Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe LONDON, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Britain's royal snail mail will set postage rates to include size and shape in addition to the weight of the letter or package. The new rates, effective September 2006, will charge more for light but large items, and less for some heavier items, the BBC reported. Advertisement Royal Mail says lightweight mail that is large or bulky costs more to transport, sort, handle and deliver than regular-size items. About 30 percent of the post is expected to be affected by the new rates, but the overall revenue to Royal Mail will not change, the report said. The move would allow Royal Mail "to bring its prices much more closely into line with its costs", said an announcement. Post offices will have templates so that customers can measure their mail to find out the cost. Similar pricing rate schedules are used in Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States, the report said.
