Post prices up - but could be worse

NZ Post confirmed it last week that prices will go up again from July 1.

Printpost – which most publishers use to post out subs –  will have increases between 3.1 per cent and around 10 per cent. It is also losing its volume tiers, which is why there is such a big range of increases.   

As an example a publisher posting 10,000 copies of a magazine weighing 250g will face increases of 3.1 per cent. For the same scenario at 5000, 20,000 and 30,000 copies the increases ar 3.1 per cent, 5.6 per cent and 5.6 per cent respectively. (All these examples assume the magazines have the highest address accuracy).

If the news seems bad, it could be worse.  Matt Geor, NZ Post’s General Manager -Mail, says “if there are any ‘winners’ out of this year’s price increase it will be publishers.”

He said NZ Post loaded less of the price increases onto Printpost, relative to other bulk mail products, partly to recognize that publishers’ postal volumes have declined less than other areas. Around 97 per cent of Printpost customers fall into the lower volume tiers.

Other changes include:

• Publishers will need to provide a Lodgement Data File with Printpost lodgements from July 1.
• Tougher penalties for missing or invalid postcodes
• NZ Post is moving away from the SOA (address accuracy ratings) to a new system from Feb 1 2021.

 Click here for more detail on the changes.