Postage increase from 1 January 2027: What eBay sellers need to know

What is known so far

The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) has published its proposed decision on Deutsche Post’s scope for price increases. It is a draft. For private-customer letters, it specifies an average allowance for increases of 20.35 percent, and for private-customer parcels, 10.72 percent.

The new prices are intended to apply from 1 January 2027 through 31 December 2028. Deutsche Post, competitors and associations can comment on the draft until 30 October 2026.

• Letters: average allowance for price increases of 20.35 percent
• Private-customer parcels: average allowance for price increases of 10.72 percent
• Validity: from 1 January 2027 for two years
• Final decision: expected in November, according to the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency)

What remains undecided: the actual prices

The allowance for increases is not a price. Deutsche Post decides for itself which products to increase in price and by how much, and the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) then approves the prices. A standard letter could cost €1.14 if Deutsche Post applies the allowance evenly. It currently costs 95 cents. Prices in five-cent increments are also possible.

No prices have yet been announced for parcels, small parcels or Warenpost. Check the current prices and terms with DHL and Deutsche Post as soon as they are published.

What this means for your eBay shipping charges

Higher postage costs affect your margin if you do not adjust your shipping charges. This is particularly true for lightweight items where postage accounts for a large share of the price.

Only recalculate once the approved prices are known. Until then, you can prepare by identifying where shipping charges are stored in the listing or shipping profile.

• List the shipping methods you use most often.
• Check which shipping profiles and listings have fixed shipping costs entered.
• Allow time to update the costs in one go after the prices are announced.
• Compare Kleinpaket, Warenpost and parcel shipping again once the prices are known.

How Shipnovo supports you

Shipnovo connects your eBay accounts and prints shipping labels. Shipping rules let you automatically select the shipping method by weight or item. When prices change, you update the rules in one place. DHL and Deutsche Post set the postage prices themselves, not Shipnovo.