In this guide
Following the latest price rise price, we look at the cost of first class stamps, alternative delivery options and the cheapest ways to pay for postage
Sending a letter or parcel often involves deciding whether extra should be spent to ensure a more timely delivery or whether a slower and cheaper service would suit.
The price of a postage stamp has just risen in April 2024, and it’s worth knowing about all your options so that you can make the best decisions for sending future parcels and letters.
In this article, we cover:
- The new price of a first-class Royal Mail stamp
- The new price of a second-class Royal Mail stamp
- Prices for sending large parcels
- Buying postage labels online instead of stamps
- What’s the cheapest way to pay for postage?
First-class postage stamp cost
The Royal Mail price for a first-class postage stamp went up on April 2, 2024. Now, sending a standard letter with a British first-class stamp costs £1.35, when it was previously £1.25.
There has also been a similar price increase for other parcels and letters. For example, for small parcels up to 2kg with first-class delivery, you would have spent £4.19 in 2023, but now the stamps cost £4.59.
As usual, buying in bulk can save you money. You can now pick up a book of four first-class stamps with little modern barcodes (an added new security feature) for £5 or a book of eight for £10.
Second-class postage stamp cost
The stamp price of sending a parcel or letter with second-class postage has also risen. In 2023, using it to send a standard letter cost 75p, but it now costs 85p. This price increase has extended to other parcels of different weights.
As with first-class stamps, you might want to buy in bulk to save money. A book of eight second-class stamps will cost you £6, which is 80p cheaper than buying the stamps individually.
How much does it cost to post a large letter?
It will depend on the weight of the large letter you’re sending and how quickly you want it to arrive, as well as the delivery company you choose to send it with.
Since the April 2024 price change, here are the new rates for sending a large letter with a Royal Mail postage stamp, with both 1st class and 2nd class postage:
| Large Letter Prices | Weight up to and including | 1st Class Price | 2nd Class Price |
| 100g | £2.10 | £1.55 | |
| 250g | £2.90 | £2.10 | |
| 500g | £3.50 | £2.50 | |
| 750g | £3.50 | £2.70 |
Sending large parcels by Royal Mail
You can send parcels via Royal Mail up to a maximum of 20 kg with a size of 61cm in length and 46cm width, which is classed as a medium parcel. Above that, you’ll need to send your parcel via Parcelforce Worldwide.
This online postage service allows you to send fully tracked and signed parcels by the next day or within two days, without the use of stamps.
There are also other services you might want to choose from. In our guide to the cheapest way to send parcels, we list them, paying attention to Royal Mail competitors such as ParcelHero and Parcel2Go.
Buying postage online
An alternative to buying regular stamps for posting items is to use an online delivery platform. These days, Royal Mail and companies such as Parcel Monkey allow you to buy a postage label online to print off. This might be easier than keeping stamps in your home, which can have a tendency to get lost.
The prices are different to stamp prices. There are many easy-to-understand options, such as Tracked 48, which sends the item within 48 hours and provides tracking information.
What is the cheapest way to pay for postage?
It’s also a good idea to wisely consider different courier services and compare their costs online. Some even have special discounts available. In our guide, we compare them and suggest couriers. For example, there’s information on Parcel2Go, which claims to be the cheapest delivery service in the UK.
There are also various other tips and tricks to help keep costs down.
- Send your item with a slower delivery service: faster delivery services tend to cost more, so sending your item with a slow delivery if you have plenty of time could save money
- Keep your item as light as possible: avoid heavy wrapping and use lightweight materials such as bubble wrap and tissue paper
- Send items in bulk where you can: this will mean lower costs overall
- Send it straight from the retailer: this works if you’re sending a parcel as a gift. You could send it straight to the recipient from the retailer to reduce the delivery cost
How much are Penny Black stamps worth?
If you’re annoyed by the increasing price of stamps, bear this in mind.
The Penny Black is renowned for being the world’s first stamp, and there are many stamp collectors who aspire to own one. As with many collectable items, their value is closely linked to their physical condition, which makes it hard to put a general price on them.
What are the most expensive stamps in the world?
Taking stamp prices to the extremes is the British Guiana 1 Cent Magenta, which is reportedly the only one to exist.
Dating from 1856, it sold for six shillings in 1874. By June 2014 its price had increased to eye-watering $9.48 million when it was sold at the Sotheby’s auction in New York.
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