Pickup point vs home delivery in the UK: 2026 prices

On the continent the question "pickup point or door?" has a price attached: in France a point was up to four euros cheaper than the door with the same carrier. In the UK the question looks different, and the first thing to know is what the rate card actually offers.

This article uses our own UK prices, measured on 29 September 2026, and public figures from Ofcom, Evri and InPost. It ends with a default you can set per product.

Is a pickup point cheaper than home delivery in the UK? #

We cannot give you a measured gap for the UK, and that is the finding. Every domestic UK service on our shipping options from the UK delivers to the customer’s door; none delivers to a ParcelShop or locker. These are the prices on 29 September 2026, including our €0.85 platform fee, converted from euros at the ECB daily rate:

Compare that with the continent. In our pickup point vs home delivery in Europe measurement, the point beat the door in 6 of 7 same-carrier pairs. The UK sits at the other extreme: the door is so standard that it is what the carriers sell to shops by default.

How big is the pickup point and locker network in the UK? #

Bigger than the share of parcels that use it. Ofcom collected out-of-home data for the first time for 2024-25 and found that deliveries or collections away from the recipient’s home — lockers, convenience stores — were 12% of measured parcel volumes. Ofcom marks the figure as indicative, because not every operator could supply comparable data.

The two big networks work differently. Evri ParcelShops are counters in local businesses, most open seven days a week with longer opening hours. InPost lockers are machines, open around the clock. Since April 2025 InPost also owns Yodel, and from July 2025 the two run as one service for home, locker and shop deliveries — which is why Yodel on our card books a service called "InPost Collection".

Door, ParcelShop or locker: what differs? #

The row that costs money is the uncollected parcel. A missed doorstep attempt is the carrier’s problem, and it is priced into every home delivery. A parcel that sits in a locker for three days and goes back is yours: it arrives at your sender as a return, and your customer usually still wants the item.

Where does the pickup point matter for a UK shop? #

At the start of the parcel, not the end. Every parcel has two hand-overs: from the packer to the carrier, and from the carrier to your customer. On the UK rate card the second is always the door. The first differs per carrier:

• Courier collection: Evri, Yodel (InPost), FedEx, DHL eCommerce UK and DPD collect from the packer. The collection day is printed on the label.
• Drop-off: UPS Standard and Parcelforce Express 48 are drop-off services; the packer takes the parcel to a counter.

For a shop that packs its own orders, that is a question of your own time. For a shop whose orders are packed by someone else, it decides how quickly a parcel leaves: a collection waits for the courier’s day, a drop-off leaves when the packer walks to the shop.

When should you offer pickup-point delivery in the UK? #

• ✓Home delivery as the default. It is what UK customers expect and what every service on our UK card does.
• ✓A ParcelShop or locker as a checkout option for small, low-value items and for customers who are not home in the day.
• ✓Tell customers about the collection window at checkout. With InPost it is three days, and a parcel that goes back costs you a return.
• ✕A locker for anything over 15 kg or larger than 41 × 38 × 64 cm. It will not fit, and your order stalls.
• ✕A pickup point as the default for expensive items. A signature or photo at the door is worth more than a lower rate.
• ✕Copying a French or Polish default to the UK. What is normal in Lyon or Kraków is the exception in Leeds.

What does a delivered parcel cost you in total? #

If your UK orders are packed by a sender through AirPost, the parcel costs three things: the label, the fee you agree with your sender and our €0.85 platform fee. The prices in the table above already include that platform fee. For a small parcel with Evri that is £7.26 plus the sender’s fee; we suggest €2.25 for a small parcel, and each sender sets their own.

The medium size is where carriers differ most. Evri adds 36p from small to medium; Yodel (InPost) adds £1.66; FedEx and DPD charge the same for both. If your typical order is a shoebox rather than a padded bag, compare on the medium column.

How this works with AirPost #

With local fulfilment through AirPost, a verified person in the UK holds a batch of your stock at home and ships each order as a UK domestic parcel. You choose the service per product; we buy the cheapest label within that service level.

1. 1

   Find a sender in the UK

   On /en/senders, filter by price and parcel size. Every sender’s identity and payout account are checked, with reviews from other shops.

2. 2

   Send one box

   A test batch of a best seller, in your own packaging. The stock stays yours; ask for it back and it is returned within 14 days. It is not insured, which is why you start small.

3. 3

   Choose the service per product

   Door delivery with the carrier that fits the parcel: Evri or Yodel (InPost) for small, light items; UPS or DPD for large or urgent ones.

4. 4

   Let orders run

   Set orders up in the chat, or connect Shopify with the Airpost Order Link app so paid orders reach your sender automatically. The sender sees your customer’s full address only after accepting the order.

Selling into the UK from the EU? The customs side is in ship to the UK without a UK warehouse. And if a parcel does go missing on the way, see parcel lost or damaged: what to do as a shop.