Is the Postage rate Expensive?

Rodney Walsom

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Royal Mail Postage Prices.

For the last number of years the UK Royal Mail postage charges have gone up every April just like most things that go up in price annually.

Many people complain when the Royal Mail postage goes up. They feel its so expensive and that the service is getting worse instead of it getting better. The interesting fact is that most people have no idea how much a first class stamp is. (39p) No wonder the question of “How much is a first class stamp ” is often asked at the famous pub quiz's.

Lets try and put things into perspective. For 39p your letter will travel over 1000miles or even across from where you live to be delivered the next day. Now before you shout and scream oh no it does not. I know a mail order company that sends 200 letters out a day and they have calculated after 10 years in business that nearly 98% get to its destination the next day, even the Royal Mails own admission is that 96.8% of first class mail is delivered the next day. The Royal mail do not guarantee next day delivery by using a First Class stamp. They say with in two working days.

Of course mistakes happen for what ever reason that delays next day delivery, a strike which the Royal mail workers like to do regularly somewhere in the country it seems or planes break down as do lorries that transport the mail. All sorts of reasons may be the cause that the mail does not get there the next day. But considering all the odds the fact they have such a high percentage for next day delivery for first class mail is really to be admired of the Postal workers and the Royal mail organization.

I bumped into an old friend recently and when I asked her what she was doing for a job her reply some what surprised me. She said that she and her husband had started a YoYo business via the web.

They were selling YoYos all over the world including Russia, USA, China, Italy, Spain, UK and various other countries.. So I asked if they used the Royal Mail at all. Her reply was yes very much so because they were the cheapest and more often then not the most efficient for speed. In her experience next to Russia the Royal Mail was the most efficient. The worse being the USA and Italy. (They are able to track there items so they can tell when items reach there destination).

How long does it take to send a Post Card from Spain? Arriving at Grandmas or Mum and Dad long after your holiday is over, more often then not I bet.

You could use a courier who will deliver your letter. One of my customer recently asked for a quote. £7.50 a letter for next day delivery!

Of course the cheapest form of sending a letter is by E mail as its instant and free. But because of spam and other potential problems the E mail does not always get through to the right person. I notice more companies who have been sending invoices out by Email are returning back to posting them.

I'll finish off by saying how many people do you know that would for 39p deliver your letter across the road let alone the other side of the country.

Finally to prove how good the Royal mail is. The team from the program Top Gear posted a letter in the Scilly Isles to be delivered in the Orkney Isles in Scotland using a First Class Stamp. As soon as the letter was posted the Top Gear team set off in a £72,000 Porsche car and using the ferry and motorways tried to beat the letter arriving in the Orkney Isles. They were convinced they would beat the letter by getting to the address on the letter in the Orkney Isles before midday.

Of course you may be thinking that the Top Gear Team won. But they arrived 20 mins after the letter.

See the videos of the program here for part 1 and here for part 2.

 I think you have to agree that all though they are not perfect the Royal Mail does a pretty good job for 39p

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