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Roil, Britannia!

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

Britain's Royal Mail has just announced a whopping increase in its postal rates – 30 to
40 percent for a letter.

First class mail, which "aims" for overnight delivery but doesn't guarantee it, will
shoot up to just under a dollar at today's exchange rates. Second class mail, which like
our letter rate tries for delivery within a few days, will be the equivalent of 80 cents.

That's almost double the 45-cent rate here in the U-S.

In fact, British rates for just about everything go up significantly at the end of April,
from large envelopes to delivery confirmation to post office boxes.

Royal Mail says the increases and changes in rate structure are long overdue – it's been
losing money…. Because of lower volume, more use of the Internet and more competition.
Sound familiar? And it points out that its postal rates are among the lowest in Europe.

The increases will affect stamp collectors two ways: First, the actual price of stamps
will go up that same 30 to 40 percent.

And second, it will cost more to buy older stamps from British dealers… because they'll
have to charge more for shipping.

I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting,
visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.

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