FAQs

Rapid Parcel is the UK's premier courier comparison and booking service offering discounted rates from the world's most established and reliable parcel delivery companies.

The volume of parcels that we send nationally and internationally together with the long term relationships we have with our courier partners mean that we are able to offer substantially discounted rates to our customers - making the same door to door shipping service cheaper through Rapid Parcel than going directly to the courier themselves.

Registering is quick and simple and allows us to offer you the best discounts and service possible. It also minimizes the time you'll need to spend on future orders and enables us to let you know of any further offers that may be relevant to you.

Quick, simple and secure online payments can be made via PayPal (UK deliveries only) or WorldPay with your Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Electron, Switch/Maestro, Solo or Delta card. All payments must be made in advance.

Credit facilities are available to our Business Account customers. If you are looking to dispatch a large number of parcels or documents on a regular basis you should consider opening a Rapid Parcel Business Account. At Rapid Parcel we understand that you have varying time constraints for your shipments. To ensure that the unique needs of your parcel shipments are met Rapid Parcel business account customers have access to the widest range of courier shipping services available through our courier partners. We are committed to helping you to find the right combination of speed and economy for every domestic, European or international shipment. Key Benefits of opening a Rapid Parcel Business Account include:

Designated account executive to ensure the service you receive is reliable and dependable

Access to Rapid Parcel's Online Resource centre to help you make sense of customs forms, trade regulations, duties, taxes and all the other considerations of international shipping. A Rapid Parcel business account provides you with the services, tools and personal contact to help you master shipping around the globe

Consultation to help your company select the services appropriate to your timeframe and budget

Special rates on favourite services / to favourite destinations

Enhanced addressbook functionality

Credit facilties for extra flexibility

At Rapid Parcel we aim to offer you the most competitive prices available on the market, accordingly all bookings must be made online.

Booking cut-off times For same day delivery we will require 1 hour's notice, and for next day and all other services we will typically require at least 2 hour's notice.

Please check your email spam filters have not moved the email into a Spam, Junk or Deleted folder.

Please add customersupport@rapidparcel.com to your email recipient or ‘Safe’ list to avoid this happening in the future. If you still cannot find our confirmation email then please check that the email you have registered on Rapid Parcel is your correct address.

Please note, you should receive two messages from Rapid Parcel. First message will be a confirmation and a second message will contain a PDF file attached with all the documentation required for your shipment. If you have not received these messages, please contact our customer support team to request copy of documents to be re sent.

You need a printer to print your label with a unique bar-code.

Rapid Parcel is the online courier comparison and booking service. We have selected the world's finest door to door shipping and parcel delivery companies, negotiated the best possible discounts (due to the volume of business we trade with them), and we are happy to present them to you in our intuitive, simple and easy to navigate website. We are sure Rapid Parcel can help you find the right combination of speed and economy for every shipment to any destination worldwide.

On our Home page you will find a box titled "Get your Rapid quote here". Fill in this mini form and click on the QUOTE button to be shown a choice of relevant couriers which can satisfy your requirements. We have designed our new website to be as user friendly as possible, so you only have six short pages to complete to make your booking.

	Enter dimensions (CM) and weight (KG)	Begin your booking on our home page. The Rapid Quote box asks you to complete a couple of basic questions to help us to offer you the best national or international courier for your needs. Then click the Get Quote button.
	Select a service	The next page is the Select a Quote page offering you a list of the best value national or international courier services to ship your parcel with. Choose the option that best matches you requirements.
	Address Information	We'll need to know where to pick up your parcel from and where to deliver it to
	Collection time	Some of the door to door shipping companies that we work with will allow you to state your preferred time slot; however this should be considered a guide and not a guarantee of the collection time.
	Booking summary	The confirmation page allows you to double check that everything you've already entered is accurate and offers you the ability to amend it if necessary.
	Payment Process	The confirmation page allows you to double check that everything you've already entered is accurate and offers you the ability to amend it if necessary.

Our parcel delivery service is committed to collecting all packages are collected at or before 7.00pm on designated collection day. Some of the door to door shipping companies that we work with will allow you to state your preferred time slot; however this should be considered a guide and not a guarantee of the collection time.

Your parcel can be collected from your home or work address, or in fact any address that you provide us with at the time of your booking. Our door to door shipping and parcel delivery service offers you the ultimate flexibility.

Rapid Parcel only works with the world's most reliable and reputable couriers so the likelihood of a missed collection is incredibly rare. Although missed or late collections seldom occur, it is not possible to accurately estimate a definite time a courier driver making hundreds of collections a day will arrive at each collection location.

We suggest that you select the largest possible window of time for a collection when placing an order. Collection schedules can from time to time be impacted by traffic delays or other issues such as incomplete pick-up address information.

