Postal charges to rise from next month

The national postal and logistic services operator Posti has announced that it will increase the postal charge of letter and card domestically and internationally from 11 May.

The decision follows a decline in the number of letter deliveries, said Posti in a recent press release.

The price of a domestic postcard or letter weighing no more than 50g will increase by 10 cents to EUR 1.85 while the price of an international priority postcard or letter weighing no more than 20g will rise by 10 cents to EUR 1.95.

The price of Christmas greetings will also increase by 10 cents to EUR 1.30.

All domestic weight classes will be priced in multiples of the no-value indicator stamp’s price. In the lightest class (1-50g), the postage of a letter or postcard equals one no-value indicator stamp, in the next weight class (51-250g), the postage equals two no-value indicator stamps, and in the third weight class (251-1,000g), the postage equals four no-value indicator stamps. In the heaviest weight class (up to 2kg), the postage equals six no-value indicator stamps.

All domestic and international no-value indicator stamps bought before the price increase will be accepted without additional stamps, after the price is raised. Old 1st and 2nd class no-value indicator stamps can still be used. Their value equals the domestic no-value indicator stamp, EUR 1.85.

On an average, Finnish consumers spend less than EUR 20 per year on sending letters. For the average Finnish consumer, the price adjustment means an increase of less than two euro in a year.

The volume of mail has fallen permanently due to digitalisation and continues to sink. The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated the decrease in mail volumes last year while also increasing cost pressure by driving up the unit costs of mail delivery and the delivery costs of items sent abroad.

In the 2000s, the volume of letters had fallen by more than 60% because of digital communications. In 2020, the mail delivery volume fell by 16%.

This downward trend in the volume of printed mail is not about to stop. If the current pace of decline continues, the volume of letters is estimated to even halve its current level in the next three years.

According to our forecast, said Posti, an average of only two addressed items a week will be delivered to households in 2023.

“We are convinced that there will be demand for real letters and cards for a long time to come, because of their high attention value. With the delivery volume falling, we are forced to raise our prices so that the payments will cover the costs of the delivery network,” said Posti Consumer Services Vice-President Tuija Åkerman.