Business owners have taken to social media to criticise Australia Post for tripling their fuel levy, as demand for oil surges amid the Middle East conflict.
This week, the national service announced that its fuel levy will rise from 4.8 to 12 per cent for around 30,000 contract customers from April 23.
Customers under their express or StarTrack offering will have their surcharge increased from 15.5 to 22.7 percent.
Mikaela, a small Melbourne-based business owner, said postage is already one of the biggest costs for her business.
“Shipping isn’t optional for us; without it, we can’t operate, and it directly affects our costs overnight,” she told Yahoo News.
Mikaela, who owns Miki Beads, a business selling lanyards and personalised accessories popular among teachers and healthcare professionals, said the rising costs will either eat into her profit margins or be passed on to her customers.
Businesses across the country are being affected by the rising cost of fuel as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with people spending lesson non-essential items.
@mikibeads Sad day to be an Australian small business 🫠 #auspost #australiapost #smallbusiness #fuel ♬ original sound – MIKIBEADS (Mikaela) ✨
Mikaela said that while she can “understand” that the current situation has a “flow-on effect”, she doesn’t see how a 12 per cent rise is “justified”.
“When rates increase, and a 12% surcharge is added, it impacts every single parcel leaving our studio based in Melbourne,” she said.
“Small businesses don’t have the same negotiating power as big retailers, so changes like this can really affect not only our margins but every aspect of our business.”
“We can’t afford to take any more hits on the one thing our business makes zero profit on, which is postage,” she said.
The small business owner said she hopes that the surcharge is temporary.
Fortunately, prices for everyday Aussies sending parcels or letters won’t change, and MyPost Business customers will also not be affected.
“We carefully consider any pricing changes and the impact on our customers, however, like for many other Australian businesses, this is a necessary change to help manage cost in a challenging environment,” the postal carrier said.
“Australia Post remains committed to supporting customers and communities and has contingency planning in place for its operations, including onsite fuel storage at key delivery facilities.
“This is a very fluid situation that we are carefully assessing and monitoring, and we will continue to keep our customers updated.”
Image: TikTok/ Karolis Kavolelis / Shutterstock.com
