InPost UK locker sizes: will your webshop parcel fit?

A locker is a physical opening, so describing a parcel as “small” is not enough. Your shop needs a finished box that fits, a compatible booking and a point with usable space. This guide focuses on sending webshop parcels through UK InPost lockers. It separates the compartment dimensions published by InPost from the conditions of individual labels, including labels bought through another platform or commercial service.

What are the published InPost UK compartment sizes? #

Those dimensions answer a fit question. They do not say that every compartment exists or is free at your nearest locker when you arrive. Nor do they give permission to exceed the purchased label’s size. Keep a measurement record for the packed box and compare it with the actual category selected in your booking. If you use the same packaging regularly, test that packing recipe before making locker dispatch your default.

InPost’s published network information also states a maximum weight of 15 kg. Treat that as a network figure, then check whether the particular booking has a lower limit. A marketplace or another booking channel may impose its own product categories. Weight and physical fit are independent: a compact heavy box can fail the label check even though the locker door closes easily.

How do you compare the sides without getting confused? #

For a rectangular parcel that can safely be rotated, sort the box’s three dimensions from shortest to longest and compare them with the compartment’s three dimensions in the same order. That is a useful initial check, not permission to tilt or squeeze a fragile parcel into an unsuitable orientation. Measure the sealed outer box, including bulges. Leave practical clearance so you can deposit and later remove it without forcing the door.

The first two boxes differ by only two centimetres of thickness. That difference changes the fit even if the product, weight and other sides are identical. This is why a loose product measurement is a weak shipping instruction. A bubble wrap layer, folded flap or rigid retail carton can turn a product that looked suitable on the table into a parcel needing a different compartment.

Why is volume alone the wrong test? #

A long thin parcel can have a smaller volume than a compact box and still not fit the opening. In the example above, 70 × 10 × 5 gives 3,500 cubic centimetres, but the long side exceeds the published compartment length. The 34 × 24 × 7 box has a larger volume of 5,712 cubic centimetres and passes the initial small-compartment dimensions. Volume cannot substitute for checking each side.

The same applies when you combine products. Doubling an item quantity might increase thickness rather than length. A packing recipe suitable for one garment may fail when a customer orders two, even though both remain light. Test the common basket combinations and record their actual box choice. If your catalogue permits combinations that have not been tested, make measurement part of dispatch rather than hard-code the smallest locker category.

Can you change the compartment if the parcel does not fit? #

The procedure depends on how you obtained the label. InPost’s help distinguishes Vinted or returns parcels from labels bought in the InPost app. For the former, the screen can offer another compartment after you report the fit problem. For an app-purchased label with the wrong size, the instructions require cancelling it in the app and buying the correct size. Do not assume the marketplace workflow applies to your webshop’s direct label.

If a door opens and the parcel does not fit, keep the parcel with you, close the empty door and follow the on-screen instructions. Never force a box inside or leave it outside the locker. Record the final valid booking reference against the customer order if you need a replacement label. Check the cancellation status of the previous booking rather than leave two live records and an unclear tracking email.

Avoid building a workflow around free upgrades described for another channel. Physical space, the price category purchased and the permitted correction process are different things. Before dispatching a recurring product, make sure the person packing understands which service the shop uses. A screenshot from a marketplace tutorial can be misleading when that person is actually handling a direct app booking or a commercial platform label.

What if the right size is unavailable nearby? #

InPost’s help says the app shows available compartment sizes and can suggest alternatives. Its website can show availability without the same size detail. Check shortly before leaving and remember that another sender may use the space first. A status you saw earlier is not a reservation. Consider whether the alternative point accepts your exact label and whether travelling there still fits your dispatch schedule.

For a hypothetical batch of six parcels, knowing that a location has some free space does not establish that it has enough of your required size for the batch. Plan the visit using the number and size of parcels, and keep them individually identifiable. If a second trip is necessary, record which orders have already been deposited. “Batch taken to locker” is less useful than a parcel-by-parcel record of actual handover.

Does a nearby InPost shop use identical parcel limits? #

Check the service rather than assuming the answer from the logo. InPost’s consumer help and InPost Direct publish information for their own booking routes. A staffed point can be useful when locker availability is awkward, but the conditions of the label still apply. Do not treat a bigger counter as an automatic upgrade to a label bought for a smaller parcel. Confirm the supported alternative through the relevant booking instructions.

A service that ends at the customer’s door is also distinct from one delivered to a collection point. You can deposit a parcel in a sender-side locker for a service whose recipient receives it at home. The location where you hand over does not define the destination method. Describe the recipient’s method clearly at checkout so a customer does not assume they must find a locker just because your dispatch process uses one.

Can you put an Evri parcel in an InPost locker? #

No. InPost’s current help says its lockers no longer accept Evri parcels. An old online guide describing that arrangement is not a current dispatch instruction. Use an accepted Evri location for an Evri label and the correct InPost workflow for an InPost label. When you dispatch through several networks, sort the finished batch by actual service before you leave, particularly if different points sit beside the same supermarket.

This is an acceptance question, separate from dimensions. An Evri parcel could physically fit an InPost compartment and still have no valid posting route there. For measuring an Evri booking itself, see Evri’s size and weight checks. For the wider recipient choice across networks, the European locker guide provides the broader context.

What should you give a home sender before the first order? #

Give them the tested box, packing materials, basket quantities and finished measurement record. Agree which label channel you use and what to do if the actual package differs. AirPost’s local fulfilment page explains how a sender holds a small stock batch at home and prepares orders. Carrier locker information does not establish that a particular locker service is available through AirPost; check the actual order’s shipping options.

1. Pack and measure a representative basket before selecting its locker category.
2. Check the purchased service’s size, weight and contents conditions.
3. Identify an accepted location and check the needed compartment size.
4. Keep each parcel linked to its label and retain the handover confirmation.
5. If it does not fit, follow that booking channel’s correction process.