If your parcel is not collected we would ask you to contact us as soon as possible so we can immediately arrange for either a new collection or an alternate courier to pick up your parcel with minimal fuss and maximum speed.

It is the customer's responsibility to ensure that the weight and dimensions given are accurate. Errors can result in additional fees being charged by the courier you select. We have provided a unit converter for your convenience to help you with this process.

Maximum weights and dimensions differ on a courier to courier and services basis. Our system only allows you to book items that fit within allowed restrictions. Customers should be aware that depending on the courier that you select for your door to door shipping service there may be an additional sum to pay for heavy packages. The customer is responsible for the accurate weighing of their packages – incorrectly weighed packages may incur additional charges.

Maximum dimension permissible vary from courier to courier. Customers should be aware that the larger the package that you are sending the higher the likelihood of incurring additional charges. Any parcel with anyone side longer than 120cm will likely incur surcharges. The customer is responsible for accurately measuring their packages – incorrectly measured packages may incur additional charges.

Some of the shipping companies that we work with will allow you to state your preferred time slot. However, this should be considered a guide and not a guarantee of the collection time. Collections are generally between 9am and 5.30pm, in some cases this may be extended to 7pm for residential addresses.

A minimum four hour time window is required. Larger time windows will give the courier the best chance of successfully fulfilling collection request.

For your convenience collections can be booked with Rapid Parcel up to 5 days in advance.

The couriers may collect from a neighbour’s address. If this is ok, you should leave a note on your door to advise the driver. If the collection fails for any reason, contact our customer support team to arrange a collection at the earliest opportunity.

Yes. A driver may reject your parcel for the following reasons:

• Parcel does not have barcode label provided by Rapid Parcel.
• Parcel does not have customs invoices (for international shipments)
• Unboxed item
• Insufficient internal packaging that does not prevent the contents from shifting
• Prohibited item

Neither we nor the Carrier shall be under any obligation to provide any plant, power or labour which may be required for loading or unloading of the Package.

Any Package requiring special appliances for loading onto and/or unloading from the carrier’s vehicle is accepted for the services only on condition that such appliances are available and manned by you or the addressee at the relevant collection and/or delivery points. Please note, if your parcel weights more than 32kg and there is no one to help the driver to lift the parcel, he/she may not be able to collect your parcel due to health and safety regulations.

If you need to cancel or amend the collection of a parcel please contact Rapid Parcel customer service on: 020 8897 5324.

Whilst the courier will attempt to collect during your specified time window, collection times are not guaranteed for a number of reasons, for example due to traffic delay. Any guarantees given only apply once the parcel has been collected. However, when you have cancelled and requested a refund at least 24 hours in advance of collection, a refund will be issued.

When you book your door to door shipping and parcel delivery with Rapid Parcel you can choose either a time guaranteed service or a non-guaranteed service. For time guaranteed services your package will be delivered by the specified time on your designated day. Our non-guaranteed service offers delivery before 5.30pm within the time frame described by your selected courier.

Most parcel delivery couriers offer online tracking so you know where your consignment is at any point in time. When you are selecting which courier to use through Rapid Parcel you should check which courier companies offer online tracking as standard.

Late delivery on a time guaranteed service rarely occurs but should it happen we have a compensation scheme in place for this eventuality.

Unforeseen circumstances such as weather conditions, road closures, traffic accidents or clearance delays can affect the original estimated transit time. To find out more about your shipment, please check the tracking page to determine package status. If you still have questions please contact our customer support team.

Currently, Rapid Parcel offers shipping services from United Kingdom only. However, we are happy to recommend the services of Excess Baggage Company, our sister company, for all your import needs.

If you are not at home when the courier attempts delivery, the driver may leave your parcel in a safe location or with a neighbour. Also, the driver may return the parcel to a depot. If this is the case, he/she will leave a calling card with a contact number. You may contact the courier to arrange a convenient delivery date or contact our customer support team who will arrange a delivery on an alternative date. Re-delivery requests require 24 hours’ notice to be arranged.

You can track your parcel by entering your Rapid Ref number (for instance: ABC123) into the form found at the top centre of every page on our site. If you have multiple parcels to track you can click the tracking tab to enter multiple tracking numbers at once.

Account users when signed in will be able to access the latest tracking information for all their parcels via their my account section automatically. Rapid Parcel accounts are totally free and we recommend all customers take advantage of this so they can see the current status of their parcel automatically without having to key reference numbers.

All parcels booked through Rapid Parcel will have a Rapid Ref number. This reference number begins with three letters followed by three numbers e.g. : ABC123, and is found on both the email confirmation and receipt. If you do not have a Rapid reference number it is likely your delivery was booked either directly with a courier or through an alternative supplier. We are only able to track parcels booked through the Rapid Parcel system.

