Tuesday 10 April 2012

Postcard from Cuba


Just a quick post today. I always encourage postcards from friends when they disappear to far flung fields. Most say they 'don't do postcards,' but even those that do more often than not take the effort. Friends Ken and Linda went to Cuba in the New Year and their postcard arrived today, 10 April. The postmark in Cuba - 13 February 2012. The price of postage of the card (0. 75 Cuban peso) at today's conversion rate is about 47 pence.

In the UK, Royal Mail has announced that from April 30 2012, the price of a First Class stamp for a standard letter will rise from 46p to 60p. The price of a Second Class stamp for a standard letter will increase from 36p to 50p. Even with my donkey maths, that's an increase of 30% and 39% respectively.

If I send 60 Christmas cards by post every year, mostly but not all second class, that will be £30 at the cheapest rate to send them. I have a decision to make and its not going to be favourable I don't think.

I hope you enjoyed your Easter break if you had one, this week is forecast sunshine and showers with cold nights. 

Chat soon

Ta-ra.

9 comments:

  1. For us a stamp for first class letter is 42 cents. For me, its become a 'luxury" like part of the gift itself but young people in their 20's (and especially my grandkids) seem to really like getting mail. It seems special to them

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  2. Carrier pigeon would have got that card here more quickly I think.

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  3. A carrier pigeon would be cheaper, and at least you could eat it afterwards :)

    Don't get their business model. I thought the idea was that they losing revenue to the Internet? Then price us letter writers out? Then half their web pages don't work either. Way to go. Not.

    Letter writing is a cherished art. At this rate we'll only see them in museums. I can see it now. There I'll be, with a great-grandchild on my knee, hearing "What's a 'letter' grumps?"

    I'm off to post a Donald McGill postcard to my MP. Without a stamp. Seriously.

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  4. Hi Donna
    I love recieving letters; not junk mail but personal letters. The trouble is very few get written any more which is a shame. I agree it is becoming a luxury.
    XX

    Hi Weaver
    And cheaper too!
    xx

    Hi Wheelie
    "...at least you could eat it afterwards." I love it. It's too easy to use Facebook or Twitter or e-mail than buy paper and envelopes, write a letter, stick a stamp on it, take it to a post box and not actually have the guarantee of a delivery. Just a real shame. I don't give them long; if it wasn't for Amazon and the likes, they'd go down the tube.
    XX

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  5. I have to confess I'm not a fan of cards. They annoy me really, especially Christmas cards from people you never hear from any other time of the year.
    It's 55 cent to send a letter/ card in Ireland (about 50p) there's no such thing as 1st and 2nd class. Mind you we only get one post a day (and none on Saturday) so maybe that's why.

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  6. Hi Val
    It's an interesting point you make about the people you don't hear from all year - anyone else got a view?
    XX

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  7. Like you, I love to send and receive real mail. if you can afford it, the advice is to buy stamps now and save a bit for the rest of the year. i feel a culling of the Christmas list coming on!

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  8. Hi Catriona
    Thanks for popping by, just today, the Post Office has anounced it is restricting the amount of stamps people can buy (by restricting supply to shops) before the 30 April so they can take full advantage of the profits thereafter. Shame on them.
    X

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  9. It's the small businesses I feel sorry for.

    I read somewhere about some poor bloke who ordered 3000 leaflets to send out, just before the price rise was announced. He stands to lose around £1500. Just plain wrong.

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