Photo: © La Poste, Switzerland
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The cost of shipping letters, registered letters and packages outside Switzerland will increase by 7% on 1 April 2009, when La Poste restructures its price schedule. The new prices must still be approved by Mr Price, the government’s consumer watchdog.
The Swiss post office blames the need for an increase on rising costs, pointing out that overseas shipping has not seen an increase since the price of letters went up in 2000, and other postal rates have not gone up since 2002.
The new rates include, for in-Switzerland shipping, a one franc increase for small packages, under 5 kg, but a reduction for packages over 5 kg. The shift is being made largely to encourage people to use WebStamp to frank packages in advance, using the post office’s online services. Small packages franked this way will receive a one-franc discount.
The post office will also offer discounts for some international shipments: anyone who completes freight papers for PostPac International and URGENT consignments online will save three francs.
Among the higher charges the post office has been incurring are rising petrol costs, two price increases in the heavy goods vehicles tax and higher wages. As a result, says La Poste, many services are now not covering their costs.
The monopoly now enjoyed by La Poste is scheduled to start coming to an end in July 2009, but two federal departments must still approve parts of the plan to dismantle the monopoly and open Switzerland’s shipping market.
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News story, GenevaLunch, 4 February 2009.
Filed under: Society
Tags: international, La Poste, mail, packages, post office, price of letter, shipping, Swiss Post, Switzerland