Please note, parcels will not be traceable until they have been collected and have reached the courier’s depot. If there is still no tracking visible the following day after collection, you should contact our customer support team who will be able to assist.

Majority of parcels can be delivered door to door, once it has cleared customs at destination. However, some countries have a door to airport service only. In those countries the recipient may have to present themselves to either Customs or the local courier’s office to take possession of their consignment.

These countries may include: Anguilla, Antigua, Armenia, Barbados, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Dominica, East Timor, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya and Macedonia.

Rapid Parcel features customs information for some of the most popular parcel delivery destinations on the following International Destination pages. Please note this information is for guidance purposes only and it is the customer’s responsibility to consult appropriate local authorities for the most up-to date regulations.

You may contact our customer support team to request a re-delivery to new address. However, in some cases this is not possible. Please note that additional surcharges may be applied before the delivery request is completed. Change of address for re-delivery requires 24 hours’ notice to be arranged.

A parcel may be returned if found to have restricted or prohibited goods. A parcel may also be returned if it was sent without the appropriate documentation. In this case, you may be liable to pay a surcharge for the return journey as per the Terms & Conditions you agreed to when booking a collection.

Please note, if the authorities or security find a prohibited item in your package, your shipment will be halted and you will be charged a fee by the handling agent or consolidator and the shipment will continue to be delayed until such charges have been paid in full. You will also incur an administration penalty.

We will automatically send you all of the outgoing paperwork that your parcel will require. However, depending on the destination and the contents of your parcel, you may be required to fill out additional paperwork or assign an external broker to clear the shipment.

Customs at the parcel’s destination will determine whether any charges are payable on your package. All duties, taxes and/or quarantine fees applied are at the discretion of local customs or governmental organisations and are out of our control.

Please see the following links for further customs advice at destination country:

• http://www.wcoomd.org/en/about-us/wco-members/customs-websites.aspx
• http://www.excess-baggage.com/customs_information/customs_guide.php

We advise you to verify, independently, all Customs, Governmental and Quarantine regulations. These rules can and do frequently change without prior notice or recourse.

If a parcel is sent without declared value it will be rejected by authorities at destination. Customs will determine whether any duty is payable on the items. The “commercial value” of an item is its saleable value and even items that are being sent for personal use can sometimes carry a duty. It is the customer’s responsibility to accurately state the value and reason for export.

Please be aware that the declared value for customs purposes is not related to the declared value selected for Shipment Protection. We encourage all customers to purchase shipment protection.

All packages must be signed for on delivery. However, if it has suffered any damage in transit you should note this on the same form along with a brief explanation of the nature of the damage. It is also important that you keep all packaging (as failure to do so could invalidate your claim), and take photos of any damaged items.

We offer enhanced Shipment Protection up to the value of £2,000 for additional peace of mind. You will be able to choose an appropriate level of cover for your shipment when booking your collection.

If you do not purchase enhanced Shipment Protection your shipment will be only covered to a maximum value of £50 as per the limited liability set out in our Terms & Conditions. Any claims under Limited liability terms will be subject to your parcel passing minimum packaging requirements

To see packaging recommendations please see our packing advice guidelines here

To ensure that your claim is handled quickly, we would ask you to complete our claim form and email/post it back to us with the required documentation as quickly as possible. Only the person who placed the order with Rapid Parcel may claim for lost or damaged items.

To download a Claim form you will need to be logged into your account. If you do not have an account please set one up by entering your Rapid reference number here

Once you have accessed your account you will be able to download a Claim Form PDF linked to the delivery in question.

If your item is damaged you must contact Customer Support within 5 days (including weekends and bank holidays) after delivery of the package.

Please do not remove the item, internal packaging and external packaging used from the delivery address as it may be necessary to request a damage inspection. We will require photographs of the damage as well as of the packaging material used. Full instructions are given on the claim form downloadable via your account section.

For damaged parcels you must submit your completed claim form so that it is received within 14 days from the date your parcel was collected. For parcels lost in transit you should submit your forms so that they are received within 28 days of notification that the delivery has been declared lost by the courier.

Your claim could be invalidated if you do not package your parcel to a sufficiently high standard. Where your package contains any prohibited or hazardous goods, all claims will be invalidated. See our Packaging section (6) and Hazardous pages for relevant information.

All items within your parcel should be wrapped separately. Sharp edges should be protected appropriately to prevent them from damaging your own or other parcels, non-solids must be properly sealed, fragile items should be cushioned and the whole parcel should be sealed securely with industry quality tape. Our packaging shop caters for all your parcel delivery needs and supplies only the highest quality packaging materials to ensure the safe transit of your package.

Yes, all parcels must be boxed and well packaged, this will reduce the risk of damage to any item sent during transit or any associated automated distribution process.

If you are sending documents we suggest that these are sent in a rigid card envelope of A4 dimensions.

