Postage Prices Increase Today 26/3/18.

[sellsell39]

Hi to everyone,

This is just a quick note from the Queen to say that her Postage Prices have increased as from today - 26th March 2018.

1x 1st class stamp has increased by 2p to 67p
1x 2nd class stamp has increased by 2p to 58p.

Football Programmes are generally now classed as Large Letters because of weight and size and they have also increased as well.

I have picked up a leaflet from the Post Office with all the new prices and I will try to post it below :-



This is just friendly advice as there may be some people who do not know so I am just trying to help.

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

Thank you.

Large letters 250g+ up 10p from £1.30 to £1.40 (+7.7%).

Most of my orders are in that category. Swallow it or pass it on?

[DySporting]

Or you go to sending 2nd class and actually are 4p better off per item

[sellsell39]

Also rather annoyingly, before today 2x 65p stamps equalled the same as the 250gram Large Letter rate at $1.30. Simple & convenient.

Now 2x 67p stamps do not equal the 250gram Large Letter rate at $1.40, i am 6p short.

Similarly, before today 2x 56p stamps + 1x 65p stamp was enough to cover the 500gram Large Letter rate at $1.74. Simple & convenient.

Now 2x 58p stamps + 1x 67p stamp does not equal the 500gram Large Letter rate at $1.87, i am 4p short.

Yes - I can go to the post office and pay over the counter of course, but if I want to post something on the spur of the moment - i am gonna need 6p stamps and 4p stamps ?

Nobody seems to think these things through ?

[botanybaykid]

I sent a request to Hartlepool for the Orient programme (March 6th).
Got postponed due to Gateshead trophy match postponed (played March 6th).
Sent a stamped address envelope with 2x1st class stamps on it (£1.30) correct postage.
Now game is not until April 17, which point the postage will be short.
Do I phone Hartlepool and ask them to attach more stamps or send up the outstanding amount which is going to cost me money for postage.

[bigdavethemaddog]

botanybaykid wrote:

I sent a request to Hartlepool for the Orient programme (March 6th). Got postponed due to Gateshead trophy match postponed (played March 6th). Sent a stamped address envelope with 2x1st class stamps on it (£1.30) correct postage. Now game is not until April 17, which point the postage will be short. Do I phone Hartlepool and ask them to attach more stamps or send up the outstanding amount which is going to cost me money for postage.

it will just go as 2nd class (£1.26) which you will have enough for.

[martino]

sellsell39 wrote:

Also rather annoyingly, before today 2x 65p stamps equalled the same as the 250gram Large Letter rate at $1.30. Simple & convenient. Now 2x 67p stamps do not equal the 250gram Large Letter rate at $1.40, i am 6p short. Similarly, before today 2x 56p stamps + 1x 65p stamp was enough to cover the 500gram Large Letter rate at $1.74. Simple & convenient. Now 2x 58p stamps + 1x 67p stamp does not equal the 500gram Large Letter rate at $1.87, i am 4p short. Yes - I can go to the post office and pay over the counter of course, but if I want to post something on the spur of the moment - i am gonna need 6p stamps and 4p stamps ? Nobody seems to think these things through ?

An alternative I am thinking of trying is to use the Royal Mail website and print postage labels myself. Not sure how easy it is so if any member already does it their comments would be welcomed.

[roughyedz]

I worked in Main Sorting Office in Manchester Centre one Christmas and believe me when i say every envelope was treated exactly the same no matter how much in postage was on the envelope, ever since then i have very rarely sent 1st Class post.

[ToffeeDan]

First class stamps, previously costing 65p are still valid after the price rise.. surely.

[nutfield priory]

ToffeeDan wrote:

First class stamps, previously costing 65p are still valid after the price rise.. surely.

Yes I bought 250 second class stamps last Friday to be used over the next twelve months sending out a Journal as I have previously done over the last few years when they have put the prices up.

Same applies to first class stamps

[Dorking]

I buy whole sheets of old issue 1st and 2nd stamps off ebay. They are from previous years and I'm not sure if the sellers think they are selling to collectors, or if they know they are selling to people swerving the price increases but with a bit of hunting, and taking into account the postage cost do save a little bit, and have interesting stamps to send.

At the moment I am slowly working my way through a sheet of Mr Men stamps!

[Five and In]

roughyedz wrote:

I worked in Main Sorting Office in Manchester Centre one Christmas and believe me when i say every envelope was treated exactly the same no matter how much in postage was on the envelope, ever since then i have very rarely sent 1st Class post.

I was told the same several years ago by my neighbour who was a postmaster.
He advised me that first or second class made no difference in most places to how they were treated.
Most of my postage is sent out by second class and seems to arrive either the following day or certainly within 48 hours.

That said, I was amazed last Friday evening to receive an e-mail from a buyer in Lancashire whose programme had arrived that afternoon. I had posted it second class at around 10am THAT morning in Devon.

Impressive work by the Royal Mail

[littlewiggy]

Very interesting to know that the majority of mail is treated the same regardless of whether 1st or 2nd class stamp is affixed. I always send 1st class but will be rethinking that one now, thrifty little bugger that I am.

A small badge in an extra small jiffy weighs next to nowt, but that always gets classed as a large letter too, because it doesn't quite fit through the thinnest slot on the Post Office testing board.

That catches a lot of people out, and I've had to pay additional postage on items I've bought several times, because the seller has only put a normal stamp on.



PS. Lolling here at Dorking's sheet of Mister Men stamps.


_________________
NEWPORT COUNTY & GENERAL FOOTY BADGES:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/newport-county-badges/albums

[New Forest]

roughyedz wrote:

I worked in Main Sorting Office in Manchester Centre one Christmas and believe me when i say every envelope was treated exactly the same no matter how much in postage was on the envelope, ever since then i have very rarely sent 1st Class post.

I have worked as a Christmas Casual in Farnborough for six years. They always worked on First Class mail, first, and Second Class, second. At that time the Royal Mail had just been given back the Amazon contract and those items were handled as and when they arrived.

The point about Christmas Mail is the Sorting Offices are so geared up and have many casual workers that we always managed to clear everything that came it that day before the next shift signed on. So during the Christmas period there is little to choose between First and Second. The rest of the year occasionally second class takes up to a week to arrive. I believe the Royal Mail have always maintained they can only guarantee delivery by First Class for the next day.

[DySporting]

They don’t guarantee First Class for next day delivery - they now say it can take between 2 and 3 days

I post everything 2nd class, sometimes it arrives the next day sometimes it takes 4-5 days, I go 2nd purely on the fact its cheaper.