Letter postage in 2027: What the planned increase means for eBay sellers

What the Bundesnetzagentur has proposed

The authority cites scope for an average increase of 20.35 percent for letters sent by private customers from January 2027. According to reports, the same applies to letters sent by business customers.

For parcels sent to private customers, the draft cites an average of 10.72 percent. This is a permitted increase, not a fixed price.

How much a standard letter could cost

A standard letter currently costs 95 cents. If Deutsche Post were to apply the permitted increase uniformly across all letter types, it would cost €1.14. Prices of €1.10 or €1.15 are also possible, as Deutsche Post has often raised prices in five-cent increments in the past.

Deutsche Post itself will only decide later how much the price of each letter type will increase. The Bundesnetzagentur will then review this again.

What is still undecided

First, companies and associations can comment on the draft. The authority will then make a final decision on the permitted increase. Deutsche Post will then allocate it across its products, and the Bundesnetzagentur will approve the prices.

The new prices are intended to apply from January 2027 and remain in place for two years.

What you can do now as a seller

Do not base your calculations on fixed figures before Deutsche Post publishes its prices. Check the current terms and conditions with Deutsche Post and DHL. Shipnovo prints labels and manages your shipping methods, but the provider sets the prices.

• Check which items are significantly affected by using letter post rather than parcel shipping.
• Build a little buffer into the shipping costs in your listings.
• Watch for Deutsche Post's announcement of the specific prices.
• Update shipping profiles as soon as the new prices are confirmed.