Australia Post Direct Mail Pricing Guide 2026
A practical breakdown of Australia Post's direct mail pricing for Shopify brands — what the postal service charges, what drives cost, and how platform pricing like TouchDrop relates to these underlying rates.
How Australia Post direct mail pricing works
Australia Post doesn't publish a single "direct mail price" — the rate you pay depends on the mail format, the volume you lodge, whether your mail is pre-sorted by postcode, and what postal product you use. The main products for marketing mail are:
- Print Post — The primary addressed direct mail service for catalogues, postcards, and letters. Requires lodgement through a licensed mail house.
- Unaddressed Mail — Letterbox drops without a specific recipient address. Useful for geographic targeting, not customer retargeting.
- Priority Mail — Faster delivery with a higher postage rate, rarely used for marketing campaigns where the 3–7 day delivery window is acceptable.
For Shopify brands sending triggered postcards to known customers, Print Post is the relevant product.
Print Post rate structure
Print Post pricing in Australia is tiered by piece weight and volume:
| Format / Weight | Indicative postage range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DL postcard (≤20g) | $0.40–$0.65 per piece | Volume-dependent |
| A5 postcard (≤20g) | $0.45–$0.70 per piece | Most common DTC format |
| C5 letter (≤20g) | $0.55–$0.85 per piece | Envelope adds cost |
| Large letter (≤20g) | $0.65–$0.95 per piece | Higher perceived value |
Indicative ranges based on published Australia Post Print Post rates. Actual rates vary by contract volume and current tariff schedule. Check the Australia Post website for current official rates.
What drives Print Post costs
Volume
Print Post rates decrease at higher volumes. The minimum lodgement for Print Post is typically 300 pieces per lodgement. Brands sending fewer than 300 pieces per batch need a platform that aggregates sends across multiple customers — which is how TouchDrop operates.
Format and weight
Heavier and larger pieces cost more to post. A standard A5 postcard (card stock, single or double-sided) is well within the ≤20g threshold that qualifies for the lowest weight tier. Adding inserts or using heavy stock can push a piece into a higher weight bracket.
Postcode zone
Print Post pricing doesn't vary by destination postcode in the same way parcel pricing does — it's primarily driven by piece weight and volume, not delivery distance. This makes direct mail cost predictable regardless of whether you're mailing to Sydney or rural Queensland.
Print cost vs postage cost
The total per-piece cost includes both print production (paper, ink, printing) and postage (Australia Post). Print costs vary by artwork complexity, colour coverage, and paper stock. Budget roughly equal amounts for print and postage as a starting point — the exact split depends on your specific artwork.
How TouchDrop's pricing works
TouchDrop charges a single per-postcard rate that covers print production, postage, QR code generation, discount code generation, and platform fees. There's no separate line item for Australia Post postage — the postage cost is bundled into the per-piece rate and factored into your platform billing.
Because TouchDrop aggregates sends across multiple brands into lodgement batches, individual brands benefit from volume pricing even when their own send volume is small. A brand sending 50 postcards in a week participates in a lodgement batch of thousands, accessing Print Post rates that wouldn't be available at 50-piece direct-lodgement volume.
See the Pricing & Postage guide for TouchDrop's current per-piece rates.
Related reading
Send postcards via Australia Post at volume rates.
AUD pricing, GST invoices, no minimum per campaign.
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