Stamp prices rise (again)! October 2nd.

I sent five birthday cards and one Christmas card to Australia recently, all in one envelope, about £7.50 I think.

More than the cards cost almost.

Postal charges are bound to rise due to rising fuel and energy prices and also due to the basic fact that all businesses base their prices partly on supply and demand.

Relatively few people write letters or cards any more. They take too long to reach the addressee and postage is dear. E-mails, fax and text messages have greatly reduced any postal service's customers.

Here it is cheaper to send a letter in a small padded envelope by one or other of the private parcels' services than send it by post. And far quicker.

The post office as we have known it will probably disappear from the face of the earth fairly soon.

I remember one time, a family birthday, all the cards arrived on time that were sent second class; and just my DD's card was several days late (sent first class)! Have been advised since that posting delivery times are the same, so not worth bothering with first class.

I heard somewhere a postman saying never to use 1st Class just use 2nd Class.

As it says in the link, you can still use 1st or 2nd Class bought now after October, so it might be worth stocking up this month on 2nd Class if you send Christmas cards.

We recently had another rise in price for our postage. First class letter/card is now .66 (cents). Not sure how that translates or compares to your increase.

I do online payments for everything I’m able to do but there are birthday and thank you cards… and I love to send Christmas🎄cards. That’s a big ouch!! People really cutting back on those, including me.
USA Gundy

I was reading that they want to cut deliveries to three times a week so it will be no point sending anything first class anyway.

I think they’re working on the basis that the few people who use first class will be happy to pay the price increase

When I first moved here in mid- noughties, the cost of a 1st class stamp was a third of today's price (never mind the new hike), I could walk to the sorting office or a town centre post box early evening. Now the last post is much earlier, the majority of boxes are only emptied before noon weekdays, our big post office has gone (a whole line of villages/small towns have lost their post offices round here) and my biggest gripe, the only weekend collection is 7am Saturday morning.
For readers under 50, gone are the days of 4 collections at every post box and one on Sunday afternoon, and 2 deliveries Mon-Sat to every house.
However, though 35ish, our postman is old school, a smile, a wave, a chat with the old 'uns, bless him.

They are pricing themselves out of business.

Privatisation really helped didn't it!

Shooting themselves in the foot! People are finding much cheaper ways of posting/keeping in touch.

Wouldn’t be so bad if it actually made a difference. I posted something urgent first class and it took a week to get there

Just as well it’s against my religion to use first class!!

Thank Heaven, most of my correspondence is on-line.

Again! Good grief! Didn't they only increase recently?