 

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Royal Mail price hikes

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Went to post a 2nd class large letter today and the price has gone up from £1.15 to £1.55!

That's a 35% increase FFS

That is all.


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 1:11 pm
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Went to post a 2nd class large letter today

There's this new fangled thing called email which might be able to help with that. I'd give it a few years though and see if it proves reliable and popular first.


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 1:15 pm
lesshaste reacted
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Seems good value compared to how much it would cost you to deliver it yourself.


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 1:17 pm
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If only I could email my eBay sales I'd be quids in!


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 1:17 pm
 DrP
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If only I could email my eBay sales I’d be quids in!

Are you sure 'lightly used panties' will fit in a large letter? Not a small package perhaps...?

Chuckle..

DrP


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 1:19 pm
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Seems good value compared to how much it would cost you to deliver it yourself.

Makes gas and electricity prices seem like we should be grateful that they aren't 100x the price on that basis!!!


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 1:19 pm
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BBC News article had suggested 2nd class stamps hadn't gone up in price but 1st class had today...


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 1:55 pm
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If only I could email my eBay sales I’d be quids in!

I thought standard practice was to build a margin into the sale price and offer the item with 'free postage'?


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 1:57 pm
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May as well use 2nd class for all the good a first class stamp will do , speaking as a retired postie 😞 The shit show that is RM now beggars belief 🙄


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 2:14 pm
Pauly reacted
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I thought standard practice was to build a margin into the sale price and offer the item with ‘free postage’?

Which is what I do. Except the margin was very small - it's a low value item. Had to post some items out today with virtually zero margin because of the price hike. It wasn't publicised that well IMO (even the local PO had no idea until I questioned it as I had bought the postage via eBay). As above they thought it was only 1st Class that had gone up. 2nd class standard has stayed the same but a large letter has gone up by 35%.

May as well use 2nd class for all the good a first class stamp will do

Indeed - I've heard that from more than one postie. I was told there's literally no point in buying 1st Class as all the mail gets treated the same anyway. Clearly they have put the biggest price increase on what is the most popular service.


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 2:18 pm
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I thought standard practice was to build a margin into the sale price and offer the item with ‘free postage’?

What's that got to do with smart comments about emailing it instead?

Do eBay still make you offer free postage in certain categories?


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 2:26 pm
oceanskipper reacted
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Well at least the quality of the service keeps improving thanks to regular prices increases. You can't complain about that can you?


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 2:29 pm
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Do eBay still make you offer free postage in certain categories?

Not sure I've ever come across that but I'm not a prolific seller.

Hmm the "Like" button has gone.. 🙄

I'm not sure why it was suggested I should email my eBay sales either! 🤷‍♂️


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 2:32 pm
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What’s that got to do with smart comments about emailing it instead?

If you'd built enough margin in then you could have bought the recipient a 3d* printer and emailed the item obviously.

*not great for photos obviously but there's probably a solution for that too.

Do eBay still make you offer free postage in certain categories?

Not sure I’ve ever come across that but I’m not a prolific seller.

Iirc it used to on dvds and cds and the like, not sure but I think that changed when they started to take a % of shipping too to stop people evading fees by charging £20 for shipping on a 99p item.


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 2:34 pm
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Well at least the quality of the service keeps improving thanks to regular prices increases. You can’t complain about that can you?

TBH I don't have that much of a problem with the service (except when they are on strike) or indeed a moderate price increase,  but 35% is a bit steep.


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 2:39 pm
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Hmm the “Like” button has gone.

Not just me then.

Also the edit box has no icons for things like "quote" etc...

Must be the new CRC hamsters.


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 2:42 pm
felltop reacted
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Having a post office counter in the shop is always difficult when RM increase prices. Letters have been year on year in decline - we've seen a noticeable drop in the amount of letters sent in  the 8years we've run a post office. Parcels however are on an increase with home shopping returns out stripping everything else.

When complaining about RM just bare in mind how 'cheap' it is to send the smallest lightest thing with next cheapest carrier - £2.70? With Evri?

except when they are on strike

Price rises and the issues RM are having now with low staffing across the country is exactly why they strikes happened last year.


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 3:12 pm
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I would rather deliver it myself than give them any more money.    Rarely doesn't anything turn up on time - neither letters or parcels paid for as "next day" or whatever regardless of direction.

Our local PO was discovered scanning all parcels as "delivered" in the depot a few years back when they weren't, and still today "out for delivery" mean it may turn up within the next few days.

In summary, its a company that doesn't deliver anywhere near the standard of service you pay for, if you pardon the pun.


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 3:21 pm
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I paid for next day by 12 for some bearings last week, arrived the next day at 9am!

Very impressive service.


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 3:44 pm
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Our local PO was discovered scanning all parcels as “delivered” in the depot a few years back when they weren’t, and still today “out for delivery” mean it may turn up within the next few days.

Post office and royal mail are separate companies 🙄😉


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 3:49 pm
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In summary, its a company that doesn’t deliver anywhere near the standard of service you pay for, if you pardon the pun.

I think RM, evri and the like deliver exactly [rather more in honesty] what we pay for, it's just we don't pay for what we want (and if they charge accordingly few people will buy).

Everyone wants the best in everything but they want it for free or near to.


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 3:54 pm
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100% this ☝️.

However,  I would also say that the quality of service of letter delivery from RM has declined dramatically in recent years but only in proportion to the dramatic drop in the number of letters being sent. So the price has had to increase while the service has noticeably, or at least perceivably by the customer, dropped.

Other services, such as tracked or special delivery, have actually comparably have had smaller price rises and have become better value when you compare prices to 10+ years ago. Mainly due to increased competition.


 
Posted : 02/10/2023 4:50 pm
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I think RM, evri and the like deliver exactly [rather more in honesty] what we pay for, it’s just we don’t pay for what we want (and if they charge accordingly few people will buy).

That's why it pains me that RM has gone down the race to the bottom. With their depot and delivery network they could offer a better service than the discount couriers but instead they chose to compete directly with them. I understand that they had to change away from letter delivery but as a small business owner that relies on RM the changes are madness.


 
Posted : 03/10/2023 8:59 am
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If only I could email my eBay sales I’d be quids in!

What are you selling on ebay that fits in a normal envelope ?

I cant recall the last time I posted something in a normal envelope 15 years ago maybe?


 
Posted : 03/10/2023 9:04 am
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Amazing the number of responses that want to blame you in some way OP.


 
Posted : 03/10/2023 9:15 am
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Amazing the number of responses that want to blame you in some way OP.

Yeah - standard procedure on here from a few members. 🙄

What are you selling on ebay that fits in a normal envelope ?

Well since you ask it's not a "normal envelope" it's a large letter as defined by the dimensions of it. Once in the envelope my item it is over 0.5cm thick so not a standard letter, but it is under 2.5cm, so falls in the "Large Letter" category. Happens to fit in any size envelope but it's the thickness that pushes it into the large category. HTH.


 
Posted : 03/10/2023 10:49 am
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What are you selling on ebay that fits in a normal envelope

You actually want a list of all the possible things that could fit in large letter postage?


 
Posted : 03/10/2023 2:15 pm
oceanskipper reacted
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I'll start.
A book
A tube of toothpaste
A DVD
A multipack CD
An empty iPhone box
A packet of Trebor mints
A vintage comic


 
Posted : 03/10/2023 2:18 pm
oceanskipper reacted
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And a cuddly toy!


 
Posted : 03/10/2023 2:20 pm
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And a cuddly toy

Perhaps in kit form!

Clearly a beginner at this game! 😂


 
Posted : 03/10/2023 4:32 pm

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