DPD UK shipping conditions

Purpose: This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the shipping conditions for the commercial carrier DPD in the United Kingdom.

Shipping Options (National)

Special conditions

• Undeliverable parcel: If delivery cannot be completed, the parcel will be returned to the sender. Please note that this may incur additional charges, which are non-refundable.
• DPD Next Day delivery: While DPD strives to deliver your package the next day, this service is not guaranteed by the carrier. As a result, shipping costs are non-refundable in the event of a delay, as per their Terms and Conditions.

Home delivery

Service point delivery

Return Shipping Options (National)

Special conditions

• Your customers can return their parcels at any of the 2,500 DPD Pickup points across the UK. Upon dropping off the parcel, they receive both a receipt and a text notification.
• Digital Label (QR/labelless): No printing is required. Just present the QR code link at a Service Point, where the label will be printed and applied to your parcel.

Pick-ups

General features

• Always keep your proof of handover until all your parcels are successfully delivered. You can do this by asking the driver to sign your pickup report. This document is essential if you ever need to file a claim. You can find more information on how to create one in our Help Center article: How to create a pickup report.
• Please note that pickup times are subject to local office availability and may be affected during peak seasons or force majeure events.

Incidental Pick-up

You can schedule an incidental (one-time) pickup with DPD directly from your Sendcloud account. Read our article How can I request a parcel pickup? for the instructions. 

Recurring Pick-up

For the carrier to pick up your parcels from a specified location on a consistent basis (e.g., daily, weekly), you can pre-schedule regular collections.

Scheduling process

• Free Subscription Users: If you're on the Free plan, please refer to the drop-off section.

• Lite Subscription Users Onwards: You can easily schedule a recurring pickup by contacting our Customer Support Team. Once approved by the carrier, we will share with you the contact of the depot in charge of your collection.

Conditions

• Pickup Days & Times:
  • Monday to Friday - from 9:00 - 18:00h 
• Request Timing: You must request your pickup:
  • 1–2 weeks in advance during low season (Feb-Oct).
  • 2–3 weeks in advance during high season (Nov-Jan).
• No Parcels for Pickup? If you don't have parcels to be picked up, please contact the Sendcloud support team.

Pricing

Lite Subscription Users Onwards: Free of charge. However, a fuel charge will apply.

Drop-offs

​​General features

• Whether you are on our Free plan or prefer the convenience, you can drop off your parcels at any DPD Service Point location, which you can easily find using their parcel shop finder.

• Always keep your proof of handover until all your parcels are successfully delivered. This document is essential if you ever need to file a claim.

Package specifications

• Parcel Limit: There's no set parcel limit for drop-offs.
• Maximum Weight: 20 kg
• Maximum Dimensions:
  • Maximum length: 60 cm
  • Maximum width: 60 cm
  • Maximum height: 60 cm
  • Maximum girth (L + 2 x W + 2 x H): 180 cm

The maximum weight & dimensions can vary on the specific shipping option. You'll find more details in the Shipping Options section.

Claims Process

If you ship using Sendcloud's rates, Sendcloud acts as the intermediary between you and DPD. In case of any incidents with your parcels, you can open a claim directly through the Support panel in your Sendcloud account. For more information in this regard, please refer to Sendcloud's article: How do I start an investigation or file a claim for my parcel?

This process ensures that all necessary documents are collected, resulting in a complete claim file that the carrier can process as quickly as possible.

Claim deadlines & Required documentation

Compensation policy

Special conditions

• Please note that the 100 GBP default insurance is no longer visible in the order overview within your Sendcloud account, but this does not affect your existing insurance settings with DPD UK.
• Shipping and return costs are not refunded.
• Returns may take several weeks to be processed and returned to the sender. This delay is due to the necessary step of passing through our returns partner in the UK, OnLogistics. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process.

Excluded goods from claims

Please note, the following products are excluded from DPD claims:

• Glass or any articles (or part of them) that are made of glass, porcelain, earthenware or other similar materials
• Works of art 
• Jewellery (including watches) with a value of up to £250 
• Precious metals (including gold or silver items) with a value of up to £250 
• Antiques 
• Cut flowers or plants shipped without liquid 
• Liquids up to 100ml

For more information in this regard, please refer to DPD's article: Prohibited Goods.

Resolution time (estimated)

Once the claim is submitted to the carrier, we typically receive a response within 16 days. Please note that this is an indicative timeline, and the actual resolution time is subject to the carrier's internal processes and can vary.

Sendcloud insurance

Do you want to insure your shipments for a higher value? This is possible with the help of our insurance: Sendcloud Shipping Protection (XCover).

