Posting a tracked letter yourself looks cheap: $5.85 for Australia Post's tracked envelope. But you also print it, go to the post office, queue and come back. Count that time at the minimum wage, $26.44 an hour, and it's the dearer way to post a letter.
The short version
- Unopost, tracked
- $10
- Printed, posted and tracked, ordered in about two minutes
- Yourself, with a 30-minute trip
- $19.07
- $5.85 envelope, plus your time
- 30 minutes of your time
- $13.22
- At $26.44 an hour
- Unopost costs less after
- 10 minutes
- there and back
Time is valued at the National Minimum Wage, $26.44 an hour from 1 July 2026, checked on 16 October 2026. Australia Post's price is from its letter with tracking page on 26 October 2026. Paper, ink and travel aren't counted, which flatters doing it yourself.
Work out your own trip
A 5-page letter, tracked. Pick how long the post office takes you, there and back, and where you print it. Officeworks charges $0.22 a page in black and white.
After 10 minutes, Unopost costs less
With a printer at home, posting it yourself costs $5.85 plus your time. Ours is $10, however long the queue.
| Trip | Yourself, printed at home | Yourself, printed at Officeworks | Unopost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 minutes | $12.46 | $13.56 | $10 |
| 30 minutes | $19.07 | $20.17 | $10 |
| 45 minutes | $25.68 | $26.78 | $10 |
| 60 minutes | $32.29 | $33.39 | $10 |
What each one takes
Posting it yourself
- Print it, at home or at Officeworks.
- Go to the post office.
- Queue, and buy a tracked envelope for $5.85.
- Address it, and hand it over the counter.
- Keep the receipt: the tracking number is on it.
With Unopost
- Upload a PDF, Word file or photo.
- Type the address and pay $10.
- We print and post it, and email you the tracking number.
When posting it yourself makes sense
- You're passing a post office anyway. With no trip to count, $5.85 beats $10.
- It doesn't need tracking. A stamp is $1.85, and a street posting box is usually closer than a post office.
- It needs your signature in ink. We post a printed copy, so check that a copy is accepted.
- You're posting several letters at once. One trip, shared between them, costs less a letter.
The verdict
If the post office takes you more than 10 minutes there and back, having it printed and posted costs less, even at the minimum wage. Post it yourself when you're passing a post office anyway, or when a stamp will do.
More on this: Print and mail documents online