Royal Mail To Hike International Surcharge by Over 62% and Other Adjustments Effective 3 January 2023

Royal Mail announced price adjustments to international parcels and letters on the 3rd of January, 2023, affecting business and personal shippers.

First, let’s look at some general adjustments.

There will be an across-the-board hike on Royal Mail’s international surcharge. The surcharge enables the company to respond to fluctuations in the currency market that affect key cost areas of its business, such as fuel, conveyance, and international delivery.

The international surcharge will increase 62.5% from 4% to 6.5% due to unfavorable changes in Sterling exchange rates.

Royal Mail will be simplifying international pricing by removing the remaining temporary Air Carrier Supplements to China, Japan, Israel, Iceland and Russia as air capacity costs have stabilized but will incorporate them into its base prices.

Royal Mail – International Business Contract Products

For business customers with contracts for Zonal-priced international services (Tracked, untracked and Response), Royal Mail will be increasing all legacy and zonal product prices by 15-20%.

Other changes to International Business Contract Products include:

• International Tracked services (country-priced): On average, and based on Royal Mail country-specific data, most prices will be frozen with even a few slight reductions.
• International Tracked Heavier: Royal Mail is introducing new International Tracked Heavier options:
  • Existing Tracked / Tracked & Signed services for parcels up to 30kg (current item sizes apply)
  • New products will be introduced for parcels up to 30kg, with dimensions up to 61cm x 46cm x 46cm
  • These products will be available to all destinations where Royal Mail currently offers International Tracked and/or International Tracked & Signed services.
• International Untracked Business Products (country-priced): In general, Royal Mail will be increasing prices to reflect higher delivery costs.

International Business Rate Cards

• International Business Mail Services rate card
• International Business Parcels rate card

Royal Mail – Changes to International Online and International Account Parcels

The good news, there are no price changes to existing 0-2kg international prices.

Royal Mail is also introducing new maximum weights for international parcels for personal, account, and marketplace sellers.

• Customers will be able to send International Tracked and International Tracked & Signed parcels up to 20kg (up to 30kg on Account).
• International parcel postage bought online above 2kg, will need to be posted as a Medium Parcel format, with dimensions up to 61cm x 46cm x 46cm. The Small Parcel format only applies to parcels less than 2kg. 
• Country-specific prices for Ireland, France, Germany and Canada will apply.

International Rate Cards for Personal, Account, and Marketplace sellers

• Online Price Guide
• Business Price Guide

Richard Meldner

Richard is co-founder of eSeller365. He has over 17 years of experience on eBay which includes tens of thousands of sales to buyers in over 100 countries and even has experience with eBay’s VeRO program enforcing intellectual property rights for a former employer. And for about two years Richard sold products on Amazon using Amazon FBA in the US.

To “relax” from the daily business grind, for a few weekends a year, he also works for IMSA as a professional race official.