From now until 30 May 2021, you can use Royal Mail Parcel Collect free of charge. Yes, Royal Mail will collect up to five parcels a day for free but before you get too excited, it’s only free for consumers across the UK – not for businesses.
Free Royal Mail Parcel Collect will most suit casual or very small online sellers who just have a few items to send. Save the trip to the Post Office or a parcel postbox, book your collection and sit back to wait for your Postie to pick up. You can even schedule your collection for a future date so if you have to pop out to meet up to six people outside, go to a parent child group, or play outdoor sports (all of which you can do from today, the 29th of March as the second part of step 1 of lockdown easing is now effective), you can have your parcel picked up tomorrow!
This might sound a brilliant incentive and it is! But secretly of course, Royal Mail are hoping that you’ll become so accustomed to having your parcels collected that, when June comes around and you have to start paying again, you’ll be used to the convenience and never visit a Post Office again.
In order to use Free Royal Mail Parcel Collect, which normally includes a pick-up charge of 72p for a parcel or 60p for a return item, customers simply need to ensure they have already paid the correct postage to send their item.
If an item does not have pre-paid postage, customers are able to pay for their postage online using Click & Drop available by visiting send.royalmail.com or via the Royal Mail App.
Customers must book a collection via Parcel Collect. When a postman or postwoman collects the parcel, the customer will receive an email notification that acts as proof of postage.
Launched in October 2020, Parcel Collect has enabled postmen and postwomen to collect parcels and returns from customers while they carry out their daily round. As well as offering even higher levels of convenience, the move enables online sellers and online shoppers to mail or return a pre-paid item by post from the comfort of their own home. Since launch, postmen and postwomen have collected over one million parcels.
As part of the service, postmen and postwomen will collect a parcel from the customer’s door or nominated safe place. Parcel Collect is also available for pre-paid return items.
Royal Mail can collect up to five parcels at a time. Free Royal Mail Parcel Collect is available six days a week and can be booked up to five days in advance and up to midnight the day before.
“The introduction of Parcel Collect has been incredibly successful. This promotion is an opportunity for all consumers across the UK to try out this fantastic service free of charge. Parcel Collect is part of our commitment to continuously make our services more convenient as we re-invent the way we deliver to and from our customers.”
– Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer, Royal Mail
2 Responses
tried on several sites , highlight link none work !
Waste of time print the label and cannot highlight link on ebay to arrange collection, so another trip to queue at the post office beckons please get it sorted between you it has been like it for days
Shame they are not doing it for small buisiness who may have over 5 parcels a day.