The cheapest way to send a parcel in Ireland
Every price on this page came back from a real quote request in the last week, not from a rate card we typed up. Where An Post is the cheaper option, it says so.
How much does it cost to send a parcel in Ireland?
The cheapest price we hold for a parcel sent within Ireland is €7.00 at the 0.5 kg band, from GLS, checked Friday, 14 August. A 2 kg parcel starts at €8.85. An Post charges €9.00 at the counter for any parcel up to 2 kg.
Couriers price in steps, not by the gram, so the question is never really “what does my parcel cost”. It is “which step does my parcel land in”. Here is the cheapest price we hold in each one, for a parcel collected in Ireland and delivered in Ireland.
| Weight band (kg) | Box we quote it with (cm) | Cheapest price (€) | Carrier | Quoted transit (working days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 kg | 23 × 17 × 8 | €7.00 | GLS | 1–3 days |
| 1 kg | 30 × 20 × 15 | €8.85 | GLS | 1–3 days |
| 2 kg | 33 × 25 × 20 | €8.85 | GLS | 1–3 days |
| 3 kg | 35 × 30 × 20 | €8.85 | GLS | 1–3 days |
| 5 kg | 40 × 30 × 25 | €9.85 | GLS | 1–3 days |
| 7.5 kg | 45 × 35 × 30 | €9.85 | GLS | 1–3 days |
| 10 kg | 50 × 40 × 30 | €10.85 | GLS | 1–3 days |
| 15 kg | 55 × 45 × 35 | €11.85 | GLS | 1–3 days |
| 20 kg | 60 × 45 × 40 | €12.85 | GLS | 1–3 days |
| 25 kg | 60 × 50 × 40 | €12.85 | GLS | 1–3 days |
| 30 kg | 61 × 46 × 46 | €15.85 | GLS | 1–3 days |
Prices checked Friday, 14 August across the market. The box column is what we send with each quote request, a picture of the weight rather than a size allowance: the actual size ceiling per band is set by the volumetric sum.
Round up, always. A 2.4 kg parcel prices at the 3 kg band here and at the 3 kg band when you book it. That single rule is worth more than most money-saving advice about postage, because a parcel a few grams over a step pays the whole next step.
The five cheapest ways to post a 2 kg parcel right now
Two kilos is the weight most people are actually holding: a pair of shoes, a few books, a jumper in a mailer. This is every service we hold at that band within Ireland, cheapest first, from the run that finished Friday, 14 August.
- €8.85
1–3 days · collection · drop-off
- €10.77
1–2 days · drop-off · printer needed
- €12.46
1–2 days · collection · drop-off · printer needed
- €14.98
3–5 days · drop-off · printer needed
- €16.22
Next day · collection · drop-off · printer needed
Prices from our weekly market check, run Friday, 14 August.
See every domestic price at 2 kg or browse the full domestic table.
When is An Post cheaper than a courier?
Often, and the answer turns on one word: packet. An Post prices small flat items as packets rather than parcels, and the packet rates are the cheapest way to move anything light in this country.
An Post charges €4.40 for a packet up to 100 g against €7.00 for the cheapest courier price we hold at 0.5 kg, a difference of €2.60 on one item. The post office stays cheaper up to 250 g.
An Post prices are the standard rates published on anpost.com, on the card effective 3 February 2026 and read 14 August 2026. They are counter prices and they do not refresh with our weekly check, so treat the date as the date. The step-by-step packet table is in the An Post vs couriers guide.
What has to fit inside a packet
A packet is capped at 2 kg, and the shape rules are stricter than the weight one: length plus width plus depth no more than 900 mm, with no single side over 600 mm. A shoebox passes. A guitar case does not. Get it wrong at the counter and it is re-rated as a parcel, which is where €9.00 starts.
Above packet weight, the courier wins
At 9 of the 9 weight bands where both can carry the parcel, the cheapest courier price we hold is below An Post’s counter price, and the gap is widest at 15 kg, where €11.85 sits against An Post’s €16.00. Past 20 kg An Post stops carrying parcels at all, and a courier is the only option.
The full band-by-band comparison is in the An Post vs couriers guide, including the international side and the services An Post does not cover.
What actually changes the price
Three things, in the order they cost people money.
1. The band, not the weight
The scales say 2.1 kg, you pay the 3 kg price. Taking a book out of the box can be worth more than choosing a different carrier. Weigh it packed, taped and labelled, because that is what the depot weighs.
2. The size, when the box is bigger than the contents
Couriers work out a second weight from the measurements, length × width × height in centimetres divided by 5,000, and charge on whichever of the two is greater. A 60 × 40 × 30 cm box holding 2 kg of clothes is charged as 14.4 kg. That is not a penalty, it is the van space it takes up, and it is the single most common reason a quote comes back higher than expected.
An Post divides by 6,000 rather than 5,000, so the same box gives a lower figure at the counter. That difference is set out, with both sums worked on one box, on the volumetric weight calculator.
3. Collection or drop-off, and how fast
A collection from your door usually costs more than leaving the parcel into a shop, and a next-day service costs a multiple of a standard one.
What if the parcel is leaving Ireland?
Domestic is the cheap end. The moment a parcel crosses the water the floor rises, and the spread between carriers widens with it. These are the destinations people ask about most, priced at 2 kg.
| Destination | Cheapest at 2 kg (€) | Carrier | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | €13.00 | GLS | 6–8 days |
| United Kingdom | €13.79 | UPS | 1–3 days |
| France | €16.35 | FedEx | 3–4 days |
| Germany | €16.35 | FedEx | 3–4 days |
| Spain | €17.82 | UPS | 1–3 days |
| Poland | €19.18 | UPS | 1–3 days |
| United States | €33.96 | FedEx | 4–6 days |
| Australia | €46.88 | UPS | 2–3 days |
Prices from our weekly market check, run Friday, 14 August.
Anything going outside the EU needs a customs declaration, and Great Britain has counted as outside the EU since January 2021. What to put on the form, and who pays at the far end.
Common questions
How much does it cost to send a parcel in Ireland?
The cheapest price we hold for a parcel sent within Ireland is €7.00 at the 0.5 kg band, from GLS, checked Friday, 14 August. A 2 kg parcel starts at €8.85 with GLS. An Post charges €9.00 at the counter for any parcel up to 2 kg on its standard rates, checked 14 August 2026.
What is the cheapest way to post a parcel in Ireland?
For anything up to 100 g that fits An Post’s packet size, the post office counter at €4.40 is the cheapest way to send it. Above that weight, a courier booked online is cheaper at every weight band we price, starting at €7.00.
How much does it cost to post a 1 kg parcel in Ireland?
A 1 kg parcel sent within Ireland starts at €8.85 with GLS, quoted 1–3 days, checked Friday, 14 August. An Post charges €9.00 at the counter for a parcel at that weight on its standard rates.
How much does the post office charge for a 10 kg parcel?
An Post’s standard rate for a domestic parcel up to 10 kg is €13.00, and up to 20 kg is €16.00, on the card effective 3 February 2026 and read 14 August 2026. The cheapest courier price we hold at the 10 kg band is €10.85 with GLS.
Do parcel prices in Ireland include VAT?
Prices here display exactly as the booking system that quoted them displays them, so the VAT treatment is whatever that system shows. We do not re-do anyone’s sums, and the total you are asked for appears on the partner’s checkout before you commit to anything.