High 
cost 
of
 postage

 blamed 
for
 decline 

in
 charity 
cards

Charities have said that the 39% increase in postal rates on a card or letter posted within Ireland is having an effect on the sale of Christmas cards which generate revenue.

Earlier this year, An Post increased the cost of a posting a letter within Ireland from 72c to €1.

“Orders from fundraising groups are down substantially. The donors are not buying the cards because they won’t be able to send them as the postage is too much,” commented one man working in the charity greeting card industry who did not wish to be named.

Angus Laverty, Public Affairs Manager with An Post, said the new postage rates reflected the real cost of the mail service. Mail volumes are down 50% over a ten-year period.