Why is it so expensive to send a parcel?
Many people send a parcel through a post office or a parcel point. Most people find the costs for this quite high, and these costs are also increasing almost every year.
But why is this? And is the price really that high when you consider what has to happen to your package and what the underlying costs are for the postal company that handles your package?
One of the reasons why consumers are becoming more critical about the price of a parcel shipment is that many online shops offer free shipping from a low order value. Some online shops even go so far as to offer free shipping for every order, no matter how small. What people sometimes forget is that this does not mean free shipping. The shop still pays the shipping costs to their delivery partner. Free shipping does not exist at all. The shipping costs are calculated in the product price or the shop takes these extra costs as a loss because they want to keep you as a customer.
This way of working has given consumers the feeling that sending a parcel is something obvious. However, it is a complex process that has to be carried out over many stages. Your parcel may have to travel across the country and be delivered to exactly the right address by the carrier. The companies that deliver parcels need a huge infrastructure to be able to offer this service.
It is therefore not surprising that sending a parcel costs a reasonably high amount of money. It is in fact quite an extensive and complicated service that is purchased, but it is so widely used by companies and private individuals that it almost feels like a necessity of life. Many aspects of the delivery must be arranged properly and safely, and there must be continuous investment in the infrastructure. That money has to come from somewhere.
For example, many people think it is very important that the people in the chain of delivery services earn a fair wage. Unfortunately, the pressure to keep prices low sometimes leads to abuses among couriers and postal sorters. This is partly due to the fact that delivery companies struggle to maintain prices, even though they feel high to consumers. These problems are coming to light more and more often, so that solutions can be found more quickly.
Another current issue is that delivery companies must pay attention to sustainability and emissions. This requires a lot of investment and leads, for example, to the fact that the buses and trucks that have to be used are often in need of replacement. This is because they have to emit less, for example, or because electric delivery vans are being purchased. It may also be necessary to use bicycles and bicycle couriers for the last few kilometres.
The bottom line is that the price of a parcel may not be as high as it first appears. If the price were to become too low, this would result in a poorer service and perhaps even in abuses in the chain. It is also important that the service is performed well. There is nothing as annoying as a parcel that is delayed or even unexpectedly gets lost in the delivery process.
There is a lot of competition in the postal and parcel delivery market. Many internationally operating companies are active in the same countries and markets. Because they often compete on price, among other things, you as a consumer will never be able to get a price for a postal package that is too high. A party that would charge too high prices would price itself out of the market and that would cause volumes to fall. The delivery companies also depend on a constant flow of parcels to ensure that everything continues to work efficiently and correctly.
If you have to decide which delivery service to use, you can look up which delivery service would work best for you. There are delivery services where heavier packages cost more money, while others do not pay much attention to the weight of the package. The size of the parcel can also be important. You might also want the parcel to reach the recipient the next day, but if you are not in a hurry it might be cheaper to give the delivery service 3 or 4 days. Read the reviews of the courier you want to use in advance, so you know what others have experienced with this courier.
