# An Post to increase prices of Stamps (May 2021)



## odyssey06 (5 May 2021)

The price of a postage stamp for a standard letter is to increase by 10 cent to €1.10 from the end of this month.
The price hikes - which will also see an increase in the standard international letter price to €2.00 from €1.70 - come into effect on May 27.

All existing national 'N' rate stamps would automatically represent €1.10 postage from that date, while Worldwide ‘W’ stamps would cover the €2.00 international letter rate.









						An Post to increase stamp prices
					

The price of a postage stamp for a standard letter is to increase by 10 cent to €1.10 from the end of this month, An Post has confirmed.




					www.rte.ie


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## vandriver (5 May 2021)

Is the price of a stamp even remotely relevant to the average family anymore?
I'd say I buy 15 stamps a year, including Christmas cards.


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## odyssey06 (5 May 2021)

vandriver said:


> Is the price of a stamp even remotely relevant to the average family anymore?
> I'd say I buy 15 stamps a year, including Christmas cards.


Yeah with me it's mostly christmas cards and actually those christmas stamp books you get are 'N' marked so they are still good.
Just occasionally I need to post some documentation as not everywhere has freepost.

It's more that you might need to post something out of the blue, and you dig out a €1 stamp that's been sitting there and don't realise the price has gone up. Which is why I thought I'd mention it on the thread.


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## Steven Barrett (5 May 2021)

Just went out an bought 2 books of stamps last week  Now I have to go buy some 10c stamps to go with them


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## odyssey06 (5 May 2021)

Steven Barrett said:


> Just went out an bought 2 books of stamps last week  Now I have to go buy some 10c stamps to go with them


Did you double check are they €1 or N? Sometimes the books of stamps have them as 'N' for National.


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## MrEarl (5 May 2021)

That's the trick for anyone buying stamps from now on - insist on getting stamps with the "N"  on them.

Granted, its primarily a convenience thing, rather than a significant saving.


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## Steven Barrett (5 May 2021)

odyssey06 said:


> Did you double check are they €1 or N? Sometimes the books of stamps have them as 'N' for National.


€1. That's what I asked for. I checked the prices before going to the Post Office. Only a mild inconvenience. I'm planning on having them for ages since most forms can be signed by docusign these days.


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## NoRegretsCoyote (5 May 2021)

vandriver said:


> Is the price of a stamp even remotely relevant to the average family anymore?


Probably not. I buy 20 or 30 a  year.

It's a material cost for businesses though.


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## elcato (5 May 2021)

Steven Barrett said:


> Just went out an bought 2 books of stamps last week  Now I have to go buy some 10c stamps to go with them


They will probaby still reach the destination without the 10 extra.


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## odyssey06 (5 May 2021)

Steven Barrett said:


> €1. That's what I asked for. I checked the prices before going to the Post Office. Only a mild inconvenience. I'm planning on having them for ages since most forms can be signed by docusign these days.


That's a pity. Next time  maybe order these so you won't get caught out by future price rises:
[broken link removed]


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## POC (5 May 2021)

That is so confusing. I didn't realise that they didn't go up last year. I assumed the N stamp was worth 1.10 and the W was worth 1.80 - as announced last year. I sent a packet to Germany last weekend with a combination of N, W, and miscellaneous stamp values. I probably didn't put enough on ....


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## SPC100 (5 May 2021)

I have a small stock of different value stamps (from pre N). Mainly for convenience. Then I use the online postage charge calculator and a baking weighing scales to figure out the cost to post. It saves me a few trips to the post office each year.

Last time I topped up my stock with the N ones - in hindsight that was the easiest ten percent I ever made. And it was tax free!


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## MrEarl (5 May 2021)

NoRegretsCoyote said:


> Probably not. I buy 20 or 30 a  year.
> 
> It's a material cost for businesses though.



Do businesses get a discount, if they use a franking machine? 

If so, then that's probably the way for most businesses to go, if they have heavier volumes of post.  In fact, for the convenience alone, it might seek make sense (subject to costs).


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## EasilyAmused (5 May 2021)

Pay for stamps? I get stamps free on incoming envelopes.
Soak in hot water, dry between two planks of timber, then borrow the kids’ PrittStick.


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## odyssey06 (5 May 2021)

EasilyAmused said:


> Pay for stamps? I get stamps free on incoming envelopes.
> Soak in hot water, dry between two planks of timber, then borrow the kids’ PrittStick.


