Cheapest Way to Send a Parcel in the UK in 2026

Last Updated On 30.09.2026

Sending a parcel in the UK can vary in cost depending on its weight, dimensions, destination and how quickly it needs to arrive. A small lightweight parcel may be inexpensive to send, while a larger or heavier package can cost considerably more.

The final price can also change depending on whether the parcel is collected from an address or taken to a drop-off point. Tracking, compensation cover, delivery speed and regional charges may also affect the total.

For this reason, comparing several delivery options before booking can help individuals, online sellers and businesses find a service that suits both their budget and delivery requirements.

Which Are the Cheapest Parcel Delivery Providers in the UK?

Provider	Current Published Price	Best Suited To
Parcel2Go	From £1.99 exc VAT	Comparing low-cost courier services
Evri	From £2.62 inc VAT to a ParcelShop	Small parcels and marketplace sellers
Royal Mail	Tracked 48 from £2.85 large letter or £3.65 small parcel	Lightweight parcels
DHL eCommerce UK	Depot-to-depot from £3.78	Medium and heavier parcels
Post Office Parcels Online	From £2.71 exc VAT	Branch drop-off and carrier comparison
Parcel Monkey	Quote-based, with selected published examples	Comparing discounted courier rates
DPD	Quote-based	Fast tracked delivery
UPS	Quote-based	Business and international shipping

The lowest advertised number is not automatically the cheapest price for every parcel. VAT, dimensions, location charges and collection fees need to be considered before booking.

1. Parcel2Go

Parcel2Go operates as a courier comparison and booking platform rather than carrying parcels through its own delivery network. Its UK parcel delivery currently starts from £1.99 excluding VAT, equivalent to £2.39 including VAT. That makes it one of the lowest advertised starting prices in the market.

A current example of its pricing shows:

Delivery Option	Excluding VAT	Including VAT
Drop-Off Delivery	£1.99	£2.39
Collection Delivery	£3.29	£3.95
Selected Next-Day Locker Service	£9.23	£11.08

The cheapest £1.99 rate is available only for eligible parcels and services. Customers enter the parcel weight, size and destination before seeing the available couriers.

The platform currently provides more than 100 delivery services, free tracking on almost all bookings and optional parcel protection of up to £10,000. This makes Parcel2Go particularly useful when the priority is comparing several carriers instead of automatically booking with one company.

Best for: Comparing the lowest available courier quotes.

2. Evri

Evri is one of the most competitive direct options for small and medium parcels, especially when both sender and recipient can use ParcelShops.

Its current UK standard home or workplace delivery prices are:

Weight And Size	Standard Drop-Off	Standard Collection	Next Day Drop-Off
Postable Under 1kg	£2.70	Not Available	£3.49
0–1kg Small	£3.04	£4.04	£3.90
0–1kg Standard	£3.29	£4.30	£4.12
1–2kg Small	£3.52	£4.52	£4.60
1–2kg Standard	£4.79	£5.78	£5.48
2–5kg	£6.59	£7.58	£7.55
5–10kg	£6.68	£7.68	£7.72
10–15kg	£10.28	£11.29	£12.35

These prices include VAT. A £2.75 location charge can apply to certain postcodes.

ParcelShop-to-ParcelShop delivery can be considerably cheaper:

Weight	ParcelShop Standard Price
Up To 5kg	£2.62
5–10kg	£5.87
10–15kg	£9.01

For parcels up to 5kg, £2.62 including VAT is currently Evri’s lowest published direct rate.

Evri also offers Frequent Seller pricing for customers sending at least 40 qualifying parcels per month.

For example, a standard 1–5kg parcel currently falls from £6.59 to £4.58 at Level 1 and £4.34 at Level 2. A 5–15kg parcel falls from £10.28 to £6.17 or £5.94 depending on the seller level.

The small parcel format measures up to 45 × 35 × 16cm and can weigh up to 2kg.

Businesses using the carrier regularly can also check current Evri postage costs and weight bands before setting delivery charges.

Best for: Cheap lightweight parcels, ParcelShop delivery and frequent sellers.

Important: Current summer-sale pricing is advertised as ending on 30 September 2026, so prices should be checked again from 1 October.

3. Royal Mail

Royal Mail remains highly competitive for parcels that fit within its Large Letter and Small Parcel dimensions.

Current online Tracked 48 prices are:

Parcel Format	Maximum Weight	Online Price
Large Letter	1kg	£2.85
Small Parcel	2kg	£3.65
Medium Parcel	2kg	£5.55
Medium Parcel	10kg	£7.35
Medium Parcel	20kg	£11.85

Prices include VAT.

