--- title: "Where to Drop Off a Parcel in the UK: Every Carrier’s Network Explained" url: "https://www.shipstation.com/en-gb/blog/blog-parcel-drop-off-points/" type: "post" modified: "2026-09-15T09:54:15-05:00" --- Whether you’re posting one parcel a week or a few hundred a day, where you hand your parcels over makes a real difference to your day. Drop-off networks in the UK have grown fast. Most sellers now have a ParcelShop, a locker or a Post Office branch within a few minutes’ walk, often open late and at weekends. This guide covers what each UK carrier’s drop-off network actually looks like, when a collection makes more sense, and how ShipStation fits into both. What is a parcel drop-off point? -------------------------------- A drop-off point is anywhere you can leave a parcel that already has a label on it, or a QR code ready to be scanned and printed. In the UK that usually means one of five things: a Post Office branch, a ParcelShop inside a convenience store or newsagent, a 24/7 parcel locker, a parcel postbox, or a carrier’s own depot or service point. The appeal is simple. No waiting in for a driver, and no set collection window. Cost depends on the carrier and the service, so [it’s worth comparing both options rather than assuming](https://www.shipstation.com/en-gb/fulfillment/shipping/shipping-rates-calculator/). Evri, for instance, prices [ParcelShop drop-off](https://www.evri.com/parcelshops) below home collection, while [Royal Mail’s](https://www.royalmail.com/sending/parcelpoints) saving comes from buying postage online rather than over the counter. If you’re printing labels through a platform like ShipStation, you can get everything ready in advance and just walk in and out. Dropping off a parcel, in three steps ------------------------------------- 1. **Pack and seal it properly.** Check the size against the network you’re using — parcel postboxes and lockers have hard limits. 2. **Sort your label.** Print at home, or get a QR code and print in store. Evri’s Print In ParcelShop devices and DPD’s print-at-shop option both cover you if you haven’t got a printer, and several other carriers offer label-free drop-off too. 3. **Drop it off, or book a collection instead.** Find your nearest point using the carrier’s own locator, or have the driver come to you. Where to drop off, by carrier ----------------------------- ### Royal Mail [Royal Mail](https://www.shipstation.com/en-gb/partners/royal-mail/) has over 110,000 postboxes across the UK, plus Post Office branches, Royal Mail Shops, parcel lockers and delivery office counters. **Post Office branches** accept drop-offs and returns for every Royal Mail item. **Royal Mail Shops**, run in partnership with the Post Office, stay open into the evenings and at weekends. **Parcel Lockers** are open 24/7 for sending and returning. One thing that catches people out: with Royal Mail you choose drop-off or collection when you buy the postage, not afterwards. Every Royal Mail service comes in a Drop off version and a Parcel Collect version. Buy a Drop off service and you can hand it over at any location that takes it. Buy Parcel Collect and a collection gets booked for you, so there’s no need to go anywhere. If you’re buying through ShipStation, the collection is booked automatically the moment you create the label. **Parcel Postboxes** are the one a lot of sellers miss. They’re open all hours and take parcels up to around 44 x 35 x 16 cm, as long as postage is already paid and the label is barcoded. Special Delivery Guaranteed is the exception and has to go to a Post Office branch or a Customer Service Point at a Delivery Office. You can get proof of posting at a postbox or parcel postbox through the Royal Mail app, which is worth doing if you ever need to claim for a lost parcel. One thing to know: buying postage online is cheaper than paying over the counter for the same service. [Find your nearest Royal Mail drop-off point →](https://www.royalmail.com/locations) ### Parcelforce [Parcelforce](https://www.shipstation.com/en-gb/partners/parcelforce/) handles the heavier and more urgent end of the Royal Mail group’s range. Drop off at Post Office branches or a Parcelforce depot. If you’d rather not travel, ShipStation can book a Parcel Collect at the point you create the label. It’ll take the first available slot within five working days. No same-day, and no Sundays. ### Evri [Evri](https://www.shipstation.com/en-gb/partners/evri/) runs one of the densest drop-off networks in the country, at over 16,800 places to send, collect or return a parcel as of October 2024. That includes Post Office branches, Tesco Express, lockers and independent convenience stores. **ParcelShops** sit inside over 9,000 convenience stores, newsagents and supermarkets, open seven days a week. Most have a free Print In ParcelShop device, so you can book online, walk in with a QR code and print the label there. **Lockers** run 24/7. The biggest compartment is 62 x 57 x 39 cm, so anything larger needs a ParcelShop. One parcel per compartment, each with its own booking. **Post Office branches** take Evri parcels at over 3,200 locations, though not at every branch: check the locator first. Two practical bits: drop before midday and it’s usually collected the same day, and if your chosen ParcelShop happens to be closed you can use a locker instead, even if you booked a ParcelShop drop-off. [Find an Evri ParcelShop or locker →](https://www.evri.com/parcelshops/location-hub) ### DPD [DPD’s](https://www.shipstation.com/en-gb/partners/dpd-uk/) Pickup network runs to over 12,000 parcel shops and lockers across the UK, with another 8,000 lockers being added over the next five years. Partners include the Post Office, Sainsbury’s, Argos, Morrisons, Homebase, Go