Not an April Fool´s joke but it does start on that day in 2012.

Swissinfo DE

Swisspost EN


Registered mail - up by CHF1, to CHF5

Counter services - price increase cf. internet based activation which will be cheaper ( for example for a change in forwarding address )

A post mail will now be trackeable ( for a fee ).

Cash On Delivery services will also be more expensive.

I read the press release and found this gem:

"Studies show that Swiss Post's letter and parcel prices are low in comparison to other countries."

Eh?
I've been to a few places and have never found somewhere more expensive. I receive letters in Switzerland from Germany which cost the sender 43 Euro cents when the cheapest option to post from here within the country is 85 rappen (B-post) and takes the same length of time (2 days) i.e. it would be cheaper for someone in Kreuzlingen to walk over to Konstanz to bulk mail Switzerland!

From the US you can post a letter from LA to Zurich for less money ($1) than the CHF 1 it costs to send an A-post letter from Basel to Zurich here.

Taking a third country - I received forms from the UK which cost the sender GBP 1 to send and me double (CHF 2.90) to return by Economy Post!

That's the conclusion of my pricing study - I wonder who conducted theirs and where!?

What I will say is the staff here all seem very conscientious, generally friendly, and I have never known a more reliable domestic mail service in any country than that offered by Swiss Post - just don't tell me their prices are "low in comparison to other countries"