Royal Mail remains the UK’s most popular delivery network, outdoing competitors like Evri, DPD Group, DHL, Parcelforce, and Yodel. The national carrier has unmatched coverage across all 32 million UK addresses, which may be why more than half (54 percent) of British adults use Royal Mail to send packages each year.
Sending items domestically through Royal Mail spans a broad price range, starting from around £2.70 to £3.25 for standard small parcels sent via Second Class, up to £30 or more for heavy packages or guaranteed next-day Special Delivery. However, regardless of parcel size or service chosen, many households remain unaware that they can bypass long queues at their local branch altogether by paying just 30p extra to have a postie collect their parcel straight from their home.
Ensure our latest Lifestyle headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
According to consumer experts at MoneySavingExpert, Royal Mail will collect parcels directly from your doorstep or a nominated “safe place” for a nominal fee of 30p per item.
The service is particularly useful for anyone selling items on platforms like Vinted, eBay, or Depop, managing returns, or struggling to transport bulky or heavy packages to a local branch.
Instead of making a dedicated trip out, you can arrange for a postie to pick up your items during their regular round.
Some sellers on Reddit claim that booking a collection for a single parcel sometimes results in posties taking additional parcels without scanning or charging them, while others report being strictly billed 30p per item.
One Reddit user claimed: “There is a hack to this…”. They suggesting booking a collection for one parcel at 30p and asking the postie if they have space for a few other parcels, given that you can book up to 25 parcels for collection in any one go. The pitfall is, they all need to have a postage label attached, and you may be charged 30p per item anyway.
The process is very simple if you can access the Royal Mail website or use the Royal Mail app.
Pay for postage for the selected item online or in the app, and add collection for 30p per parcel.
Choose the date and time you want collection (usually within a four-hour window). If you already have a collection booked for that day, you can add your parcel to it.
Select if you need a free pre-printed postage label. If you won’t be home, select a safe place for the parcel to be collected from. Note that you can only get one pre-printed label if collection is from a safe place.
When your parcel is collected, you’ll receive an email as proof of postage.
