Revised Postal Rates for items above 50g – increases and reductions

2 April 2012

The majority of letters and postcards will be unaffected by these changes as the basic 55c stamp rate for posting up to 50g in weight remains unchanged. Some rates are being reduced, with significant reductions of up to 50 per cent in tariffs for posting parcels over 5kg in weight nationally and internationally. Full details of the new rates may be viewed at www.anpost.ie.

The new tariffs, which include a range of incentives to help SMEs and to encourage online sales, still place An Post well below the European average in terms of price and amongst the lowest-cost providers for most services.

An Post has also made application to ComReg, the Commission for Communications Regulation for an increase in the basic 55c tariff later this year.

The revised rates for mail above 50g will help to ensure the delivery of an efficient, quality service. There has been no increase in these rates since 2008. An Post’s mails business is incurring significant losses within its Universal Service Obligation (USO), whereby customers can avail of nationwide delivery and collections, five days a week, for a uniform price. This is due mainly to the decline in mail volumes due to the economic situation of recent years.

Total mail volumes have declined by 23.5 per cent since the 2007 peak. Volumes fell seven per cent in 2011 and significant further decline is expected this year, severely impacting the funding of the USO. An Post is committed to the provision of the USO from its own resources. It is a vital piece of national infrastructure, central to the business and community life of the country and a key facilitator of economic activity including new business innovation.

The Company has significantly improved its cost base in recent years. New revenue streams are being developed in the mails, retail and subsidiary businesses and only where necessary, price increases are being introduced.

 Download the new Guide to Postal Rates.

Note: 50g covers an envelope of the size typically used for utility bills (half-A4), containing up to eight A4-size sheets of standard paper, folded.