UK Royal Mail to hike prices in April 2009

By Ed | January 3rd, 2009 | Category: Logistics | No Comments »

As inevitable as taxes and death, Britain’s Royal Mail are to hike prices again at the end of the fiscal year.

The current price rises come at a time that complaints about delivery workers failing to obtain signatures are on the rise (again) and in a year when eBay is all about offering “free” P&P. Thus the “Royal Snail” are handing eBay a nice fee bonus as sellers shift postage costs into the item price. Maybe it will save a few jobs at the eBay Richmond offices in the next round of insularisation by the parent company?

I’ve saved this bad news for after the holidays – the holidays are over, it’s back to reality folks – and will post a reminder nearer the time of the changes happening.

I’d advise all UK sellers to begin examining their listings and making adjustments for the incoming price increases. Better to prepare early than have a mad rush later. Remember if you’re selling DVD’s that there’s compulsory “free shipping” arriving on eBay soon.

I wonder if eBay would consider adding a “shipping surcharge” option of the type that airlines use for “fuel surcharges” to allow easier, more immediate adjustments for situations like this? A global (to all a seller’s listings) surcharge field that’s input once as a percentage of existing shipping costs, not that it would help those being forced to hide shipping in the item price.