Australians will soon have to pay up to almost 10 per cent more to mail their items with Australia Post.
The price hike, announced on Thursday, will come into effect from July 1 and will cover a wide variety of their products and services.
The biggest change is for MyPost Business pick-up services, designed for small businesses. Those prices are set to go up 9.7 per cent.
Other changes include cost increases for sending parcels, both domestically and internationally. Increases will average 4.25 per cent for contract customers and 4.95 per cent for retail customers.
Standard and express postage of parcels under five kilograms will go up by an average of 4.95 per cent, and international parcels and letters will go up by an average of 3.75 per cent.
It means that a pre-paid medium post bag, which is 390mm x 270mm, will cost $16.40 instead of $15.65, including postage.
And in the new financial year, visiting Australia Post for ID photos will set now you back $23.50 instead of $22.99.
An Australia Post spokesperson said the changes announced after the annual price review were reflective of “record operating costs”.
“We recognise the cost pressures facing households and businesses, and review our pricing carefully,” they said.
“We have absorbed costs where possible, including keeping core parcel price increases, on average, below inflation for contract customers over the past two years and for retail customers last year.
“Like all logistics businesses, Australia Post continues to face sustained increases in processing and delivery costs, and these adjustments are necessary to ensure we can continue providing reliable services for our customers.”
The price hikes were announced on the same day as a reduction to the fuel surcharge, which impacts contract customers.
From July 1, the 19.5 per cent Australia Post and StarTrack Courier fuel surcharge will drop to 12.3 per cent, while the StarTrack Express and StarTrack Premium fuel surcharge will decrease from 30.2 per cent to 23 per cent.
An Australia Post spokesperson said this change was reflective of “recent movements in fuel-related costs”.
“Australia Post is focused on balancing responsible cost recovery with affordability for customers, while continuing to support its delivery partners,” they said.
It comes days after it was announced that Australia Post sought to lift the basic postage rate for reserved ordinary letter services from $1.70 to $1.85 as it continues to grapple with falling mail volumes and mounting losses across its letters business.
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