UK Postage increase

[WRENNEIRE]

As if things were not expensive enough Royal Mail is increasing its rates

Here are some example price increases using Royal Mail Airmail Priority for parcels weighing between 800g and 1Kg: 

• Western Europe increased from £5.80 to £6.68 

• Non-Western Europe increased from £12.47 to £14.49

• USA Air Mail Priority increased from £10.90 to £15.64 

• Australia and NZ Air Mail Priority increased from £10.70 to £15.64 

 

[johnfromoz]

Yes the days pf carefree ordering to Australia are long gone.  At one time I can remember paying as little as 3GBP postage for a couple of wagons from Liverpool.   These days, particularly with this increase, DHL is looking more competitive if you bundle two or three loco purchases. Plus it will get here in 6 days as opposed to six weeks….

[Thomas]

This is my story on postage from England. Price of product £4.20. Postage £12. Irish Customs value €19.30. VAT €4.43. Admin Fee €3.50 Total paid on Irish transaction €7.93. Total €27.34. Great value!!!!!!. 

[seagoebox]

50 minutes ago, Thomas said:

This is my story on postage from England. Price of product £4.20. Postage £12. Irish Customs value €19.30. VAT €4.43. Admin Fee €3.50 Total paid on Irish transaction €7.93. Total €27.34. Great value!!!!!!. 

Was there UK VAT in the £4.20?, if so they should not be charging you VAT as you end up paying VAT on top of VAT, next time tell them you want a VAT exclusive price as it is being exported outside the UK.. I know the VAT on £4.20 is not that much, but if the purchase price was considerably more then it would matter.

[Georgeconna]

Vat is paid on the goods Value plus the postages. The Postage Cost of 12 notes killed it......Really Crazy TBH. Makes no Sense in ordering tiny items at all these days. Being in Ireland Really sucks for Model makers.

[jhb171achill]

Every time I receive something via relatives who live in the United Kingdom of Brexitstan, the resultant deprivation of Mr Johnston’s coffers of a few cents makes my day……

Edited March 24, 2022 by jhb171achill

[Sean]

3 hours ago, Georgeconna said:

Vat is paid on the goods Value plus the postages. The Postage Cost of 12 notes killed it......Really Crazy TBH. Makes no Sense in ordering tiny items at all these days. Being in Ireland Really sucks for Model makers.

i used to use nothing but parcel motel and free uk postage, them were the days.

[jhb171achill]

What about the An Post boxes you can buy for outgoing postal packages - they look very good value.

I wonder if our colleagues in the Land of the Red Letter Boxes have a similar type of system?

[murphaph]

With a bit of luck GB will rejoin the customs union if not the single market. Probably packaged as something else akin to Norway or Switzerland but in practice eliminating customs controls at least, and thereby the handling charges also. Without rejoining the single market though, parcel motel is not making a comeback unfortunately but under a new government I wouldn't rule it out in the next decade. Brexit just isn't delivering any tangible positives, certainly none that outweigh the negatives caused by leaving the SM and CU.

[Broithe]

12 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

What about the An Post boxes you can buy for outgoing postal packages - they look very good value.

I wonder if our colleagues in the Land of the Red Letter Boxes have a similar type of system?

Of course, all the letter boxes were originally green, a sort of Brunswick Green, but, apparently, people complained about the lack of visibility and the Post Office Red arrived.

 

Near me on the Small Island, there is an Edward VII box, the only one that I have ever seen. It was still in use until about five years ago, when victory was conceded to the Blue Tits who had been fighting for control of it for decades.

Edited March 25, 2022 by Broithe

[murphaph]

Oh man, you'd think whoever put the 'out of service sticker' on it could have removed the big collection time one at the same time. Half arsedness at its finest.

[irishthump]

34 minutes ago, murphaph said:

With a bit of luck GB will rejoin the customs union if not the single market. Probably packaged as something else akin to Norway or Switzerland but in practice eliminating customs controls at least, and thereby the handling charges also. Without rejoining the single market though, parcel motel is not making a comeback unfortunately but under a new government I wouldn't rule it out in the next decade. Brexit just isn't delivering any tangible positives, certainly none that outweigh the negatives caused by leaving the SM and CU.

I think that's a possibility. The UK have really put up a united front with the rest of Europe over the Ukraine situation (yes, I know NATO obligations play a big part in this too). If/when it blows over the EU might look more favorably on the UK's situation and come to a better deal.

[jhb171achill]

30 minutes ago, irishthump said:

I think that's a possibility. The UK have really put up a united front with the rest of Europe over the Ukraine situation (yes, I know NATO obligations play a big part in this too). If/when it blows over the EU might look more favorably on the UK's situation and come to a better deal.

