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Because parcel prices stay the same: A- and B-Post parcels with online postage are mostly more expensive.
In August of last year, the Post wrote in its press release on the increase in tariffs for A and B Mail letters: “The parcel prices will remain unchanged”. Due to the good half-year result, the package prices can currently be left unchanged, Post boss Roberto Cirillo was quoted at the time.
Because of package prices stay the same
A post customer from the canton of St.Gallen recently noticed that the prices are apparently not entirely “unchanged”. When franking a B Mail parcel weighing less than two kilograms herself, she noticed that the parcel now costs 5.95 francs – instead of the previous 5.50 francs. That corresponds to a surcharge of eight percent. For A Mail parcels between two and 10 kilograms franked online, the surcharge is 16 percent.
There are no online discounts for certain A Mail parcels
The post customer asks herself in the SRF consumer magazine “Espresso”: “Have I overlooked information or not received it? Or why was that nowhere communicated? ” After all, Swiss Post still grants a discount for B Mail parcels franked online compared to “normal” parcels that are handed in at the counter. With A-Post parcels between two and ten kilos, this difference is completely eliminated: there is no longer a discount for self-franking.
Packages: These online tariffs are new
Marked in red = more expensive than before
Marked in green = cheaper than before
* Maximum length 250 cm, girth 400 cm (2 × height, 2 × width + 1 × longest side)
Higher prices despite less effort
The customer believes that additional expenses for the post office cannot be the reason for the surcharge. Enter the address, sender, weight and size, pay, print out the label and stick it on – you do everything yourself. “At certain post offices, you sometimes have to scan the parcels yourself and put them in a box.” Definitely less work for Swiss Post than with a parcel that is posted at the counter. So why is Swiss Post increasing the prices for these parcels of all things?
Post: It’s about fairness between private and SME customers
In the past, the discount system for online parcels has led to an injustice between private and business customers, says Post spokeswoman Léa Wertheimer. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which send thousands of parcels a year, previously paid more per parcel than a private customer who franked a parcel himself online once a year. With the new discount system, this injustice has been corrected in consultation with the price monitor. “For private customers it means that some parcels will be a little more expensive in the future, but others will be cheaper,” explains the Post spokeswoman.
For private customers, this means that some packages will be a little more expensive in the future, while others will be cheaper
Regarding the allegation that Swiss Post deliberately did not communicate this change, the company says that it was at least indirectly published on the website.
New 15 percent discount for (almost) all online packages
A flat 15 percent discount now applies to parcels franked online. Except for A Mail parcels between two and 10 kilograms: there is no longer any discount.
Large parcels and bulky goods are cheaper
The post customer from St.Gallen finds the new regulation confusing. And also somewhat paradoxical: prices for parcels that cause effort at the counter remain the same. Most of the prices for self-franked parcels are becoming more expensive. Except for parcels weighing 30 kilograms and bulky goods: These are now a little cheaper.