r/royalmail

I have seen some posts going back over the years, but I'm looking to see if much has changed.

I don't want to dox my location, so I'll ask broadly. Are there any posties from the NE with insight into their depot?

I've tried both "Set a safeplace" (and, setting my safe place to a few different parts of my yard, think like "In the cold frame, under rabbit hutch" both within arms' reach of my door) and to setting my delivery preferences to "return to depot" so that I can pick it up myself when I'm home. I've also painted "DON'T PUT PARCELS IN HERE" in massive letters on my bins, because it keeps happening, and in the last year I've had three parcels tipped into the bin lorry and lost forever.

I don't want to buy an external parcel safe if nobody is going to use it, but I'm willing to buy one if they do actually get used. I also don't necessarily want to get my postie disciplined if there is any other way, because presumably he's in a massive hurry and just does it because he doesn't have the mental space to do anything else, so is there some secret thing I can do that will make it easier for him to not chuck my post in the bin?

I get a lot of parcels because I clean and restore old toys, so a lot of the stuff that passes through my doors has a low monetary value but a high sentimental value to their owners (I always get clients to ship stuff with tracking and appropriate insurance, usually Tracked 24 or 48, and tell them to use a waterproof liner inside the outer packaging, but obviously since they're random people sometimes they send a nice sturdy box and sometimes it's a bag and duck tape), and because clients don't always tell me immediately when they have posted something, I can't just wait in (I also have a second job that takes me out of the house) so I'm starting to feel like I'm out of options.

Having to tell my customers that Mr Binky is spending an extra month with me because the postman dropped him into last week's takeaway is bad enough, and telling them that he's gone to the great landfill in the sky, is a nightmare. Is there some trick that I'm missing?

EDIT:

Cheers all! I am going to give the parcel safe a go, it can't make matters worse XD

If I come in an hour early on overtime but I get told I
Can go home because there is nothing to do can I still claim the hour OT

Royal Mail has my parcel as delivered today at around 1 ish but hasnt arrived. It says its been "Signed for by: NDC" and some digital sig I cant recognise.

Hi guys,
It's my first time shipping from Japan and I want to buy these pair of contacts from Pushcolor.com for around 6075 yen (£27). Is it common for people to be charged VAT/courier handling fees on an order this low and if they do how much am I looking at altogether? I'm kinda conscious since I don't wanna pay anything too crazy on top of what I'm already paying. I honestly don't know whos hands it'll be in after arriving to the UK but last time I received a gift from America and it got into Parcelforce's hands.

My parcel has been stuck at Bristol Mail Centre (BS34 7ST) since 11 August, and it contains my passport. Royal Mail told me I can’t collect it there.

I’m travelling next week and really need my passport back. Has anyone managed to collect a parcel directly from a Mail Centre in a situation like this?

For anyone currently awaiting parcels with Royal Mail there is still hope, just a lot of patience required.

My 48 hour tracked delivery that was posted on the 3rd August had not updated all this time, but finally this morning I got an update it is on its way!

Don’t lose hope, those of you still worrying if your package is lost, it may still update!

Thought I’d try and share the positivity 😊

I sent out a box (high value item) via special delivery guaranteed 1pm on the 14th August 2026. It’s now 19th August 2026, with the tracking stating that it would’ve been delivered on the 17th. Nothing happened yet.

I’m stressing tf out over this. Any advice?

Thanks.

I’ve just been informed by tracking that my parcel from China is being returned as the address was “incorrect or doesn’t exist”. The sender says he doesn’t know what happened although thinks he might not have included my phone number 😭😭

Is there a way to rectify the information and have it re delivered before it goes all the way back to China? It’s gone to Woolwich having been at the sorting office in Croydon.

I sold something privately a couple of weeks ago and the buyer paid by PayPal goods & services. I shipped it RM48 tracked. Tracking shows it was delivered within 48hrs complete with photo at the address, door open, buyer visibly receiving parcel.

Fast forward to today and the parcel lands back at my door. Same contents. Same packaging (but taped back up). The parcel has the return address circled and a label stating “RP INTERVENTION DIVERT”. I googled this and it doesn’t make any sense to me. The buyer clearly received the parcel. Have they somehow shipped it back (without asking for a return) simply by circling the return address and putting it in a parcel box?

Just been waiting for a parcel all day. Saw the driver on the road across from me, physically watching him from my window. Excited like a child.

I should have videoed but why would i, right? I also have a ring camera to detect if anyone steps in the door…

Checked my phone and get a notification, “we attempted to deliver your parcel but no one was in”…

Absolute joke, this isn’t the first time. Why bother even driving to the estate, to sit in the van, to just say you attempted it. To then come back out tomorrow not to mention there’s like 10 houses in the cul de sac. Also, it says till 7:30… it was 18:29 when I got the message.

Then the next thing is, how can you talk to anyone about it? Why am I paying for them?

I was expecting a parcel from abroad. it is supposed to be delivered my address in Glasgow. unfortunately, parcelforce delivered it to London. The sender sent me a picture that he definitely wrote the correct address and post code. It seems that there is a same first line of address in London as my address in Glasgow. and the error came from parcelforce because they sent it to the wrong post code. I already sent a complaint and called them about this. they said they will try to retrieved it. What usually happens in this kind of cases?? this is so frustrating.

This is gonna sound mad maybe but i currently have a 30 hour contract with Royal Mail at my local DO as a “reserve”. Angard are looking for night shift mail sorters at another site local to me. Because of the lack of consistency with overtime where i am now I’m thinking about applying for the night shift for extra money. It’d be a routine of sleeping in the afternoon/evening, do mail sorting night shift and then shortly after head to DO for postie job. As i said it might sound mad but my question is there anything in my contract that won’t allow this? Am i able to have a different role with angard while under my contract with royal mail and if i can is there a limit on hours i can do? Thanks for any help

Hello people

I ordered something on Sunday. It was posted Monday with SD by 1. Expected it to arrive today but nothing. Tracking says it’s been despatched from Southampton MC to Glasgow MC (updated last night at 6:47pm) but was never scanned in this morning. Just says in transit since 6:47.

Usually when I get stuff sent from London and the south it’s never been an issue- so am quite concerned about the lack of updates. It’s always scanned in early early morning, then with the local DO by 6-7am. I know there’s a lot of these posts so please forgive me but I couldn’t find anything conclusive.

It was prepared by sender 10:45am

Accepted by parcel shop at 4:54pm

Scanned in at Southampton MC twice - once at 6:28pm and again at 6:36pm.

Despatched to Glasgow at 6:47pm.

Hasn’t changed since then - just in transit.

Couldn’t post pic - wouldn’t let me. Thank you!

EDIT: it says it’s been despatched to Glasgow but it also says it’s due to leave Southampton MC. F***ing baffled

Hi,

I have had a parcel that’s been sitting at Chelmsford Mail Centre since Friday 14th August.

It says it’s going to be sent to my local delivery office and should have been delivered on Friday.

It’s tracked 48hr, has it been lost? Or has it gotten stuck somewhere.

What’s my best option?