View of post office building at one of Singapore HDB building (Photo by Nashriq Mohd from Shutterstock.com).

National mail carrier Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) is set to introduce adjustments such as new postal service categories and increased international airmail rates in a bid to “meet the demands brought about by changes in Singapore’s postal landscape, including the growth of eCommerce and falling mail volumes”.
In a statement on Wed (30 Oct), SingPost said that the changes, slated to take effect from 2 Dec this year, “will enable SingPost to better serve the fast evolving needs of the local community and improve service standards”.
The new postal service categories are the Basic Package and Tracked Package, aimed at packages weighing up to 2kg. Packages classified under such categories will be delivered to the recipients’ letterboxes instead of their doorstep.
“The introduction of these new categories reflects the high demand for small package deliveries across Singapore, with a tracking option given to customers.
“Direct delivery to the letterbox means customers do not need to stay at home to receive their packages and will therefore reduce missed deliveries. This will also make the work of the postman more efficient, leading to improved service standards,” according to SingPost.
Basic Package is a basic letterbox package delivery service which will cost between S$0.90 and S$3.50, and will not come with the option to track or receive notifications regarding the whereabouts of the package.
Tracked Package, on the other hand, is an over-the-counter package delivery service which will cost between S$3.20 and S$4.80. Under the Tracked Package, recipients will be able to track the delivery progress as well as receive notifications on said delivery.
The new Tracked Package service, said SingPost, will be “lower in cost on heavier items compared to Registered Service (Singapore)”.
This will thereby result in “cost savings for a delivery service with value-added tracking service” for both consumers and businesses, the company added.

Source: SingPost
SingPost will also only accept letters and printed papers weighing up to 500g in the Standard Regular, Standard Large and Non-Standard categories under its Basic Mail service, or previously known as Ordinary Mail.
“All other items, including merchandise and items between 501g and 2kg will be categorised under Basic Package. This is to streamline the definitions of mail and package items, and hence, increasing operational efficiency of workflows and deliveries,” said SingPost.
Rates for Basic Mail remain unchanged.
SingPost will also limit its Registered Service (Singapore) to letters and printed papers up to 500g to “realign the intent of the service, originally designed to offer secure delivery and tracked receipt of important letters and documents”.
“Due to its sign-for service, customers have been using the Registered Service (Singapore) to send packages, which has put a strain on SingPost’s Registered Service.
“Following these adjustments, customers sending heavier items can now consider using the new Tracked Package for deliveries to the letterbox, or Speedpost courier services for doorstep deliveries,” SingPost added.
International airmail rates to increase due to rising operating costs: SingPost
SingPost will also increase its international airmail rates, including as seen below:
• Airmail rates for letters, printed papers and postcards will increase by S$0.20 for Zone 1 (Malaysia & Brunei) and S$0.10 for Zones 2 & 3 (all other countries);
• Aerogramme rates will also increase by S$0.10 per piece; and
• The Registered Service (International) fee will also be revised to S$3.60 up from the current S$2.50, in addition to the applicable postage fees.
However, there will not be any changes to international surface (sea/land) mail rates, as well as airmail rates for packages.
SingPost said that the rationale behind the increased rates is that it “has been absorbing the yearly increase in payment made to foreign postal operators since 2014” as a result of foreign postal operators increasing their international mail rates each year to mitigate their rising operating costs, due to increasing international postal settlement rates.
“In 2018, SingPost saw an increase in payments to foreign postal operators by more than 25 per cent, and projects that the payments will continue to increase each year,” SingPost said, adding that the revised rates “will be paid to postal operators of destination countries, in response to the increase in charges for their delivery of postal items from Singapore”.
Commenting on the changes to be introduced by SingPost at the end of this year, CEO for Postal Services and Singapore Vincent Phang said that SingPost is “committed to keeping our postal service relevant in the eCommerce age to better serve the needs of our customers”.
“We have conducted a thorough review of our postal operations and engaged customers to improve our service offerings and standards.
“Among the numerous feedback received, tracking and letterbox deliveries were preferred by customers as compared to waiting at home for doorstep deliveries.
“As such, the new Tracked Package service, in addition to the other new services introduced here are the natural next steps in the transformation of Singapore’s postal services,” he added.

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