Question 1

What is the difference between India Post retail and contractual rates?

Accepted Answer

Retail is the walk-in price — what India Post charges anyone who hands a parcel in at a counter. Contractual is a lower tariff India Post publishes for customers who book under a contract with them. Same service, same network, same transit times; the difference is the commercial arrangement, not the handling.

Question 2

Can I get the contractual rate myself?

Accepted Answer

Only by holding a contract with India Post, which is why most individual senders and small businesses never see it. Booking through an aggregator that holds one is the usual route. The aggregator adds a commission, so what matters is whether the contractual rate plus that commission still beats the counter — which is exactly the comparison published on this page, lane by lane.

Question 3

Is Daakly always cheaper than the post office counter?

Accepted Answer

No, and the comparison on this page marks the exceptions. On a local parcel up to 500 g the counter is cheaper, because the contractual advantage at that weight and distance is a few rupees and our commission is larger than it. On every other weight and zone combination on the card, booking through Daakly costs less.

Question 4

Are these rates inclusive of GST?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on both cards. India Post’s retail tariff table is printed inclusive of GST, and the Daakly card is inclusive of India Post’s GST, our commission and the tax on that commission. Nothing is added to either figure at any point, which is what makes the two directly comparable.

Question 5

How often does the India Post tariff change?

Accepted Answer

Infrequently, and by notification. The card reproduced here carries its own effective date, which is shown above the table — if it does not match the date on the notice at your post office, the one at the post office is right and we want to know.

Question 6

Does the parcel travel any differently?

Accepted Answer

No. A parcel booked at a contractual rate goes into the same India Post network, on the same service, with the same indicative transit time as one booked at a counter. There is no priority handling and nothing skips a queue — the price is the only thing that differs.