Sending a letter? The cost is doubling
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The days of writing letters, putting them in yellow envelopes and expressing emotions to loved ones have long passed. In the digital age, messages and emails have taken the place of letters. However, post offices remain a major means of sending government documents, commercial parcels and e commerce products. Now the government has doubled postal service charges in one go.
The cost of sending letters and packages for ordinary citizens as well as online businesses will increase from October 1. Director General of the Postal Department Kazi Asadul Islam said the move was taken to reduce losses. He said, “Revenue will increase, that is true. Our main goal is to reduce losses.”
Postal charges were last increased in 2022. After four years, charges for all types of services will increase again in October 2026.
The highest increase this time has been recorded for international parcels and Express Mail Service or EMS. Charges have also increased for domestic ordinary letters, book post and acknowledgment due or AD customer services.
The difference between the previous and current charges is significant. Previously, the minimum postage for an ordinary letter weighing up to 100 grams was Tk 5. It has now increased to Tk 10.
Similarly, the fee for acknowledgment due or AD has increased from Tk 5 to Tk 10. The registration fee has increased from Tk 3 to Tk 5. For e commerce parcels, the charge was previously Tk 15 per kilogram. Under the new rate, the first kilogram will cost Tk 20.
However, Sheikh Saiful Alam, Postmaster General of the Chattogram Eastern Region of the Postal Department, argued that the charges remain low compared with the services provided.
He said, “The charges have been increased minimally compared with the services of the Postal Department. We have not increased charges at the same rate in all sectors. Our costs are still much lower than those of private courier services.”
A comparison of the charges with private parcel and domestic courier services supports his statement.
Private courier services charge Tk 60 to Tk 80 to send ordinary documents within a city and Tk 100 to Tk 150 outside the city. In comparison, the Postal Department’s new charge is Tk 23 for a letter and Tk 50 for an ordinary parcel.
However, e commerce entrepreneur Mishkatul Azam pointed out a different aspect. He said, “Private couriers are chosen to quickly deliver packages across the city. There was no alternative to the Postal Department for sending products at a low cost. Now those charges are gradually increasing as well.”
Private or foreign postal services are quite expensive for international destinations. Meanwhile, the Postal Department’s minimum charges for sending international letters and documents have increased by around 50 to 70 percent compared with the previous rates. Costs for small book posts and small parcels are also increasing depending on different regions or zones.
Additional fuel and handling charges are being added to the rates for air mail and ordinary mail. Previously, sending a parcel of the minimum weight to countries in Asia or Europe cost Tk 300 to Tk 500. Under the new rates, the cost will rise to around Tk 750 to Tk 1,000.
Officials expect the Postal Department’s annual revenue to increase several times through the new rates as it faces pressure from losses and rising operating costs. In particular, the department has set a target for a significant increase in additional revenue from e commerce parcels, money order commissions and registration fees.
