German mail prices inexpensive, say DP
Deutsche Post has said that its mail customers “continue to enjoy a significant savings compared to other countries”. The information was gathered from most recent annual edition of European letter price comparisons, published by Deutsche Post for the tenth time.
In a purely nominal comparison, at 55 Euro cents, the price for sending a standard letter in Germany ranks within the European mid-range.
In contrast, nowhere in Europe except for Italy, did the actual price for sending a standard letter sink as much as in Germany. When factoring in inflation from 1999 to 2009, the price reduction amounts to just under 17%. In other countries, the price for a normal standard letter actually increased by approximately 28% during the same period.
In addition to the strict nominal price comparison, economic factors such as labour costs and purchasing power parity were also taken into account in the comparison. According to this calculation, the price for sending a letter in Germany is significantly below the European average. The price for sending a letter from Germany to other European countries (the Europabrief) also ranks below the European average of 80 Euro cents when nominally compared.
The most recent price increase for a standard letter in Germany occurred in January 1998. In 2003, the price was reduced to 55 Euro cents, which is still in effect today.