TIP:

When you book your service at any of our locations we will provide free box and packaging material.

Rapid Parcel & Post drop-off points are ideal if you are on your way to / from work and want to avoid frustrating queues at the local post office. We are sure that international travellers with no fixed address in the UK will find these parcel delivery points useful thanks to their unbeatable locations.

Safe parcel delivery can be influenced by the materials that you use and the way you package your items. The information below has been compiled to help you to pack you goods sensibly for national and international transit.

A label stating that a parcel contains fragile items is not a substitute for a properly packed parcel.

The following packaging guidelines are recommendations to assist you in packaging your shipment:

Select a suitably sized box

• Safe parcel delivery requires attention to the way you pick and pack your boxes.
• Do not over-fill or under-fill your box can leave your items susceptible to damage in transit.
• Make sure that the original packaging is in good condition.
• Double-boxing is an effective method of protecting items where the packaging is not suitable for shipment through carriers that use both manual and automated distribution systems.
• Place the original manufacturer's box or the new box on top of the cushioning material in the centre of the main shipping container and place cushioning around the remaining five sides.

b. Use protective cushioning

• Filling empty space in your box with cushioning material such as bubble wrap, foam sheets, polyethylene foam pads or polystyrene chips will help to protect your items from damage.
• Cracked or broken foam pieces should be replaced.
• Make sure that the item cannot move in the original packaging.

c. Pay special attention to breakables, non-solids and valuables

• Ensure all breakables, non-solids and valuables are packed into the centre of a parcel surrounded in cushioning material and not touching the sides of the parcel.
• Musical instruments can only be shipped in their original hard case.

d. Cover sharp edges

• Ends and edges which could cause damage to your or other packages should be protected with double walled heavy duty cardboard for safe parcel delivery.

e. Wrap individual items separately

• All items within your package should be wrapped separately to ensure their individual protection from one another and movement.

f. Seal your package securely

• To ensure safe parcel delivery you should use industry standard tape (not household tape) to securely seal all open ends of your package.

g. Don’t tie packages together

• For the safety of the contents of your packages do not tie parcels together.
• String, ropes and tape holding multiple parcels together can damage the outer packaging and if the parcels separate and only one is labelled the others will not reach their destination.
• Rapid Parcel cannot be held responsible for any loss where packages have been tied together (please see terms and conditions).

h. Label your package clearly

• Always ensure that the address on your label is legible, easily visible and securely fixed to the outside of your box.
• The full address (including postcode or zip code) should always be used.
• Remove or cross out any previous barcode labels, if any, and use only those provided by Rapid Parcel.
• Securely attach the Rapid Parcel address label on any side of the parcel (this will help allocate your parcel if the barcode label goes missing).
• Attach pre-pinted barcode label issued by Rapid Parcel on top of the package. Please place the label in a position that it will remain in one piece if the item has to be opened for customs purposes i.e. NOT across the box closure. (see example below)
• For security reasons, pleace any form of identification inside the package. This could be a copy of the RP addres label ot any page with the full delivery address and contact number.

After payment, you will be directed to a page where you will be able to download and print out documents related to your service. These documents MUST be handed to the courier driver. (Copy of documents are sent to your email address as well)

TIP:

Throughout the booking process, you can find additional information by hovering over the sign (help icon)

Our couriers’ partners require you to attach a barcode label to your parcel(s). These documents and others will be sent to your email address in a PDF file after payment. If you have booked a service for multiple parcels, you will receive barcode labels for each parcel. Please note, parcel sent without the barcode label provided by Rapid Parcel will incur charges from the carrier.

If you have booked a service and the parcel will be collected from a different address to yours, you MUST forward the documents to the party at the collection address. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that the parcel is sent with the pre-printed barcode label issued by us. Otherwise, charges will be incurred. Parcels that are not sent with a Rapid Parcel AirwayBill will incur a £60 admin charge.

For national deliveries, you will receive:

• Your booking receipt (for you own records)
• Courier barcode labels (waybills)
• Address label

For international shipments, you will receive:

• Your booking receipt (for you own records)
• Courier Air waybills
• Address label
• Customs invoices (for international shipments – parcel shipments only, documents do not require customs invoices)

If you have any queries in regard to the documentation, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our customer support team who will be able to guide you through the process.

We do not offer guarantee for collection of any shipment. Any guarantees given only apply once the parcel has been collected. However, when you have cancelled and requested a refund at least 24 hours in advance of collection, a refund will be issued.

Late delivery on a Time Guaranteed Service rarely occurs but should it happen we have a compensation scheme in place for this eventuality.

Phone lines are open weekdays 9am - 5pm

LiveChat is also open weekdays between 9am & 5pm

If you have any issues outside these times please email customersupport@rapidparcel.com and we will respond to your query promptly.