On the 30th of April, the Royal Mail is increasing cost of stamps. A first class stamp will cost 60p and a second class stamp increasing to 50p.

In a recent poll, we found out that the average person in the UK buys 17 1st class stamps and 19 2nd class stamps in a year. If they purchased the same number in the next year, this would represent an increase of £5.04.

• 17 first class stamps would cost an extra £2.38 per year (based on a 14p rise per stamp)
• 19 second class stamps would cost an extra £2.66 per year (based on a 14p rise per stamp)

So how will this influence stamp buying behaviour?

• One quarter (25%) use so few stamps that the cost will not make a difference
• Twenty one percent will buy fewer stamps
• One in six (17%) will use other methods of communication more often
• One in ten (11%) will use more 2nd class stamps to cut costs
• Thirteen percent will ‘bulk buy’ stamps before the end of April in order to beat the increase