Beat the Postage Stamp Price Rise!
A quickie today to let you know that the price of stamps is rising again on Monday 7 October 2024. That is the second price rise this year, after they also went up in April.
On this occasion a standard first class stamp is going up from £1.35 to £1.65, an inflation-busting 22%. The price of sending a large letter is going up even more, from £2.10 to £2.60. That’s an increase of 50p or 24%.
One bit of good news is that the price of sending a standard or large letter by second class post is not increasing this time. That remains at 85p and £1.55 respectively.
Standard letters can weigh up to 100g and measure a maximum of 24cm x 16.5cm x 5mm. Large letters can measure 35.3cm x 25cm x 2.5cm but still have to weigh under 100g. If they weight over 100g, higher rates apply, and if they weigh over 750g they have to go at parcel rates.
The cost of many of Royal Mail’s ‘Signed For’, ‘Special Delivery Guaranteed’ and ‘Tracked’ services will also rise from 7 October, as will the price of sending parcels first and second class. You can see a full list of prices by clicking here (PDF).
Saving Money on Stamps
So is there anything you can do to mitigate the impact of the latest price rises?
Well, my number one recommendation is to stock up now while stamps are still at the old price. Standard and large-letter stamps don’t have values printed on them and will still be valid after the October price rise comes in. If you can afford to buy (say) 100 standard first-class stamps and 100 large letter first class stamps, that will save you an impressive £80 in total.
The best bet for buying stamps is – of course – your local post office. If you don’t have one near at hand, however, you can also buy in bulk from The Royal Mail Shop (minimum order £50 for free delivery)..
Amazon also sell postage stamps, though costs vary and when I checked some prices were significantly higher than at post offices. But they may be worth a look, especially if you are an Amazon Prime member.
Another option you could consider is the online auction site eBay (search for “new UK stamps”). There can be good savings to be made here, but check reviews and ratings carefully and be wary of offers that are clearly too good to be true.
For more information about the price rise and all the new rates from 7 October 2024, you can access the Royal Mail October 2024 pricing guide here (PDF).
If you have any comments or questions about the above, as always, please do post them (no pun intended!) below.