Send a Parcel in the UK: Cheapest Options and Costs to Avoid
Last updated: 6 October 2026
How to cut the cost of sending a parcel in the UK: when postal services win, when a same-day courier from £61 makes sense, and the extra charges to watch for.
Hauly Team
Table of contents
Need a courier now? Fixed price from £61, no account needed.
Get an instant quoteTL;DR: Postal and parcel networks are cheapest for ordinary, non-urgent parcels. A same-day courier (from £61 on Hauly) is for urgent, oversized, fragile or valuable items. Whatever you pick, choose a price that is fixed up front.
Choose by urgency
- Not urgent: Royal Mail 2nd Class or a parcel network. Cheapest, slower.
- Next day: Royal Mail 1st Class, Special Delivery, or a next-day parcel service.
- Today: a same-day courier. The postal networks cannot do this.
Carrier prices change every year, so check the current price on each carrier's site for your parcel.
How to save money
- Pick the slowest service that meets your deadline.
- Use the smallest vehicle that fits, if booking a courier. A small van is much cheaper than a Luton.
- Be flexible on timing. Flexible collection is cheaper than "within 1 hour".
- Give accurate details. Wrong size, weight or access notes cause delays and extra charges.
Costs to watch for
- Out-of-hours collection. Evening, overnight and weekend collections often carry a charge. On Hauly it is a flat amount shown in the price.
- Congestion charges and tolls. The London Congestion Charge, Dartford Crossing and Humber Bridge are passed on at cost on Hauly.
- Waiting time and fuel surcharges. Ask whether they apply before you book.
- Broker margin. A broker adds its own margin on top of the driver's price. Ask whether you are booking direct.
- Oversize and overweight fees. Common on parcel networks.
What a courier costs
| Vehicle | 10 mi | 30 mi | 50 mi | 100 mi | 200 mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small van (parcels, documents) | £60.72 | £60.72 | £84.31 | £140.21 | £242.77 |
| Medium van | £70.98 | £70.98 | £99.29 | £165.34 | £283.29 |
| Long wheelbase (furniture) | £80.21 | £80.21 | £111.39 | £184.83 | £318.16 |
| Luton (large furniture, pallets) | £103.80 | £103.80 | £141.54 | £230.98 | £395.08 |
Total payable for a standard next-day booking, card fee included.
Get a courier price
Enter two postcodes on the quote form for a fixed price shown before you pay. Real engine prices by distance and vehicle: courier prices.
Hauly Team
The Hauly team are UK logistics and technology specialists building the next generation of courier marketplace infrastructure.
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