Purpose: learn how to avoid unwanted Royal Mail by Sendcloud surcharges when your package does not meet the carrier's shipping conditions.
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📮 Royal Mail domestic tracked surcharges
Correction Charges for Tracked 24 & 48
For Tracked customers items weighting greater than 30kg, over 129 litres or exceeding the dimensions 610mm x 460mm x 460 mm will be the subject to a surcharge.
The 3 longest dimensions (length, width and height) of an item will be measured and then multiplied together to calculate its volume (please note, the measurements will include any packaging).
Royal Mail Tracked 24 and 48 Letterboxable customers sending items weighing more than 1kg, exceeding the dimensions 353mm x 250mm x 25mm will be subject to a surcharge. If you send an item that is both oversize and overweight, you will be surcharged for overweight and oversized, doubling the surcharge.
Where items are returned to the sender for the below reasons, your items will be scanned and you will be charged at your agreed contract rate.
Undelivered items that have not been collected, nor a Redelivery arranged within the 18-day holding period
- Incorrect/incomplete address
- Recipient moved (gone away)
- Recipient refused
Costs:
Tracked
Admin charge per item: £1.30 +
Correction charge per item: £11.00
Royal Mail Tracked 24 and 48 Letterboxable:
Admin charge per item: £1.30 +
Correction charge per item: £2.50
Duplicate Barcode charges on Royal Mail Tracked 24 & 48 and Returns
If customers duplicate barcodes across more than one item (rather than using unique barcodes on each item), it indicates unpaid postage and creates additional handling costs.
- These charges will cover the costs incurred when individual barcodes are incorrectly used across multiple items
- If Royal Mail identifies items where the barcode is a duplicate of one used previously, the will apply an Admin Charge per use alongside charging as per your contract rate for any unpaid postage
- Correction Charges are detailed as per the tables below
- We will communicate any future changes at least 30 days in advance, via the Royal Mail surcharge web page
Costs:
Tracked 24 & 48
Admin charge per item: £1.30
Correction charge per item: £20.00
Tracked Returns:
Admin charge per item: £1.30
Correction charge per item: Unpaid Postage
🏷️ Barcode, label & packaging surcharges (domestic)
Unreadable Barcode – £1.20 per item
Costs: £1.20 per item
Missing Barcode – £1.40 per item
Costs: £1.40 per item
Cancelled Label Reuse Surcharge – £13.70 per item + Unpaid Postage
Costs: £13.70 per item + Unpaid Postage
Manipulated Label Usage Charge
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £20.00 per item
Incorrect Labels and/or Bag Ties
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £0.37 per item
Incorrect Packaging
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £10.00 per item
Label Incorrectly Applied
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £2.50 per item
⚙️ Handling, equipment & operational surcharges (domestic)
Flat Fee per incorrect Sales Order and/or Manifest – £37.60
Costs: £37.60
Incorrect Cage Cards
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £0.47 per item
Customer Collects York and/or Bag from Royal Mail
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £3.90 per item
Storage Costs for Royal Mail to Retain Yorks Awaiting Collection
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £7.35 per item
Overweight Bags or Trays
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £1.20 per item
Overweight Cages and/or Yorks
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £1.20 per item
Late Handover of Mail
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £1.00 per item
Individual Item Return to Sender
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £3.50 per item
Return York or Bag to Customer by Royal Mail
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £31.50 per item
🌍 International underdeclared/misdeclared surcharges
International Tracked Letter / Large Letter Underdeclared Charge
Charged per item if more items are handed over than declared and these are identified as letters or large letters.
Costs:
Admin charge: £1.30
Costs: £13.00
International Tracked Parcel Underdeclared Charge
Charged per item if underdeclared items are actually parcels, to reflect the higher handling costs compared to letters.
Costs:
Admin charge: £1.30
Costs: £20.00
Large Letter <500g
If you present items to Royal Mail differing to what you say, they incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation.
If they identify a discrepancy with your posting, they will apply an Admin Charge per item, as well as a Net Adjustment Charge per item, to cover the additional handling costs, in addition to any postage cost that may have been incurred already.
For example, if you declare a Large Letter to the Europe Zone weighing 0.4kg but then the measured weight of the item is 0.6kg:
• Declared item Adjustment Price: £12.20 + 0.4x £7.60 = £15.24
• Measured item Adjustment Price: £14.00 + 0.6x £6.20 = £17.72
• Net Adjustment (excl. Admin): £17.72 - £15.24 = £2.48
If your items exceed either the weight or dimensions criteria set out in the Product User Guides, your items will be charged in line with the measured format seen by Royal Mail.
| Europe | USA | Rest of World |
|
Item: £12.20 Kg: £7.60 |
Item: £14.70 Kg: £18.80 |
Item: £14.50 Kg: £20.50 |
See table above +
Admin charge: £1.30
Large parcel <5kg
If you present items to Royal Mail differing to what you say, they incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation.
If they identify a discrepancy with your posting, they will apply an Admin Charge per item, as well as a Net Adjustment Charge per item, to cover the additional handling costs, in addition to any postage cost that may have been incurred already.
| Europe | USA | Rest of World |
|
Item: £14.00 Kg: £6.20 |
Item: £18.90 Kg: £12.50 |
Item: £14.70 Kg: £15.40 |
See table above +
Admin charge: £1.30
Sales Order underdeclared or misdeclared Admin Charge
If you present items to Royal Mail that differ from what you have declared, Royal Mail incurs additional handling costs, including correcting documentation. If Royal Mail identifies a discrepancy with your posting, an Admin Charge per item, as well as a Net Adjustment Charge per item, will be applied to cover the additional handling costs, in addition to any postage costs that may have already been incurred.
Royal Mail will communicate any future changes at least 30 days in advance via this document
Costs:
Admin charge: £1.30 +
Adjustment charges: see document
Item correction (destination, weight, no. of items, format, size)
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £1.60 per item
📦 International label, packaging & handling surcharges
Incorrect sales order and/or manifest – £37.60 per Sales Order/Manifest
Costs: £37.60 per Sales Order/Manifest
Overweight cages and/or yorks
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £1.20 per cage/york
Specification not met – £37.60 per Sales Order/Manifest
Costs: £37.60 per Sales Order/Manifest
Return york or bag to customer by Royal Mail
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £31.50 per item
Duplicate barcode usage
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £35.00 per item
Manipulated label usage
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £35.00 per item
Cancelled label reuse
Costs: £13.70 per item + Unpaid label postage
Label incorrectly applied
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £2.50 per item
Incorrect packaging
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £10.00 per item
Individual item return to sender
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £3.50 per item
🛃 International product & customs data surcharges
Incorrect product used for international items
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £4.50 per item
Missing customs data
Admin charge: £1.30 per item
Costs: £2.50 per item
The carrier may change the shipping prices and/or surcharges mentioned above without notice, therefore these prices may be subject to change. Even though we aim to inform you to the best of our abilities, no rights can be derived from the information provided above.