SA Post Office vs Private couriers – Pricing showdown
The South African Post Office recently announced its updated services fees, which will be implemented on 1 April 2020.
The new 2020 rates will see users paying more for sending packages, mail, and stamps.
While the SA Post Office remains one of the cheapest ways to send mail and other small items, it is a different story when it comes to shipping large and valuable packages.
Many South African consumers and retailers prefer to use couriers instead of the SA Post Office for package delivery, due to the greater reliability of these private services.
We compared the Post Office’s updated fees with those listed by private courier companies on their websites to determine which was the cheaper option.
It is important to note that the Post Office does run a parcel delivery service named Speed Services, but there is no pricing listed for this service on its website.
Package price comparison
The South African Post Office considers any postal item larger than 250 x 353 mm and/or thicker than 30mm and/or weighing more than 1 kg a “parcel”.
For these counter-to-counter deliveries, it charges R61.35 for the first kilogram, with an additional R8.25 charged for each additional kilogram or part of a kilogram.
Insurance is an optional extra, and the sender has the option of insuring the ordinary parcel at a rate of 3% of the declared value up to a maximum of R5,000 with a minimum rate of R4.55 per parcel.
Many courier companies operate on the same policy, charging a flat rate that increases on a per-kg basis once a weight threshold has been exceeded.
We compared the cheapest available price for sending a 5kg 30cm x 30cm x 30cm package to a local destination in the same city across the SA Post Office, RAM, The Courier Guy, FastWay, and PostNet.
This comparison does not include waybill or fuel surcharges that are declared separately or insurance costs.
It should be noted that the SA Post Office and PostNet prices listed below reflect counter-to-counter deliveries, and not door-to-door.
| Service | Minimum price | Price per kg | 5kg delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| PostNet | R99 | R20 (over 5kg) | R99 |
| The Courier Guy | R95 | – | R95 |
| SA Post Office | R61.35 | R8.25 (over 1kg) | R94.35 |
| RAM | R80 | R5 (over 9kg) | R80 |
| Fastway | R70 | – | R70 |
Ordinary mail prices
Unlike couriers, the SA Post Office charges customers different rates for envelopes, newspapers, rolled items, and postcards.
These can vary based on whether you supply your own envelope, whether you have paid your postage, and the size of your envelope.
The SA Post Office price list for ordinary mail is listed below.
| Product | New rate |
|---|---|
| Client’s own envelope (unsorted/non-bulk) | |
| Small | R4.90 |
| Medium | R9.85 |
| Large | R12.05 |
| Cylinder/Rolled Items | |
| Cylinder/Rolled Items (520mm x 70mm) | R12.05 |
| Cylinder/Rolled Items (620mm x 70mm) | R21.40 |
| Rolled addressed newspapers | |
| Rolled addressed newspapers (324mm x 70mm) | R6.50 |
| Postage included (prepaid) envelope (postage and cost of envelope) | |
| Small with and without window and self-seal envelope | R5.20 |
| Small (maxi) with and without window and self-seal envelope | R5.20 |
| Medium | R11.30 |
| Large | R15.10 |
| Lettergram | R5.10 |
| Postcard | |
| Change of address (postage paid) | R5.20 |
| Ordinary postcard (Post Office card, postage paid) | R5.20 |
| Client’s own Postcard | |
| Small | R4.90 |
| Medium | R9.85 |
| Large | R12.05 |
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