To ask if you know whether sending a card second class is much slower than first class? I keep hearing it isn't now...

[loveyouradvice]

Just that really - what do you think?

We're sending a lot of Christmas cards rather later than we expected... how long do you think they take to get somewhere first class or second class?

I've been hearing that its not much different and sometimes the same!

I believe it can be faster sometimes. The reason is that letters are sorted into trays by class, and only processed once the tray is full. Fewer first class letters are sent, so it takes longer to fill the first class trays, and therefore they wait longer for processing.

I don't know how true that is, though, or whether it still applies these days!

Surely it has to be faster, as that is what you pay for!! I thought 1st is 1-2 days, and 2nd 2-3.

I posted some Christmas cards 2nd class on Saturday and one was received yesterday and one today!

In normal times my experience has been 1st class 1-2 days, second class 2-3 days.

I have a family member who works for Royal Mail and they’re really struggling at the moment. They’re short staffed due to self isolating. Other workers are doing overtime and it’s still not enough. Mail is building up and some sorting offices are struggling with physical space to put the mail that’s coming in.

I’m waiting on something that I know was posted first class about a week ago - got no idea when it’ll arrive.

I always send my UK ones second class; they should be there within 4 days max.

RM delivery offices are targeted to deliver something like 93 or 94% 1st class next day. So the incentive is to clear all 1st class post ASAP. However it does fall apart a bit at this time of year anyway - the first 2 weeks of December are really the busiest, simply due to volume, and then improve nearer Christmas. You have till 18th to post second class, so IMO save the money if posting this weekend/Monday, and maybe upgrade to 1st as you get nearer (last date is 21st)

I've had a lot of things arrive next day when posted 2nd class. 2nd class is hyper efficient because it's the vast majority of the post.

Postage something at my local post office yesterday that I'd sold on eBay. Asked to send it second class but was told it'd take 3 weeks+ to arrive at the moment. I paid the 60p extra and send it first class, which they said was operating to normal timescales.

Posted*

Posted all my cards 2nd class and over half arrived the next day with the others the day after, so the same as 1st it seems

I work in a post office. if you are posting earlier in December, always go for second. I would always recommend first from around now onwards. On the first pick up today we had six post bags full already and we are quieter than most other post offices due to location.

In normal times, always post second as it really doesn't take that much longer :)

I sent a card from Manchester to Brighton a few weeks ago and it took 8 days to arrive - 1st class stamp

THANKS Incywincey that's good to know... and what we'll probably do! It always manages to slip later than we want it to....

It depends on how busy it is. For most of the year there's not much in it.

I actually tested this at work for a mailing campaign a few years ago. We found that first class always arrived within 2 days, usually one, but 2nd never took less than a week, was sometimes ten days and a couple of times didn’t turn up at all.

You've still got two weeks - 2nd class is fine.