The main size limits are:

Format	Maximum Dimensions
Large Letter	35.3 × 25 × 2.5cm
Small Parcel	45 × 35 × 16cm
Medium Parcel	61 × 46 × 46cm

The wider Royal Mail online price range currently starts at £3.95 for a 2nd Class parcel, £4.65 for Tracked 24 and £5.15 for a 1st Class parcel.

Royal Mail becomes especially attractive where an item qualifies as a Large Letter or Small Parcel. The same 2kg item can cost substantially more if its dimensions move it into the Medium Parcel category.

Consumers comparing services can also review other parcel delivery companies in the UK before deciding which network suits their parcel.

Best for: Lightweight parcels, compact ecommerce orders and familiar postal delivery.

4. DHL eCommerce UK

DHL eCommerce UK is particularly interesting when heavier parcels can be taken to and collected from one of its depots.

Its current depot pricing is:

Parcel Weight	Depot Drop-Off And Home Delivery	Home Collection To Depot	Depot To Depot
Up To 5kg	£6.42	£7.92	£3.78
Up To 10kg	£7.68	£8.04	£3.84
Up To 20kg	£10.79	£11.99	£5.10
Up To 25kg	£10.79	£11.99	£5.10

The £5.10 depot-to-depot price for an eligible parcel up to 25kg is particularly notable when compared with many normal heavy-parcel services. DHL operates more than 50 UK depots and over 3,500 ServicePoints.

For standard next-day door-to-door collection and delivery, current published rates include:

Parcel	Weight	Price
Small	Up To 5kg	£10.50
Medium	Up To 10kg	£11.99
Large	Up To 15kg	£13.19
Extra Large	Up To 25kg	£14.39

These door-to-door prices include VAT.

DHL also uses volumetric weight where applicable. The calculation is:

Length × Width × Height in centimetres ÷ 4,000

If volumetric weight exceeds actual weight, the higher figure can determine the charge.

Best for: Heavy parcels, particularly when depot-to-depot shipping is practical.

5. Post Office

The Post Office deserves separate inclusion because it is not simply another name for Royal Mail. Post Office Parcels Online currently allows customers to compare Royal Mail, Evri and DPD services, buy postage online and then drop the parcel at a participating Post Office.

Online parcel services start from £2.71 excluding VAT. That equals approximately £3.25 including VAT at the standard 20% VAT rate. The service supports common parcel bands including up to 1kg, 1–2kg, 2–5kg and heavier items. Participating branches can also print the label when the customer presents a QR code.

Customers buying directly in a branch can access Royal Mail and Parcelforce services, while selected branches also provide Evri and DPD. For Evri bought directly through participating Post Office branches, parcel prices currently start from £3.49.

The biggest advantage is therefore not always the absolute lowest rate. It is the ability to compare or access several networks while still using a familiar local branch.

Best for: Senders who prefer branch drop-off, label printing and access to several carriers.

6. Parcel Monkey

Parcel Monkey is another courier comparison platform rather than a delivery company with one nationwide tariff. It compares services from carriers including DHL, DPD, Parcelforce, UPS and Evri. Prices are calculated from parcel weight, dimensions, collection postcode and destination.

A useful published example is a 3–5kg parcel:

Service Example	Published Price
Discounted DHL UK Next Day	£8.99

The platform uses this example to demonstrate how comparison-site rates can differ from standard direct parcel pricing.

Its economy UK options include DPD Pickup and UPS Access Point services for eligible parcels up to 20kg. Larger shipments can also be compared through heavy-parcel services.

Because Parcel Monkey calculates prices dynamically, publishing one universal starting rate would be misleading.

Best for: Comparing discounted rates for medium, heavy and specialist parcels.

7. DPD

DPD is better known for tracked and time-sensitive delivery than for maintaining one simple consumer price table covering every parcel.

The final charge depends on the parcel dimensions, weight, destination and booking route. DPD services can also be booked through comparison platforms and selected Post Office branches.

Post Office currently highlights DPD’s next-day services, one-hour delivery windows, end-to-end tracking and in-transit delivery options. For this reason, DPD should be treated as a quote-based option, rather than claiming one exact nationwide starting price that may not apply to the reader’s parcel.

Best for: Fast tracked delivery where service quality and delivery timing matter alongside price.

8. UPS

UPS is another provider where the exact rate is calculated from the shipment rather than one universal UK parcel price.

Senders enter their parcel weight, dimensions, origin, destination and preferred speed to receive a shipping quote. Collection can cost extra, while customers may instead use a UPS drop-off location.

UPS becomes particularly relevant for companies sending business shipments or parcels internationally.

For an occasional lightweight domestic parcel, one of the dedicated low-cost or comparison services will generally be more useful to check first. For regular commercial shipping, UPS account pricing and international coverage make it worth comparing.

