SingPost raises rates for international small packets

SINGAPORE Post Limited is revising its rates for the international delivery of small packets from Jan 2 next year, following new rates set by a United Nations agency.

Also from the same date, it will stop accepting delivery of international small packets by ship as several postal organisations have ceased to accept such forms of conveyance, it said. Demand for such a service is also low, with most senders choosing to use airmail.

International postal settlement rates - the amount that SingPost compensates other postal organisations for mail delivery in their country - are being raised on Jan 1 next year.

These rates are set every four years by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a UN agency that sets the rules for international mail exchanges.

At a congress held in Istanbul last year, UPU also introduced a new airmail rate structure for international small packets.

Small packets currently come under international airmail rates, said a SingPost spokesman. With the separate pricing structure for small packets, customers sending small packets will have to pay a maximum increase of S$3.40 per item or enjoy maximum savings of S$1.10, depending on the destination and the item weight, he added.

The firm told The Business Times that international small packets from public consumers do not currently make up a significant part of its volumes, and it is monitoring the effect of the new rate structure for international small packets on its postal business.

The changes made by UPN reflect rising volumes of e-commerce packets and the higher cost of delivering such packets, said SingPost.