bulk postal rates

davescully

Hi all,

We send out on average about 450-500 letters per week. So obviously this is working out to be quite costly @ over 250euro per week for 55c stamps.

I know that An Post offer stamps to businesses at a cheaper rate if they buy in bulk. Does anyone know how this works and how discounted the stamps would be? Is it worth my while looking into this?

Cheers,

Dave

Our man in Havana

They offer discounts for using franking machines. There is a 1 cent discount per letter.

davescully

Thansk for the reply haddockman,

WOW, Thats a pretty dissapointing reduction, have to say that i expected a greater discount. Seeing as i would have to buy or rent a franking machine, it doesn't presEnt so much of a discount.

Does anyone know of any other ways in which one can reduce their postal expenses? Also when are they going to allow competitors to enter the monopolised irish postal market?

Thanks again for the reply,

Our man in Havana

Indeed, I looked into it before and all they would offer was 54 cent instead of 55 cent for standard letters. Also there is the cost of the machine on top.

antoinolachtnai

There are mail outsourcing places. Depending on the sort of stuff you mail they might be able to do something for you.

Tico for example - http://www.tico-group.ie/Postal%20Services.html

I have not done business with this company myself, but I have met the managing director there, and it seemed like a very straightforward, helpful operation.

This might work if you have 'standard' items like bills, statements or demands that you send in bulk every week. You send a digital file containing all the letters, and they print 'em. The delivery will take a bit longer than if you just put them in the mailbox.

Companies like this get discounts because of the volume and the pre-sorting they do on the mail. Also, the mail takes an extra day to get there.

Realistically, the letter post market will never really be opened to competition. There is just no point. The letter post business as we know it will be gone within five years.

ten10twenty

Not massively cheaper at the moment but you can post from the UK to ireland for 60p (no idea about bulk rates)

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/content1?catId=19100179&mediaId=19100240

If An Post put their prices up or the exchange rate changes it might be more viable, but I'd image the hassle would outwieght any potential savings unless there was big changes

Our man in Havana

60p stg is a hell of a lot more than 55 cents.

ten10twenty

Haddockman wrote: »

60p stg is a hell of a lot more than 55 cents.

Oops, got my exchange rate calculations massively wrong