Outdoors, Matalan and the Co-op, alongside independent convenience stores including Collect+. Pickup Lockers cover the 24/7 end. Worth knowing before you go: not every Pickup shop can print a label in store. If you’re relying on a QR code, check the locator rather than assuming. [Find a DPD Pickup point →](https://pickup.dpd.co.uk/) ### UPS [UPS](https://www.shipstation.com/en-gb/partners/ups-uk/) Access Points are local businesses that take drop-offs, collections and returns, including PayPoint and Parcelly shops, plus lockers through Quadient and OOHPod. UPS Stores handle full-service drop-off and packing, and self-service lockers offer longer hours. The Access Point brand is the same as in the US, but the UK partner shops are completely different, so it’s worth checking the locator rather than going on what you’ve seen elsewhere. Access Point shipments also carry declared-value limits, so check those if you’re sending anything high-value. [Find a UPS Access Point →](https://www.ups.com/dropoff) ### DHL [DHL](https://www.shipstation.com/en-gb/partners/dhl-parcel-uk/) runs two separate UK drop-off networks, and it’s worth knowing which one your parcel belongs to before you set off. **DHL Express Service Points** — over 1,600 of them, including Ryman, Safestore, TG Jones and Robert Dyas plus hundreds of independents. This is the network for time-critical and international Express shipments. [Find a DHL Express Service Point →](https://uk.express.dhl.com/dhl-service-point/find-your-nearest/) **DHL eCommerce UK ServicePoints** — based in convenience stores, with around 90% of the population within ten minutes of one. [Find a DHL eCommerce ServicePoint →](https://send.dhlparcel.co.uk/parcel-delivery/servicepoint-locations) The two operate separately and don’t accept each other’s parcels, so a DHL eCommerce parcel taken to a DHL Express Service Point will be turned away. Check which service you booked, and use the matching locator. Or book a collection instead ---------------------------- Drop-off suits low volumes and flexible days. Once you’re posting a decent number of parcels, walking them to a shop stops making sense. With ShipStation you can book collections across your UK carriers from the same dashboard you use to print labels, so you’re not logging into several different carrier portals. Drop-off or collection: which suits you? **Drop-off****Collection**CostOften the cheaper option, though it varies by carrier and serviceFree, discounted or chargeable depending on the carrierSpeedScanned on the day if you’re in before the cut-offSame-day or next-working-day slotsEffortYou travelThe driver comes to youNo printer?Print In ParcelShop, print-at-shop, QR codesLabel needs printing first, in most casesBest forLow volumes, flexible schedulesSteady daily volumePlenty of sellers do both — collections on busy days, a walk to the ParcelShop on quiet ones. Common questions ---------------- **Can I drop off a parcel without printing a label?** Often, yes. Evri’s Print In ParcelShop devices and DPD’s print-at-shop option both let you turn up with a QR code. Not every location has the kit, so check the locator. **Can I drop an Evri parcel at the Post Office?** At participating branches only, over 3,200 of them, but not every branch. Check before you go. **Can I put any parcel in a Royal Mail Parcel Postbox?** Only pre-paid parcels up to around 44 x 35 x 16 cm, with a barcoded label. Special Delivery Guaranteed has to go to a Post Office branch or a Delivery Office Customer Service Point. **I bought a Parcel Collect service by mistake. Can I just drop it off instead?** Better not to. Royal Mail sells drop-off and Parcel Collect as separate services, and buying Parcel Collect books a collection automatically — first available slot within five working days, no same-day and no Sundays. If you’d rather drop off, buy the Drop off version of the service instead. **Can I drop a DHL eCommerce parcel at a DHL Express Service Point?** No. The two networks operate separately and don’t accept each other’s parcels. **My local shop takes two different carriers. Does it matter which parcel goes where?** Yes. Each parcel has to go into the network its label was bought from, even if one counter handles several carriers. **Is drop-off cheaper than a collection?** It depends on the carrier and service. Evri prices ParcelShop drop-off below home collection, and Royal Mail postage bought online costs less than the same service over the counter. Compare both before you decide. **What if I miss the last collection of the day?** Your parcel gets scanned the next working day. If it’s urgent, book a collection instead. How ShipStation helps --------------------- You can access [discounted rates](https://www.shipstation.com/en-gb/fulfillment/shipping/print-labels/) from all the UK’s major carriers, like Royal Mail, Parcelforce, Evri, DPD, UPS and GlobalPost, with no separate carrier account needed, though some carriers need approval before you can use their services. Compare rates across them, print labels in batches, book collections, and manage the lot from one login. If you’d rather use your own negotiated carrier accounts, you can connect those too. Worth knowing that UK accounts pay a per-shipment fee on labels created with your own carrier accounts rather than the included ones, invoiced monthly and varying by plan, so it’s worth comparing the two before you decide. Get your labels sorted before you leave the house ------------------------------------------------- Drop-off or collection, the part that costs you time is everything before the parcel leaves your desk. Sort that out and the rest is a five-minute walk. [Start your free trial →](https://www.shipstation.com/en-gb/start-a-free-trial/)