The cost of postage charged to buyers and sellers through Royal Mail is set to go up starting from next month and its not the first time this year that prices have been hiked for users of the platform
eBay customers have been warned that a major shift will come into force in the coming days which will impact millions of users.
The cost of postage charged to buyers and sellers through Royal Mail is set to go up starting from next month. The postal carrier has said that is will be increasing its prices for both individuals using the platform as well as marketplace sellers, starting from October 6.
Other online marketplaces that use Royal Mail to deliver orders are also likely to be impacted by similar price hikes. eBay generally offers customers the option of having purchases delivered through Evri or Royal Mail.
Sellers can choose whether they want to pay postage or whether is should be covered by the person making the purchase from them.
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Customers of the online marketplace have recently been informed that those who use the eBay labels platform will see an increase in prices starting very soon.
- Small and medium parcels (Standard and Signed for, 2nd Class) – will increase by 15p to 65p per item
- Small and medium parcels (Standard and Signed for, 1st Class) – will go up by 25p to 75p per item
- Tracked 48 small and medium parcels – are set to rise by 10p to 50p per item
- Tracked 24 small and medium parcels – will be increased by 16p to 60p per item
The changes in price being introduced by Royal Mail are also going to affect Special Delivery Guaranteed services, Signed For parcels and Parcelforce Worldwide Express services.
Shoppers hoping to snap up an online bargain in the lead up to Christmas are likely to feel the impact of these price hikes. Mirror Online has contacted eBay to ask for a comment.
The news comes after Royal Mail increased prices for personal customers and marketplace sellers already this year, with hikes back in April.
The price for sending first-class small parcels weighing up to 2kg went up from £4.79 to £4.99, while second-class ones rose from £3.75 to £3.90.
The price of a first-class stamp also went up from £1.65 to £1.70 and for second class it went up by 2p to 87p.
The carrier, which was privatised in 2013, has regularly raised prices in recent years. Other attempts to cut costs have seen Royal Mail begin to deliver second-class letters on alternate weekdays and not on Saturdays.
The trial, which is a break from previous rules stating that the postal service had to deliver post six days a week, will see second-class mail arrive more slowly. It is being tested at 37 of Royal Mail’s 1,200 delivery offices.
