Purpose: In this article we explain the surcharges that will apply to your shipment if it does not comply with Mondial Relay's shipping conditions. We also explain what you should look out for when shipping with Mondial Relay.
Surcharges
When a package does not meet the carrier's terms and conditions and/or maximum dimensions, an additional fee may apply. The surcharges will always be invoiced afterwards by the carrier and you can see them on your Sendcloud invoices.
Mondial Relay can modify any weight errors based on the regularly checked weighing equipment. If the difference is major, Mondial Relay is allowed to increase the price of parcels for a given month by 15% (based on the actual weight of the parcels).
If the parcels does not comply with the shipping conditions (dimensions, packaging, weight...), no refund can be made by Mondial Relay because the carrier has already accepted the parcel in service point.
Any parcel that cannot be delivered to its final destination will be transferred to a Mondial Relay regional agency where the customer can pick it up.
Mondial Relay surcharges | ||
| Surcharge | Description | Cost |
| Non standard |
Applied when extra handling is required because the parcel does not meet service requirements, for example:
|
27,20€ |
| Non contractual | The parcel exceeds the maximum dimensions and weight allowed for L and XL size relay points. This condition applies if the parcel is delivered to the agreed destination. | 112,70€ |
| Oversized parcels (locker) | For any delivery to a Locker that is impossible due to the parcel's dimensions exceeding the maximum allowed dimensions. | 3,20€ |
| Parcel not collected/refused | For parcels not picked up or refused by the recipient. Reason: Mondial Relay performs additional services to reroute the parcel to the customer (labeling, redirecting the parcel to a Relay Point, etc.). | 3,20€ |
| Data transmission | Failure to provide accurate, up-to-date information: surname, first name, telephone number, email address, etc. | 0,70€ |
| Eco and security fee | A flat-rate contribution that supports Mondial Relay’s ecological initiatives and security measures, including sustainability efforts, fraud prevention, and cybersecurity. | 0,33€ |
| Return to European sender | An additional fee applied when a parcel is returned to the sender within Europe, for example if the parcel is unclaimed or refused by the recipient. | 6,20€ |
| Non-standard returned parcel | Applied when a returned parcel exceeds the maximum weight and/or dimensions allowed for the selected service. | 27,70€ |
| Non-contractuel returned parcel | Parcels weighing more than 35 kg, with a length exceeding 240 cm, or with a girth exceeding 250 cm are considered bulky parcels. These parcels require special handling within the Mondial Relay network and will incur an exceptional surcharge of €112.70 (excluding VAT) per parcel. If a bulky parcel is returned to the sender, the same surcharge will apply for the return transport. |
112,70€ |
| Replace Locker (parcel too big for lockers) | When a parcel is too large for the selected locker, the delivery is changed to a PUDO location. | 3,20€ |
| Dimensions too small | Applies to parcels smaller than 10 × 10 cm, with a thickness under 1 cm and/or a weight below 100 g, depending on the destination country. | 2,70€ |
| Not compliant with package specifications | Parcels that do not meet the packaging requirements, including those with unstable or irregular shapes (such as spheres, cylinders, or rolls), insufficient or incomplete packaging, or protruding elements. | 5,20€ |
| Repacking | In addition to non standard with the packaging specifications, this applies when a parcel requires repackaging for transport. | 3,20€ |
| Relabeling | Parcels with a damaged, unreadable, or otherwise non-compliant label that required a new label to be applied. | 1,70€ |
| Manual handling | Applied when a parcel cannot be processed automatically and must be handled manually. | 3,20€ |
| Home delivery – incorrect address | Applied when home delivery fails because the recipient does not live at the address provided (NPAI – N’habite Pas à l’Adresse Indiquée). As the address cannot be corrected, the parcel is returned to the depot to be relabeled and sent back to the sender. | 8,20€ |
| Home delivery – address corrected before delivery (call service) | The delivery address is updated before the first delivery attempt after the recipient contacts customer service. This does not include redirection to a nearby pickup point. | 4,20€ |
| Home delivery – incorrect or incomplete address (delivered) | The delivery address was incorrect or incomplete (for example, a wrong street name or house number), but the parcel was still successfully delivered either to the recipient’s home or to a nearby pickup point. | 5,20€ |
| Home delivery – island delivery | Charged for home deliveries to island locations. | 20,20€ |
| Island delivery – out-of-home delivery | When a parcel is delivered to an island and cannot be delivered to the recipient’s address, it is sent to a nearby pickup point or locker instead. | 5,20€ |
| Home delivery – remote or hard-to-reach area | Charged when a parcel is delivered to a location that’s difficult to access, such as mountainous or valley areas, based on a predefined list of postal codes. These areas require extra effort or resources to deliver. | 5,20€ |
Parcel Billing
Parcel billing is based on the weight declared by the customer, UNLESS the weight measured by Mondial Relay’s weighing tools is higher. If weight information is missing (neither declared nor measured), billing will be based on the average weight of parcels entrusted the previous month. Consistency checks will be implemented on any discrepancies between the weights declared by the customer and those measured by Mondial Relay. In cases of significant differences, Mondial Relay is authorized to adjust the price of the parcels for a month affected by a 15% rate increase (based on the actual weight of the parcels).
