The price of La Poste postage for letters and parcels will rise from January 1 by an average of 7.4%.
It comes as people are sending more parcels, partly due to the popularity of online sales platforms such as Vinted and Etsy.
The number of parcels shipped in France rose 22% between 2019 and 2023 postal service regulator Arcep’s data shows.
In 2023, parcels sent both in France and exported abroad rose by 4.3% year-on-year to 1.7 billion.
The average household in France is set to spend €28 on sending letters and parcels in 2025.
But what are the alternatives to La Poste? Are they cheaper? And what are the best options for sending abroad?
For many who need to send a parcel from France, La Poste is the first choice.
It offers two main ways to send parcels internationally.
Colissimo is the standard international option. Chronopost is faster but more expensive.
Jessie Kanelos Weiner, an American illustrator based in Paris, sells her art on Etsy, shipping to customers all over the world.
“I deliver consistently through La Poste but it’s expensive,” she said. “I try to only sell items that can fit in an A4 envelope to avoid excessive costs.”
A comparison by consumer organisation UFC-Que Choisir found there can be better deals elsewhere.
Global delivery companies including UPS, DHL, DPD and FedEx often offer faster delivery times and it is worth doing a comparison with their prices.
“If you want to send an international parcel cheaply, try to reduce the weight and size of your package,” advises La Poste.
“Be careful not to underestimate the weight or dimensions as this could result in additional fees.”
Irregular-shaped items can be more difficult to send – so pack in a rectangular parcel or tube if possible.
Within France: Point relais are parcel collection and drop-off points, often located in shops or supermarkets.
The sender pays for delivery and prints off the delivery label at home, then drops the parcel at their nearest point relais.
They can arrange for the recipient to pick up the parcel from the point relais closest to them.
Many companies use the system, including Mondial Relay, Relais Colis, Chronopost, Relais Pickup DPD and Point Relais TNT.
This method is mainly used for shipping within France but drop-off points are also used for international deliveries.
Doing the drop-off yourself can save on the cost compared to having the parcel picked up from your home.
France to UK
Senders from France to the UK have, since Brexit, had to fill out a customs declaration form to include with their parcel.
An example of sending a 0.5 kg parcel from Paris to London with La Poste’s Colissimo service starts at €17.85. The delivery time is three to eight days.
Price comparison
A price comparison to send a 0.5 kg parcel from Paris to London, using the comparison website Packlink found the following prices:
In this example, which is subject to change depending on your parcel’s size and weight, UPS was the cheapest option, at €15.10.
France to US
If there is no rush, opting for a longer delivery time can help you save on sending a parcel abroad from France.
A comparison for a 0.5kg parcel from Paris to New York using the comparison website Packlink gave us the following options:
Chronopost – €76.73 (24 hours)
FedEx – €30.09 (five days) / FedEx – €42.64 (24 hours)
UPS – €73.59 (24 hours)
DHL Express – €77.65 (48 hours).
In this example, opting for FedEx’s slower delivery option of five days was the cheapest, at €30.09.
“My advice is do your research,” said Ms Weiner. She has found La Poste is “still a little cheaper than UPS or FedEx”.
Raina Willick, an American living in France since 2022, used the Send My Bag service when a family member left a piece of luggage behind.
“The service was good and it was less expensive than sending something similar through La Poste. But it’s only meant for sending used personal items,” she said.
If sending Christmas or birthday presents – usually the reason for Ms Willick to ship things to the US – there is always the option of cutting out shipping altogether.
“Shipping is so expensive, we’ll often use a VPN to shop as if we’re in the US, which allows us to send something from a US website to a US resident and avoid the cost of overseas shipping all together.”
Note that La Poste has announced a temporary suspension of its deliveries to the US from August 29 due to new customs duties. It is not yet known when the service will resume.
A 2021 survey by consumer organisation UFC-Que Choisir ranked people’s satisfaction with several delivery options in France.
For “mixed services” that provide both point relais and home deliveries, Colissimo came first (80% happy with the service), followed by Chronopost (74%), then DPD (71%) and Colis Privé (57%).
For home delivery services, DHL came top (70% satisfaction), followed by GLS (66%) and UPS (58%).
For companies that use points relais, Amazon Hub Locker came first (92%), then Relais Colis (89%) and Mondial Relay (86%).
Vinted tip
Some people in France are using the online marketplace Vinted, usually used to buy and sell items such as clothing, to send their parcels.
The trend first came to prominence thanks to posts on the social media platform TikTok.
French media reports have noted people send books to friends via Vinted because the delivery costs via a sale are cheaper than sending a parcel via La Poste or other delivery companies.
Le Parisien reported a Spanish student in Italy received packages of food from home that her mother put up “for sale” on Vinted. Delivery fees were much lower.
Vinted declined to comment on the trend when contacted.
