Royal Mail Parcel Dimensions

[fearthegrimp]

Hi Post Office folk,

I've been sent a prepaid Royal Mail link to return a parcel with dimensions 73cm x 27cm x 5cm, weight around 2kg. When attempting to print, I get a message asking me to confirm maximum parcel dimensions of 61cm x 46cm x 46cm (up to 20kg).

I saw this comment posted a few years ago on a different thread:

Parcels in Royal Mail Letters is 20 Kg max size 61cm x 46cm x 46cm (or 0.129 cubic metres in total where the length does not exceed 120cm)

My parcel meets the criteria in the brackets but not the advertised dimensions.

Am I able to use the label provided?

Thanks in advance.

[Snaggletooth]

I think the text in italics relates to the absolute maximum size of parcel that RM will deal with. But some services (e.g. Special Delivery) have smaller size limits. And other services are priced by size as well as weight. So overall it depends what exactly you purchased.

[fearthegrimp]

Thanks Snaggletooth,

The only place I've found the 0.129 cubic metres reference was by yorkmover123 on this thread over 5 years ago.

viewtopic.php?t=84750

I was just wondering if this was an "unpublished rule", as it's much easier for Joe Public to measure against fixed dimensions than working out the volume of a parcel. I assume my local Post Office would tell me if the size was unacceptable when dropping the parcel off?

[Snaggletooth]

To confirm whether this label is valid, we need to know both what was paid for as well as what the size and weight of the parcel is. I see that this was a pre-paid thing, i.e. paid for by someone else? In which case I don't think there is any way that we or the Post Office can know whether this is valid or not.

There are parcel return services which allow RM to charge back to the retailer whatever the cost was, in which case none of this would matter, but it doesn't sound like this has been used...