Billing of Surcharges for Exceeding Weight Limits
When the actual or volumetric weight of a parcel exceeds the limit allowed by the selected shipping method, the carrier applies additional charges.
How do French carriers apply these surcharges?
-
Initial label billing
- When a user creates a shipping label, the rate is based on the selected weight range.
- Example: Method X 0-1 kg for a 0.5 kg parcel.
-
Carrier weight verification
- Upon pick-up, the carrier weighs the parcel or applies volumetric weight calculation (L x W x H / 5000).
-
Billing adjustment if the weight is higher
- If the actual or volumetric weight exceeds the selected range, an additional charge is applied.
- Example: If the parcel weighs 1.5 kg (or if its volumetric weight is 1.5 kg), the billing is adjusted to the next weight bracket (Method X 1-2 kg).
- Impact on fuel surcharge
-
- In some cases, the recalculated weight also affects the fuel surcharge, which is adjusted accordingly.
Why do users see two charges?
This process may appear as a double charge, but it consists of two separate steps:
✅ First charge: Based on the declared weight when creating the shipping label.
✅ Second charge: Adjustment based on the actual or volumetric weight of the parcel.
The carrier does not charge twice for the same label but applies a correction to reflect the final weight.
Restricted products
In general, the following products are not accepted by the carrier:
- All goods covered by national, European and international regulations on dangerous products (dangerous materials classified by the ADR (Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road), classes 1 to 9 such as, in a non-exhaustive way, explosives, ammunition, gases, flammable, radioactive, toxic or corrosive materials as well as all objects which, by nature or according to their packaging, may present a danger to the environment, the safety of transport equipment, vehicles, or damage the other packages transported.
- All goods that leave stains, products contrary to labor law, and/or likely, by their nature or their packaging, to injure Mondial Relay employees or damage Mondial Relay equipment.
- In addition to items covered by the above restrictions, the following cannot be accepted for international shipment: Shipments requiring Mondial Relay to obtain a license or special authorization for transport, import or export.
- Shipments whose transport, import or export is prohibited by any law or regulation in the country of destination, in particular and without limitation, furs, plants and perishable food, psychotropic drugs.
- Shipments whose packaging contains insults, threats or statements contrary to public order or damaging the image of Mondial Relay.
- The following products are excluded: jewelry, precious stones, precious metals, currencies, banknotes, payment instruments, vouchers, goods traveling under an ATA carnet including display goods, consignments containing human ashes or funerary relics, live or dead animals, category A-B-C-D weapons regardless of the applicable administrative regime, narcotics, works of art, counterfeit products, publications or audiovisual media prohibited by law, food requiring temperature-controlled transport, as well as pre-qualification files, copies of exam.
If the sender gives the above products to Mondial Relay, the carrier will not be held responsible. If the above restrictions are not respected, the sender authorizes Mondial Relay to dispose of the parcels, including abandoning their routing and will compensate Mondial Relay for all costs and consequences.
More information on how to secure your shipments here.
Where can I see these surcharges on my invoice?
Surcharges are applied by the carrier after the shipment has been processed and may not be visible when you create the label.
You can find these charges in your Sendcloud account via Account > Billing, where you can download your invoice in PDF or CSV format:
- PDF invoice: Shows a summary of your total costs, including surcharges.
- CSV invoice: Shows a detailed breakdown per shipment, including the tracking number, shipping cost, and any applied surcharges.
💡 Tip: Use the tracking number in the CSV to identify which shipment a surcharge applies to.
For a full explanation of how shipping costs and surcharges are invoiced and how to read them, see Shipment invoicing.
Please read the shipping conditions carefully to avoid the surcharges listed above. Make sure that you respect the dimensions and that the packaging meets the requirements.