Purpose: learn how to avoid unwanted UPS surcharges when your package does not meet the carrier shipping conditions.
The carrier may change the shipping prices and/or surcharges mentioned below, 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 below.
Shipping Charge Correction Audit Fee
A shipping charge correction audit fee will be applied if the adjusted shipping charge during an invoice period exceeds 25% of the original net revenue of the shipment.
This fee is calculated per account number, based on the total shipping charge corrections billed during the applicable invoice period.
Fees:
- £1.45 per package subject to a shipping charge correction during the invoice period.
- 8% of the total shipping charge corrections during the invoice period.
For more information, see the Shipment Size and Weight and Zone and Rates pages on the UPS website.
Special Handling of Undeliverable Shipments - £5.90
For all domestic shipments, if UPS has attempted delivery but was unsuccessful, the shipment will be automatically returned using UPS Standard service (where available). The return charges, including transportation and fuel costs, will be billed to the payer of the original shipping costs.
For all international shipments, including those to the EU, UPS will contact the shipper and process the shipment according to their instructions. The shipping costs and a surcharge will be charged to the shipper for handling the undeliverable shipment.
Fees:
- Applicable receiving shipping costs
- £5.90 per undeliverable shipment (charged in addition to shipping costs)
Additional Handling Charge - £4.20
The Additional Handling Charge applies to packages that require special handling due to their size, weight, or packaging. This includes:
- Any article encased in an outside shipping container made of metal or wood.
- Any cylindrical item, such as a barrel, drum, pail, or tire, that is not fully enclosed in a corrugated cardboard container.
- Any package with the longest side exceeding 100 cm or the second-longest side exceeding 76 cm.
- Any import, export, or domestic package with an actual weight greater than 25 kg.
- Any shipment where the average package weight exceeds 25 kg but individual weights are not specified on the source document or UPS automated shipping system.
UPS reserves the right to apply the Additional Handling Charge at its sole discretion if a package requires special handling.
Due to the additional processing involved, UPS does not offer a money-back guarantee for these shipments. Shipping charges will not be refunded if delivery is delayed for packages requiring Additional Handling.
Large Package Surcharge - £20.20 per package
A package is classified as a Large Package when its length plus girth (girth = (2 × width) + (2 × height)) exceeds 300 cm but does not exceed the maximum UPS size of 400 cm.
Large Packages are subject to a minimum billable weight of 40 kg, in addition to the Large Package Surcharge.
Over Maximum Limits - £91.20
Packages are not accepted for transportation if they meet any of the following criteria:
- Actual weight exceeds 70 kg.
- Length exceeds 274 cm.
- Total length and girth combined exceeds 400 cm (girth = (2 × width) + (2 × height)).
If such packages are found in the UPS small package system, they will be subject to an additional charge.
Packages exceeding 400 cm in length and girth combined are also subject to the Large Package Surcharge.
UK border Fee - £2.00
A fee will be implemented, effective 01/01/2021, on all shipments (excluding letters and documents) between Northern Ireland and Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). This fee covers the incremental transportation and handling costs due to network adjustments.
Note: It does not cover any additional brokerage services.
Surcharge Return shipments - Print label - £1.70
If your customer has the return label printed at a service point, you will receive a fee of £1.70.
Fax Proof of Delivery - £5.50
If your customer requires proof of parcel delivery via a fax machine, you will receive a fee of £1.74.
Undeliverable Package Return Fee - £6.38
Shipments refused by the receiver, or which for any other reason cannot be delivered, will be returned to the sender's address at a cost of £6.38 per parcel.
Declared Value for Carriage - 1% of declared value (minimum £5.20)
UPS automatically provides protection for every shipment against loss or damage up to a certain value, as outlined in its Liability terms.
With Declared Value for Carriage, you can increase UPS’s limit of liability for proven losses by declaring a higher value on the UPS shipping documentation.
The declared value of goods cannot exceed USD 50,000 or its local currency equivalent per package. For more details, refer to UPS’s Terms and Conditions of Carriage.
1% of the declared value of the goods or a minimum charge of £5.20.
UPS Carbon Neutral
UPS Carbon Neutral offers a more environmentally responsible way to ship. For a low, flat fee per package or pallet, UPS purchases carbon offsets to compensate for the calculated CO2 emissions associated with transporting your shipment.
The purchased offsets help reduce the carbon impact of shipping by funding environmentally responsible projects. For more details, visit UPS website.
Fees:
- £0.20 per package for domestic UPS Express Plus, UPS Express, UPS Express Saver, and UPS Standard shipments.
- £0.30 per package for UPS Express Plus, UPS Express, UPS Express Saver, and UPS Standard shipments within the EU, as well as UPS Standard shipments to Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
- £0.60 per package for UPS Express Plus, UPS Express (NA1), UPS Express, UPS Express Saver shipments outside the EU, and UPS Expedited shipments.
- £16.00 per pallet for UPS Worldwide Express Freight shipments.
Receiver/Third Party Refuses to Pay - £12.80
This charge applies when the shipper designates the receiver or a third party to pay for shipping costs, but the bill-to-party refuses to pay.
Fee: £12.80 per shipment (charged to the shipper in addition to shipping costs and other payable amounts in case of non-payment).
Weekly Service Charge - £11.60 per week
A UPS driver will visit your location once per workday to collect your shipments. This service ensures regular and reliable pickup of your packages.
Collection Services
On-Call Collection - £2.20 (Free for International Shipments)
You can schedule a shipment pickup from your home or office by requesting a collection online at ups.com or by calling 03457 877 877. UPS will collect all packages under a single request, and pickups can be scheduled for the same day or a future date.
The On-Call Collection service applies to:
- Electronic Return Label, Print Return Label, and regular or alternate address pickups.
- Cash payments are available for this service.
Charges differ based on the request type:
- Same Day by Phone
- Same Day on the Web
- Future Day by Phone
- Future Day on the Web
Exceptions:
- Customers with a daily collection agreement (see Daily Collection).
- Return package collections included in UPS 1 Attempt and UPS 3 Attempts Returns Plus services.
If a UPS 1 Attempt Returns Plus collection fails, all subsequent collection attempts will be charged. - Collections containing international shipments within the pickup stop are free of charge.
Day-Specific Collection
A UPS driver will automatically stop by your location on the specific days you select (Monday to Friday only). The weekly service fee varies based on the number of collection days:
Fees:
- 1 Day: £2.15 per week
- 2 Days: £4.05 per week
- 3 Days: £5.95 per week
- 4 Days: £8.50 per week
Daily On-Route Collection - £8.10 per week
This alternative to daily collection provides a regular collection without a fixed daily contract. A UPS driver will stop at your location once per business day while making deliveries in your area.
Oversize Pallet Charge - £123.92 per pallet
This surcharge may apply to certain UPS Worldwide Express Freight shipments, depending on the origin and destination.
To determine if an oversized pallet limit applies to a specific location, please visit www.ups.com.
Missing Package Level Detail - £3.70 per parcel
A fee applies when the shipper does not provide a timely upload of all applicable Package Level Detail (PLD) information to UPS before package pickup.
Fee: £3.70 per parcel for both domestic and international services.
Warehouse Storage - £15.55 per package/day (after the 3rd working day)
If an export shipment is not cleared within the usual customs clearance time, a storage fee will be charged unless the delay is due to UPS.
Return To Sender (RTS) Fee - £12.00
When an international shipment is not accepted in the importing country, UPS initiates a Return to Sender (RTS) process. If the shipment has not cleared customs, export customs formalities must be completed before the return.