Doesn't that only work if the postmark missed the stamp?


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## SPC100 (5 May 2021)

Yes. But often the postmark misses.


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## EasilyAmused (5 May 2021)

Been a long time since I’ve seen a postmark. But yes, no postmark or very little.


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## Brendan Burgess (6 May 2021)

Didn't some guy buy up big bags of stamps from charities and then sell of the unused ones?

I think it got to court.

Brendan


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## odyssey06 (6 May 2021)

Brendan Burgess said:


> Didn't some guy buy up big bags of stamps from charities and then sell of the unused ones?
> 
> I think it got to court.
> 
> Brendan


Interesting, I couldn't find the court case when I googled it but it is a thing.

Apparently there is a whole black market in used stamps which charities were inadvertently facilitating... I notice Barnardos still accept donations of used stamps.
[broken link removed]

_A number of charities collect used stamps as a means of fundraising. Although we do not believe that charities are knowingly profiting from the collection and sale of used stamps, some are inadvertently enabling this form of fraud by selling packages of used stamps, commonly referred to as ‘kiloware’. The majority of these stamps are then prepared and fraudulently re-sold as if they were valid postage. The money being made by criminal gangs from this type of fraud is significant, and can be used to fund further and wider scale criminal activity.
Fundraisers may believe they are selling stamps to collectors but this is rarely the case as these stamps have little collectable value._



			Charities warned against selling stamps, kiloware - Postage Stamp Chat Board & Stamp Forum


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## Purple (6 May 2021)

EasilyAmused said:


> Pay for stamps? I get stamps free on incoming envelopes.
> Soak in hot water, dry between two planks of timber, then borrow the kids’ PrittStick.


I just get one in work. I don't know if I've ever bought a Stamp.

I don't send Christmas cards for environmental reasons (okay, it's because I'm lazy and couldn't be bothered) so maybe once a year I have to post something.


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## MrEarl (6 May 2021)

Purple said:


> I just get one in work....



But surely you are "buying" it from your employer, aren't you? ... Putting the money in the petty cash box,  maybe?


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## Shirazman (6 May 2021)

The missus recently bought 2 x 10 packs of N stamps in the local PO.   She bought two because they cost only €9 per pack, but unfortunately they're the Valentine's Day "LOVE / GRÁ" stamps; ghastly things with a pair of small silver detachable hearts on each stamp - I cringe everytime that I use one!   On the bright side, we've got 16 left, so we've made a killing of €1.60 as well as the original €2 off     Happy Days!


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## Cervelo (6 May 2021)

Purple said:


> I just get one in work. I don't know if I've ever bought a Stamp.
> 
> I don't send Christmas cards for environmental reasons (okay, it's because I'm lazy and couldn't be bothered) so maybe once a year I have to post something.



And you had the cheek to call me Grumpy, Ya Grinch!!!!!

Sorry couldn't resist


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## Purple (7 May 2021)

MrEarl said:


> But surely you are "buying" it from your employer, aren't you? ... Putting the money in the petty cash box,  maybe?


No, it's theft, pure and simple. I've been known to take the odd highlighter pen as well. Why? I just like living on the edge.


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## Purple (7 May 2021)

Cervelo said:


> And you had the cheek to call me Grumpy, Ya Grinch!!!!!
> 
> Sorry couldn't resist


Lazy. That's my problem.


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## MrEarl (7 May 2021)

Purple said:


> No, it's theft, pure and simple. I've been known to take the odd highlighter pen as well. Why? I just like living on the edge.



You forgot to mention the post it pads, and the batteries for your remote controls!


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## Brendan Burgess (7 May 2021)

The good news, is that they issued two beautiful new stamps yesterday 





			https://www.instagram.com/p/COhqLKYD_vy/
		


And the stamps were designed by Shevaun Doherty whose artwork for an earlier stamp was funded by the Prevailing Art Fund.





__





						The Prevailing Art Fund has made its second purchase and donation
					

Shevaun Doherty is an Irish botanical and nature artist of international repute. She is a member of the  Irish Society of Botanical Artists and a Fellow of the  Society of Botanical Artists in the UK and the American Society of Botanical Artists. She has 32,000 followers on Instagram. She has...



					www.askaboutmoney.com


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