The short answer
Most letters never need a trip to the post office. Which way suits depends on two things: whether you can print the letter, and whether it has to be tracked or signed for.
- You can print it
- $1.85
- A stamp and a red street box, untracked
- It's urgent
- $9.45
- Express Post envelope in a yellow box, tracked
- No printer
- $10
- Printed, posted and tracked for you
- It must be signed for
- $16
- Registered post, lodged for you
Australia Post's prices are from its letter prices and Express Post pages, checked on 26 October 2026. Prices include GST.
1. A stamp and a street posting box
Buy stamps from Australia Post online, or at a newsagent or supermarket, and drop the letter in any red street posting box. A stamp is $1.85. It's the cheapest way, but you need a printer and an envelope, and the letter isn't tracked.
2. An Express Post prepaid envelope
Australia Post's Express Post envelopes go in a yellow street posting box, with tracking included. A DL envelope is $9.45, and it's delivered the next business day within Australia Post's network if it's posted on a business day, generally by 4pm. You still print the letter yourself.
3. Have it printed and posted online
No printer, or it has to be tracked? Upload the letter as a PDF, a Word file or a photo, type the address and pay $10. We print it, put it in an envelope and lodge it with Australia Post, then email you the tracking number. Paid by 2:30pm Melbourne time on a business day, it's posted that day. The steps are in how to post a letter online.
4. Registered post, lodged for you
Australia Post's Registered Post is lodged at a post office counter. With Unopost it isn't your trip: choose signature on delivery and we lodge it for you, for $16 up to 12 pages. Australia Post records who signs for it, and you get the tracking number by email.
The four ways compared
| Way | Needs your printer | Tracked | Signed for | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stamp, red street box | Yes | No | No | $1.85 |
| Express Post envelope, yellow box | Yes | Yes | At extra cost | $9.45 |
| Unopost, regular post | No | Yes | No | $10 |
| Unopost, registered post | No | Yes | Yes | $16 |
Unopost's price includes printing, the envelope, postage and GST, in colour at no extra cost. What the trip itself costs you is worked out in Unopost vs posting it yourself.
When the post office is still the right call
- You need Australia Post's own postmarked receipt. Australia Post gives one for Registered Post lodged over the counter.
- It needs your signature in ink. We post a printed copy, so check that a copy is accepted, or sign it yourself and post it with a stamp.
- It's a parcel. Unopost posts letters and documents, up to 80 pages.
Questions people ask
Can I post a letter without a printer?
Yes. Upload it to Unopost as a PDF, a Word file or a photo, and we print it, envelope it and post it, tracked, from $10. There's no account to create.
Can I post a letter from home in Australia?
Yes. With a stamp, put it in a red street posting box. If it has to be tracked or signed for, have it posted online: Unopost lodges it with Australia Post for you, from $10 tracked or $16 signed for.
Can I send registered post online?
Yes. With Unopost, registered post is $16: we print and lodge the letter, Australia Post records who signs for it, and you get the tracking number by email.
Is a letter in a street posting box tracked?
Only if it's in a tracked envelope, such as an Express Post prepaid envelope in a yellow box. A letter with a stamp isn't tracked.
The short version
If you can print it and it needn't be tracked, a stamp and a street box will do. If not, have it printed and posted: two minutes, no printer and no queue, tracked from $10.
More on this: Print and mail documents online