Christmas Posting Tips from Our Post Office
Helpful tips and info from our post office Manager Giorgia to make your run up to Christmas as easy as possible!
LAST RECOMMENDED DOMESTIC POSTING DATES
There are no last recommended posting dates for international services this year. My advice based on previous years is post as early as possible to avoid your mail being affected by the last minute rush. For guidance, I would suggest the first week in December for more remote countries and by the 10th December for Europe.
The biggest change this year is that you have so much more choice when it comes to carriers as our branch now offers EVRi and DPD on top of the usual Royal Mail and Parcelforce.
DPD international, for example, has a service that is often considerably cheaper than Royal Mail Tracked so it is always worth allowing us to give you quotes before you make your choice. Just as a reminder that at this time of year it may take a little longer than usual to be served and, as advised above, that you might want to consider posting early to avoid the rush, especially for items being posted abroad and in particular to the EU as the higher volumes often mean that it will take longer to go through customs.
CUSTOM FORMS
Nobody likes spoiling the surprise but unfortunately all parcels/envelopes that contain more than cards or correspondence require a customs declaration. Between the EU tightening things since Brexit and now Trump’s tariffs we have to make sure it is all filled out correctly, but fear not, we are here to help you with it and can often fill it out electronically for you.
COMPENSATION
With standard and signed for inland and standard overseas services you’re only covered up to £20 compensation if an item is lost or damaged. For peace of mind and higher compensation you might want to consider spending a little extra for tracked services, for inland it can be as little as 25p extra with Tracked 24 and 48 and as well as being prioritized over regular mail, the tracking number allows you to check the status. Please note that items such as vouchers, gift cards, jewelry or even cash aren’t covered by regular mail or T24 and T48 and Special Delivery is still advised.
DANGEROUS GOODS
We aren’t being nosy, it’s a legal requirement for us to inquire as to the contents of your parcel to ensure that we comply with national and international regulations governing the carriage of mail. Certain items are restricted and will need labels to warn of their contents and at times we may need to reject your parcel or we may advise you to remove something as the contents include prohibited items.
Common items that are restricted for quantities and type in the UK but are prohibited from going abroad are aerosols, perfumes, nail varnish and spirits.
GIFT CARDS and VOUCHERS
Out of ideas for gifts? Some options available in branch are Amazon, M&S, John Lewis, Playstation, Xbox as well as One4all gift cards that give you many stores both in-person and online to choose from. Alternatively we have voucher codes for Adidas, Nintendo, Spotify, Google Play and Netflix.
SHOPPING ONLINE – Collection and returns
With local collect via EVRi, DPD, Royal Mail, Parcelforce or Amazon simply select Houghton Post Office for pick up location and we will look after your parcels till you are ready to collect. Please note that only Royal Mail and Parcelforce can be picked up out of the post office’s hours – the shop staff will be able to help you. With Amazon Hub don’t forget to bring your 6 digit pick-up code that Amazon will email you, as you’re unable to collect without it.
If your online shopping needs to be returned we again offer all of the above options and we can easily and quickly deal with those for you. Whoever you purchased from will either give a prepaid postage label (that you may need to print out) or they will email you a QR code that you can show us on your smartphone or tablet for scanning. With Amazon for example make sure you select the “Royal Mail – print in store” option or the “No box and no label” service (we package it for you!)
TRAVEL SERVICES
Don’t forget that if you’re traveling we hold Euros and US Dollars here at the post office and we are able to order 60 different currencies with a fairly quick turnaround. We also offer in-branch the very popular Multi-Currency Card which is a prepaid, contactless-enabled MasterCard which can be purchased or topped up with 22 different currencies. *Please note* this card always gives you a much better rate than you get when purchasing notes! Bring your passport or driving license to purchase any of these services with a credit or debit card.
Any other queries please pop in to see us and we will be very happy to help.
Happy holidays to you all! Giorgia
