It might be the case that you run a business or just go to the Post Office a lot for personal reasons. I’m sure you know how expensive postage and shipping can be (especially parcel collection).
By comparison, Royal Mail is often seen as one of the most affordable postal services available in the country. Although, by no means does this infer that they are cheap either.
Fortunately, this Summer, you will be able to get all your packages shipped off from your doorstep. All this without spending anything.
What is Royal Mail collection?
You can now book a free parcel collection courtesy of Royal Mail. This is all being done through Royal Mail’s Parcel Collect feature. For more details on this, you will need to read the full terms and conditions.
How to Send a Parcel with Royal Mail
You can book a parcel collection either on the Royal Mail website or the mobile app. One will need to submit both sender and recipient information (shipping address) when you schedule a parcel collection. You will then be able to arrange and book the desired date of your collection.
At what time does royal mail deliver? If you’re lucky, you will be provided with an updated time slot on the day. This will notify the sender about when the collection will happen. It can be a window of up to 4 hours so you should try to stay in if you can.
Is Royal Mail delivering today? Do Royal Mail deliver on Sundays? Collections may be impacted by:
- weekends
- bank holidays
- Xmas season
These occasions tend to fall outside of the Royal Mail opening times. Bear this in mind before you decide to utilize this service. You may want to watch out for other disruptions too seeing as we’ve already had the 2023 Royal Mail strikes.
How many times can I book Royal Mail parcel collection and delivery service?
I would try to make the most of this if I were you. In fact, there are absolutely no restrictions on the number of collections you can book in.
If you have a lot of stuff that needs shipping out then I would try to get most of it done over the Summer while you still can. You might as well seeing as there is a company shipping packages for free.
How do I get my postage label for delivery by Royal Mail?
Ever wondered how to buy a Royal Mail postage label? The sender can print out an online postage label to attach to their package before collection.
Obviously, you will need an appropriate printer in order to do this. What is the best postage label printer? Some people choose to buy a thermal postage label printer or mailing label maker so this is something you might want to look into. I used to sell clothes on eBay so I know all about these machines (having owned one).
Ensure your Royal Mail postage label is large enough as the barcode or QR code will probably need to be scanned. Anything too small won’t be picked up by a scanner.
Is a parcel collection without label possible? How do I organize a parcel collection from home with no printer? Alternatively, there is an option to request a shipping label.
In this case, the prepaid postage label will be brought to you on the day by the person doing the collection. Owning a printer can be a real hassle at times so this is great for those who don’t have access to printing.
However, the courier will occasionally not bring a label with them for whatever reason. As a precaution, you may want to take care of the postage label yourself in order to avoid any Royal Mail delays.
Where can I have my package collected?
The collection location can be any address of your choice (as long as you have permission of course). For example, it might be your workplace or even just your home address.
Packaging for Shipping
The sender will need to take care of the packaging process on their end. You can buy a lot of these packaging supplies cheaply on Amazon if you don’t already have them. Make sure you have the necessary packaging materials for shipping such as:
- boxes
- tape
- plastic bags
- foam sheets
- packaging sleeves
- bubble wrap
- packing peanuts
Obviously, you will need to ensure the item is well-packed so that it is safe and secure during transit. Try packaging your item well in advance of the postman’s arrival. As an alternative, another affordable option for purchasing mailing materials and office supplies is Office Depot.
Do I need to stay in for the parcel collection and post?
If you are not going to be present for the collection then don’t worry. You can always ask a friend or family member to stick around for the pick up.
Failing this, Royal Mail allows you to set up a dedicated safe space where the courier can pick up the parcel. For example, this could be:
- hidden behind a wheely bin
- inside a porch
- in an unlocked shed
Who will collect my package?
Your local postman or postwoman should be the one to do the pick up as part of their normal route. Those who have tried this scheme have commented on the behaviour of posties in their local area.
It can be uncertain whether or not they are actually willing to show up for collections on top of their regular duties. Some put this down to laziness but you also have to consider whether or not they are being overstretched by their employer.
When does this Royal Mail free shipping promotion end?
This deal has actually been running for a while now. The original plan was for it to finish on the 30th of June this year. However, due to its popularity, the promotion will now run for a couple more months.
This will lead into the latter half of Summer. The offer will officially expire on the 15th of August so you will have most of the Summer to enjoy this.
You should know that there is a strong chance this service may very well be extended yet again once we reach August. After this scheme has run its course you might want to think about opening a Royal Mail business account.
Will I need to buy Royal Mail postage when I arrange parcel collection?
Is Royal Mail parcel collection free? Technically, you will have to go through the checkout and purchase the postage label. However, you won’t be charged anything. It will show up as £0.00 on your bill so there is no actual payment being processed.
Outside of this offer, you would typically be charged at least £0.70 per collection with Royal Mail. This doesn’t seem like that much. Nonetheless, it can really add up if you are arranging multiple collections over a short space of time.
1st class medium and large parcel deliveries currently cost as much as £4.35 (nationally) at Royal Mail. Based on this, I would say you’re getting a good deal here. A Royal Mail discount code might help you but it is nothing compared to this generous promotion.
How will Post Office parcel collection help me save money?
Is there a Post Office near me? Having a parcel collected saves you time on your journey to the nearest Post Office or the nearest post box and back. It also saves you money when you consider the cost of fuel for a car or bus fare.
In terms of postage costs, the only other parcel collection companies that come close to competing with this seem to be ParcelForce and Evri (formerly Hermes). Although, Evri parcel collection has a reputation for being extremely unreliable at times (even though their shipping rates are decent).
What can I use this free parcel collection service for?
You can post anything you like (that falls within postal rules). You can even use this free collection service as a way of returning an item. This might be something that you have bought previously whilst shopping. Although, you will need a Royal Mail reference number at hand.
Reliability of the Post Office & Royal Mail Shipping
Speaking of the Royal Mail quality of service, apparently, customers have complained about how inconsistent this service is. Some collections are even canceled by Royal Mail which means going through the hassle of having to book a redelivery.
The effectiveness of this service tends to hinge on exactly where you are in the UK. On occasion, Royal Mail can be pretty notorious for losing letters and parcels in transit. For this reason, you will need to see if this promotion is even worth your time.
On the surface, free parcel collections sound good. However, the quality of this service is very hit or miss as we’ve explored. On both ends of the exchange, there are various factors at play that will determine if your package gets to its destination on time (or at all).
If you are a business owner, you might not want to lean on this free service too much as things can potentially go wrong. I’m sure you have customers you want to keep satisfied.
I suggest your next move should be to visit the website as soon as possible and book your first collection. You may just want to test this out for your first attempt just to see how well it works. There is no real harm in doing a quick experiment with this seeing as it’s free.
If you run into any trouble you can always contact Royal Mail. You should be able to find a Royal Mail UK contact number on the Internet.
If you have given up on Royal Mail then there are plenty of other delivery companies out there. A few that offer UK parcel collection and delivery include:
You should definitely look into buying more shipping supplies. For instance, you can buy postage stamps in bulk on Amazon for a very low price. There are even more ways that you can spend less on postage as demonstrated by GBlabels and postaladvocate.
What kind of item do you have in mind for delivery and how often do you need to arrange a collection? Do you think that you would personally find this free parcel collection service to be useful and explain why?
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