Shipping with Austrian Post: a complete guide for online retailers

The Austrian Post, or Post AT for short, is the local delivery partner most people in Austria know best: the carrier that shows up at the front door almost every day, at best with the goods your customers ordered from your online store. This guide covers who is behind it, how it delivers, what it costs, and how to ship with the Austrian Post through Sendcloud.

What is Post AT?

Post AT, or post.at, is the digital home of the Austrian Post, where you find every product and service the company offers, from letters and parcels through to phone, internet, and banking. Österreichische Post AG, to give its official name, employs more than 20,000 people. National parcel shipping and international packets together now make up the largest share of its revenue, a shift driven by the growth of e-commerce.

Already a business customer? Connect your contract in Sendcloud and book every shipping method from one platform.

How fast does the Austrian Post deliver?

Delivery time depends on the origin and destination, the size and weight of the shipment, and whether you choose standard or express. Inside Austria, the Post usually needs 2 to 3 working days for letters and parcels. The standard products are called Brief ECO and Paket Österreich. The slightly pricier Brief PRIO and Post Express products deliver to 96% of recipients within one working day. For destinations abroad, delivery times vary by country; the transit-time calculator on post.at shows the details.

When does the Post deliver, and around the holidays?

There is no single delivery time, since it depends on the route, unless a product such as Post Express guarantees a maximum delivery time (for example, by 1:00 p.m. on the next working day). For comparison, DHL Express offers next-day delivery by 9:00 a.m. for shipments up to 30 kg.

Around the holidays, plan a buffer. The last day to send parcels so they arrive in time without a surcharge usually falls between December 18 and 21, depending on how the holidays land that year.

How long are parcels stored?

Under the Austrian Post's terms, parcels are held for at least 14 calendar days before they are returned to sender. If your customer is not home, the postal worker notes the pickup location on the collection slip. Recipients cannot usually choose that location, but there are alternatives: send the parcel to a preferred post office or pickup station, ideally one on their commute or open on Saturdays, or point them to a drop-off authorization so the carrier can leave parcels at an agreed spot.

What does a parcel cost inside Austria?

Cost usually depends on size and weight. The cheapest standard parcel price from the Austrian Post is around €4.81. Through Sendcloud you can ship from about €4.00 depending on the shipment, because the rates on the platform are pre-negotiated by our team. The Sendcloud shipping rate calculator also shows possible alternatives for your shipment.

Sometimes a small item can go as a cheaper letter or a slightly pricier parcel. The advantage of the parcel is the included tracking. In Austria, parcels with the Austrian Post are also registered automatically and covered up to €510.

Is Post AT the right shipping partner for me?

The Austrian Post is far from the only option for national and international shipping in Austria. DPD, GLS, and DHL are all popular, and internationally there are many more. That makes it hard to know which carrier is best for a given shipment. This is where sendcloud.proes in: one platform where you see the offers of all the popular carriers in one place, pick the best one, or let your customers choose at the checkout.

Sendcloud: every carrier at a glance

With Sendcloud you skip logging in across several websites. Connect a full multi-carrier setup to your online store, use your own Post AT contract if you have one, or ship at the rates we pre-negotiated for you. The Austrian Post products available in Sendcloud include:

• Post AT Home: delivery of domestic parcels to home addresses or service points within Austria

• Post AT Paket Light International: international parcels with a tracking number, standard cover, and documentation

Your parcel, your tracking, your security

Sendcloud also lets you use the wait for the parcel to build your brand. Instead of the plain "here is your tracking" email, design your own tracking emails, set up a branded tracking page, and win customers over at return time with a clear return portal. With a few steps you lift your after-sales experience and turn one-time buyers into repeat customers. And to keep risk in check, you can protect parcels based on their value, automatically if you like.

Questions about international shipping?

National shipping already raises plenty of questions. Once you cross borders it gets more complex: what is the postal service called in that country, and how do customs work? Sendcloud makes customs easier too. On the platform you can create customs forms together with the shipping label and send them digitally, whichever carrier you use. Create your account and see it for yourself.