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CU convenience stores will raise prices for their international parcel delivery service, citing a sharp rise in air fuel surcharges as global oil markets remain unsettled in the wake of the war between the United States and Iran.
According to industry officials on the 27th, CU Post, which operates CU’s parcel service, will increase international shipping rates by about 7% starting May 1.
A CU official said, “International parcel rates will rise from the first of next month due to higher fuel surcharges imposed by our partner express carrier as international oil prices climb.”
CU’s partner carrier DHL has sharply increased its air fuel surcharge in recent months. The surcharge was 28.75% in early February but surged in April.
It rose to 39% for April 1-12, then to 46% for April 13-19 and 47.75% for April 20-26. For April 27-May 3, it reached 48%. DHL plans to keep the surcharge high at 47% for May 4-10. That is an increase of nearly 20 percentage points in about three months.
International parcel services at convenience stores have been popular with office workers who cannot visit post offices or courier branches during business hours, allowing customers to send items overseas at nearby stores 24 hours a day. The service has drawn strong demand from families of international students and overseas direct-to-consumer sellers.
The rate hike is expected to increase the perceived logistics burden for consumers who need to ship goods abroad.
Rival GS25 is also said to be carefully reviewing a possible increase. A GS25 official said, “It is true that discussions about a rate increase are taking place with our partner, but we have not received an official notice confirming anything yet.”
An industry official said air express delivery is among the sectors most sensitive to oil-price swings, adding that freight-rate pressure across the logistics industry could persist for some time as oil-producing countries maintain production cuts and military tensions in the Middle East intensify, driving volatility in global crude prices.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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