Beat the Postage Stamp Price Rise!

A quickie today to let you know that the price of stamps is rising (again!) on Tuesday 2nd April 2024.

Standard second-class stamps will be going up by 10p to 85p, while first-class stamps will also rise by 10p to £1.35.

A first-class stamp for a large letter will rise by 15p from £1.95 to £2.10. The price of a second-class stamp for a large letter will remain at £1.55.

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.

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 April price rise comes in.

If you can afford to buy (say) 100 standard first-class stamps and 100 second-class, that will save you an impressive £20 in total. If you’re anything like me, that will keep you going till Christmas 2024 and beyond!

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 various suppliers, including Viking Direct. They sell books of first and second class stamps at the current price, with postage free for orders of over £59. You can also buy stamps online from The Royal Mail Shop.

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 to 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 2rd April 2024, you can access the Royal Mail April 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.

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