Unless Boris Mogg-Farage and the rabid right wing press, the Daily Fail & Tory Telegraph decide to “take back control” by leaving NATO!

42 minutes ago, Broithe said:

Of course, all the letter boxes were originally green, a sort of Brunswick Green, but, apparently, people complained about the lack of visibility and the Post Office Red arrived.

 

Near me on the Small Island, there is an Edward VII box, the only one that I have ever seen. It was still in use until about five years ago, when victory was conceded to the Blue Tits who had been fighting for control of it for decades.

That’s a serious collection of letter boxes! In a museum somewhere?

[Broithe]

16 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

That’s a serious collection of letter boxes! In a museum somewhere?

https://www.postalmuseum.org/collections/highlights/letter-boxes/#

 

55 minutes ago, murphaph said:

Oh man, you'd think whoever put the 'out of service sticker' on it could have removed the big collection time one at the same time. Half arsedness at its finest.

I think that's for the egg collections.

[Mayner]

12 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

What about the An Post boxes you can buy for outgoing postal packages - they look very good value.

I wonder if our colleagues in the Land of the Red Letter Boxes have a similar type of system?

The Royal Mail like most postal authorities sell bags, boxes and envelopes https://shop.royalmail.com/postage-and-packaging?p=2.

Locally it usually works out cheaper to send a small item by International Air Parcel in a post office pre-paid bag than supplying your own packaging.

I seldom order a single small item by mail as the post office charge the International Air Parcel rather than the Airmail rate if the envelope or jiffy bag is greater than ½' thick.

Apart from specialist suppliers like Markits or Alan Gibson Works, I usually order from UK suppliers such as Hattons, Gaugemaster, Rails or Kernow who usually carry a large range of models, accessories and tools in stock.

Personally Brexit is not an issue the majority of my UK suppliers are vat registered and supply at 0% Vat , the Irish Government tightening up on import VAT is part of an international trend something that was bound to happen and largely dependent on developments in Customs scanning technology.

The technology now appears to be working with most items clearing customs, the new Scanning technology is also resulting in lower customs clearance costs which are reflected in An Post and The Royal Mail 'processing fees".

 

 

[irishthump]

57 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Unless Boris Mogg-Farage and the rabid right wing press, the Daily Fail & Tory Telegraph decide to “take back control” by leaving NATO!

 

Haha! Even Farage is not that stupid. Putin has shown just how vulnerable Europe is without NATO.

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, irishthump said:

Haha! Even Farage is not that stupid. Putin has shown just how vulnerable Europe is without NATO.

Very true….!

[Sean]

On 24/3/2022 at 5:34 PM, Georgeconna said:

Vat is paid on the goods Value plus the postages. The Postage Cost of 12 notes killed it......Really Crazy TBH. Makes no Sense in ordering tiny items at all these days. Being in Ireland Really sucks for Model makers.

wait what....... postage is included now too? 

8 hours ago, murphaph said:

Oh man, you'd think whoever put the 'out of service sticker' on it could have removed the big collection time one at the same time. Half arsedness at its finest.

They arent even stickers, they are a big metal plate!

[Joe Keegan]

.

Edited March 25, 2022 by Joe Keegan
Incorrect tread 🤭

[Joe Keegan]

Just now, Joe Keegan said:

.

[DJ Dangerous]

12 hours ago, Sean said:

wait what....... postage is included now too? 

They arent even stickers, they are a big metal plate!

Pretty sure postage cost has always been covered, presumably as an anti-fraud measure...

So that you couldn't declare a €500 purchase with €5 shipping as a €5 purchase with €500 shipping.

[murphaph]

Yeah it's the real cost of landing the goods in the EU, including postage. If the item was "free post" then customs can even assign a reasonable amount for postage and slap it on top. I never quite understood that as the real cost of landing the goods is the total paid. That a seller chooses to hide the postage cost in the total should not change this.

I've been challenging every error the German customs makes by the way. I hope that if enough people do this, pressure will come on to bring back a sensible duty and vat free allowance. I've had books taxed at 19% for example. That's wrong. Books have 7% VAT here. The rules aren't just for you and me. The state must follow them too

The last appeal I put in resulted in an automated response informing me that they are swamped with appeals and my case will take time to process. That's exactly what I wanted to hear.

[Sean]

the last time i paid i brought in some old components via address pal (think a few old xeons and 32gb or so of ddr3)

got stung with a hefty hefty bill that was nearly the value of the components with no means to actually appeal it.

have since stopped buying cheap components. that was either 2020 or 2021.