More information is available in our Help Center article: How do I start an investigation or file a claim for my parcel?

Surcharges

The carrier will apply surcharges to your invoice if a parcel you ship does not meet the criteria laid out in their shipping conditions. We have created the following article so you can take all necessary action to avoid having to pay unwanted surcharge fees on your invoice: DPD surcharges (UK).

Package Content Restrictions

Prohibited items

According to DPD Standard Terms and Conditions, the carrier shall not accept:

• Dangerous Goods, hazardous goods, flammable goods
• Firearms (including imitation firearms or firearm components) 
• Bladed products or articles 
• Tobacco products 
• Jewellery (including watches) with a value exceeding £250
• Cash or documents which can be exchanged for cash or goods or services (for example cheques, credit/debit cards, vouchers with a face value, event tickets) 
• Personally identifiable data (including prescriptions) 
• Personal effects 
• Precious metals (including gold or silver items) with a value exceeding £250 
• Furs or any other valuables 
• Alcohol including wines, beers and spirits 
• Liquids of any kind exceeding 100ml 
• Cannabidiol products 
• E-cigarette liquids containing nicotine 
• Televisions or monitors with screens larger than 37"
• Body parts or human remains
• Living or dead animals, fish or birds, or any living organism of any type (including trees, or flowers shipped in liquid)
• Perishable food
• Pharmaceutical products
• Non-excepted batteries (details available on request);
• Any goods prohibited by the law or regulation of any government or public or local authority of any country where the goods are carried or goods that are destined for any country, company, organisation or individual that is subject to any applicable national export or import control or regulation, including any restrictive measure or embargo imposed in the framework of the programs of the United Nations or any other national program, any applicable national regulation against terrorism and money laundering, or comparable activities;
• Any goods destined for a BFPO address, PO Box or certain other addresses (details available upon request);
• Any goods which require a licence, permit or consent (including import and/or export licences, permits and consents) in order to transport or store the Consignment and/or which are subject to import, export, or transportation restrictions (including Dual-use Goods) imposed by the laws applicable in the country of expedition, dispatch, transit, destination, or otherwise;
• Goods that require a declaration of value pursuant to Art. 24 CMR or the declaration of special interest in delivery pursuant to Art. 26 Paragraph 1 CMR or goods that require a declaration of value or a declaration of a special interest in delivery pursuant to Art. 22 Warsaw Convention/Art. 22 Montreal Convention;
• Any goods which require temperature-controlled transport
• Any other good which are prohibited by the Company from time to time

Please note that this list is not exhaustive.

For more information in this regard, please refer to DPD's article: Prohibited Goods.

Label Validity, Updates & Cancellation

Understanding the ins and outs of label validity, updates, and cancellations helps in managing your shipments efficiently, avoid unexpected costs, and keeping your shipping process hassle-free.

Label validity

Make sure you use the label to ship your package before it expires:

• DPD labels are valid for 7 days after creation.

Label update

• Address change:
  • Parcel not yet shipped: you can easily correct the address by cancelling the original label and creating a new one. Using the "Duplicate" feature can simplify this process.
    • Steps to Cancel a Shipment or Label:
      1. Go to the Created Labels overview and select the shipment(s) you wish to cancel.
      2. In the dropdown menu (next to "Print label"), click "Cancel."
      3. Confirm the cancellation. The label will automatically move to the "Cancelled" tab.
    • Steps to Duplicate a Label (for creating a new one with corrections):
      1. Edit the original label in your panel by clicking on the eye icon next to it.
      2. Select the "Edit new label" option from the dropdown menu of the "Actions" button.
      3. Modify the data you need to change (e.g., the address).
      4. Confirm the label creation.
      5. You will find the new label in the "Created Labels" tab.
  • Parcel Has Already Been Shipped: you will need to contact our Customer Service department directly. They will be able to assist you with the process for an address correction in transit.

Cancellation deadline

If you don't use a label, it's essential to cancel it to avoid being charged.

• If you cancel the label before 23:59 on the day of creation, you will not be charged.
• If you cancel it within 42 days of its creation, the costs for this shipment will be corrected on your next invoice.
• After 42 days, it will no longer be possible to cancel or request a refund for the label.

For more details, you can consult the following article: How to cancel my shipment?

Direct Contract Shipping

You can easily integrate your direct contract with DPD into your Sendcloud account. Our DPD UK & DPD Local contract activation guide explains how to connect your contract, allowing you to ship under your own terms and conditions.

Special conditions

When you choose to ship with DPD, you are agreeing to their General Transport Conditions. For complete details, please find the link below:

General Transport Conditions