The Finnish national postal service (Posti) announced what they call a "simplification" in its price list for cash-paid domestic letters.
The company explained on a press release that as of August 30, letters will be divided into four weight classes (in grams) instead of the six earlier existing classes. In practical terms, prices will increase for the lighter ones, mainly normal letters and postcards, while heavier mail will be cheaper.
According to the data provided by Posti, as of August 30 the price of a domestic card or letter weighing no more than 50 grams will be 1.60€ (raised by 0.10€). A Priority class international card or letter weighing no more than 20 grams will be 1.70 euros (+0.10€).
In weight classes heavier than 500 grams, the prices of domestic letters will decrease; for example, the price of a domestic letter in the heaviest weight class (1,001-2,000 grams) will be 9.60€ (this means 5.40€ less). The price of Christmas greetings will increase by 0.05€, to 1.10€.
International shipments
Posti does not provide any practical example of how prices of heavier international shipments will change with the new fees. However, below is a list of the future rates for some of the most common international letters.
Source: Posti
All weight classes will be priced in multiples of the no-value indicator stamp's price. In the lightest class (1-50 g), the postage fee of a letter or postcard equals one no-value indicator stamp; in the next new weight class (51-250 g), the fee equals two no-value indicator stamps; and in the third weight class (251-1,000 g) the fee equals four no-value indicator stamps. In the heaviest weight class (up to 2 kg), the letter postage fee equals six no-value indicator stamps.
"Finnish customers spend on average less than 20 euros per year on letter postage fees. The new prices entail an increase of just over one euro", said Tuija Åkerman, from Posti's Consumer Mail Business Unit.
Mail volumes decreased
Åkerman remarks that the postage fee covers the costs of the delivery network, and price increases are required in order to secure Posti's universal service throughout the country. Mail volumes have decreased by 50 percent over the past ten years due to digitalization. The fewer items carried by each deliverer on each round, the higher the delivery cost of each individual item.
On a normal delivery day, mail delivery covers a total of 320,000 kilometers in the whole of Finland. At the same time, the amount of items to deliver keeps decreasing at an accelerating pace, due to the expansion of digital services.
If you want to consult the complete new price list for both domestic and international shipments that Posti will apply since August 30 2019, you can read it HERE