Best for: Business parcels and international shipments.

Which Provider Should You Check First by Parcel Weight?

Parcel Type	Options Worth Comparing First
Postable Item	Evri, Royal Mail
Up To 1kg	Evri, Royal Mail, Parcel2Go
1–2kg	Evri, Royal Mail, Parcel2Go
2–5kg	Evri ParcelShop, DHL, Parcel2Go
5–10kg	DHL, Evri, Parcel Monkey
10–15kg	DHL, Evri, comparison platforms
15–20kg	DHL, Royal Mail, Parcel Monkey
20–25kg	DHL, Parcel2Go, Parcel Monkey
Larger Or Unusual Item	Specialist or comparison services

Dimensions can completely change this comparison. A compact 2kg parcel may qualify for a cheap small-parcel tariff, while a large lightweight box can move into a more expensive size category.

How Does VAT Affect Parcel Price Comparisons?

VAT is one of the easiest ways to misread parcel prices.

For example:

£1.99 excluding VAT becomes £2.39 including VAT.

Likewise:

£2.71 excluding VAT becomes approximately £3.25 including VAT.

Evri’s consumer prices and Royal Mail’s quoted prices above already include VAT, while Parcel2Go and Post Office Parcels Online prominently advertise starting rates excluding VAT.

Consumers should therefore compare VAT-inclusive checkout totals, not headline figures alone.

Is Collection or Drop-Off Cheaper?

Drop-off is usually cheaper when comparing otherwise similar courier services.

Evri illustrates the difference clearly. A 0–1kg small parcel currently costs £3.04 for standard drop-off compared with £4.04 for collection. A 10–15kg parcel costs £10.28 for drop-off compared with £11.29 for collection.

DHL shows an even larger difference when depot-to-depot delivery is practical. A parcel up to 25kg can currently cost £5.10 depot-to-depot, compared with £11.99 when collected from home and delivered to a depot under its depot service table.

The cheapest choice therefore depends partly on whether travelling to a depot, locker or ParcelShop is convenient.

Which Option Works Best for Regular Sellers?

Businesses and marketplace sellers should compare monthly volume pricing rather than relying only on ordinary consumer tariffs. Evri’s Frequent Seller programme starts from 40 qualifying parcels per calendar month, while comparison services can integrate with ecommerce and marketplace systems.

Businesses should also consider delivery speed. Sellers promising faster fulfilment can compare typical Evri delivery times before choosing a cheaper service that may take longer.

The cheapest rate is useful only if it still meets the delivery promise made to the customer.

Conclusion

There is no single provider that is permanently the cheapest way to send a parcel in the UK for every weight, size and postcode. Parcel2Go currently advertises one of the lowest headline rates at £1.99 excluding VAT, while Evri offers ParcelShop delivery from £2.62 including VAT.

Royal Mail remains highly competitive for compact parcels, including Tracked 48 Small Parcels from £3.65, while DHL can become particularly attractive for heavier packages with depot-to-depot rates from £3.78.

Post Office Parcels Online adds another useful comparison route from £2.71 excluding VAT, while Parcel Monkey, DPD and UPS are better assessed through live parcel-specific quotes.

Before booking, measure and weigh the packed parcel, enter the exact destination postcode, check whether VAT is included and compare collection with drop-off. That final quote, rather than the advertised headline rate, determines which provider is actually cheapest.

FAQs

What Is the Cheapest Advertised UK Parcel Price?

Parcel2Go currently advertises UK delivery from £1.99 excluding VAT, equivalent to £2.39 including VAT, for eligible services.

How Much Does Evri Charge to Send a Parcel?

Evri currently starts at £2.62 including VAT for eligible ParcelShop-to-ParcelShop delivery. Standard home or workplace delivery starts at £2.70 for a postable item.

How Much Is a Royal Mail Small Parcel?

Royal Mail Tracked 48 currently costs £3.65 online for a Small Parcel weighing up to 2kg and measuring no more than 45 × 35 × 16cm.

Is the Post Office Cheaper Than Booking Directly?

Not necessarily. Post Office Parcels Online allows customers to compare several carriers from £2.71 excluding VAT, but a direct courier promotion or comparison platform may sometimes be cheaper.

What Is a Cheap Option for a Heavy Parcel?

DHL eCommerce UK currently publishes depot-to-depot prices of £5.10 for eligible parcels up to 20kg or 25kg, making its depot service particularly worth checking for heavier parcels.

Should Businesses Compare Prices Excluding or Including VAT?

VAT-registered businesses may account for VAT separately, but consumers should compare VAT-inclusive prices so every courier quote is being assessed on the same basis.