Customers across the north of Scotland are spending more than £33million every year on excess delivery fees compared to the rest of the UK.
Research from the Scottish Parliament has found that hundreds of thousands of residents across Moray and the Highlands and islands are affected.
The price difference ranges from an extra 23p per letter to £11.11 for a parcel that weighs more than 30kg – nearly double the cost to the rest of the country.
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead has been spearheading the drive at Holyrood to press for legislation to ensure a fair deal for customers in the north.
He said: “This research highlighting the cost of excessive delivery charges shows why this campaign is so important and why it has won support across Scotland and the political spectrum.
“It’s astonishing that online shoppers in Moray are spending an extra £2.28million every year on surcharges compared to other parts of the UK.
“Consumers in Moray have had enough of forking out on extra delivery surcharges. Now that the cost of these charges has been laid bare it is time for the authorities to finally act.”
The annual cost of excess delivery fees across Scotland was found to be £36.3million – only £3million of which was outside of Moray and the Highlands and islands.
The research concluded that the average adult could pay an extra £74.64 every year on surcharges to delivery companies.
The revelation come less than a week after Amazon pledged to investigate third-party sellers on its “Marketplace” website who attempt to charge customers extra for postage after a sale is confirmed.
Mr Lochhead added: “As one of the largest online retailers, I very much welcome Amazon’s commitment to investigate dodgy behaviour. I urge them to lead by example to end discriminatory charges for good.”
A spokesman for Highlands and Islands Enterprise said: “We are aware that additional delivery charges is an issue for businesses and households across the area.
“We are in dialogue with the Scottish Government and Citizens Advice Scotland’s consumers futures unite who are looking for solutions to these issues.”