Help & Advice

Rapid Parcel is the UK's premier courier comparison and booking service offering discounted rates from the world's most established and reliable parcel delivery companies.

The volume of parcels that we send nationally and internationally together with the long term relationships we have with our courier partners mean that we are able to offer substantially discounted rates to our customers - making the same door to door shipping service cheaper through Rapid Parcel than going directly to the courier themselves.

Registering is quick and simple and allows us to offer you the best discounts and service possible. It also minimizes the time you'll need to spend on future orders and enables us to let you know of any further offers that may be relevant to you.

Quick, simple and secure online payments can be made via PayPal or WorldPay with your Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Electron, Switch/Maestro, Solo or Delta card. All payments must be made in advance.

Credit facilities are available to our Business Account customers. If you are looking to dispatch a large number of parcels or documents on a regular basis you should consider opening a Rapid Parcel Business Account. At Rapid Parcel we understand that you have varying time constraints for your shipments. To ensure that the unique needs of your parcel shipments are met Rapid Parcel business account customers have access to the widest range of courier shipping services available through our courier partners. We are committed to helping you to find the right combination of speed and economy for every domestic, European or international shipment. Key Benefits of opening a Rapid Parcel Business Account include:

Designated account executive to ensure the service you receive is reliable and dependable

Access to Rapid Parcel's Online Resource centre to help you make sense of customs forms, trade regulations, duties, taxes and all the other considerations of international shipping. A Rapid Parcel business account provides you with the services, tools and personal contact to help you master shipping around the globe

Consultation to help your company select the services appropriate to your timeframe and budget

Special rates on favourite services / to favourite destinations

Enhanced addressbook functionality

Credit facilties for extra flexibility

At Rapid Parcel we aim to offer you the most competitive prices available on the market, accordingly all bookings must be made online. Booking cut-off times For same day delivery we will require 1 hour's notice, and for next day and all other services we will typically require at least 2 hour's notice.

Please check your email spam filters have not moved the email into a Spam, Junk or Deleted folder. Please add confirmation@rapidparcel.com to your email recipient or 'Safe' list to avoid this happening in the future. If you still cannot find our confirmation email then please check that the email you have registered on Rapid Parcel is your correct address.

You need a printer to print your label with a unique bar-code.

Our parcel delivery service is committed to collecting all packages are collected at or before 7.00pm on designated collection day. Some of the door to door shipping companies that we work with will allow you to state your preferred time slot; however this should be considered a guide and not a guarantee of the collection time.

Your parcel can be collected from your home or work address, or in fact any address that you provide us with at the time of your booking. Our door to door shipping and parcel delivery service offers you the ultimate flexibility.

Rapid Parcel only works with the world's most reliable and reputable couriers so the likelihood of a missed collection is incredibly rare. Although missed or late collections seldom occur, it is not possible to accurately estimate a definite time a courier driver making hundreds of collections a day will arrive at each collection location.

We suggest that you select the largest possible window of time for a collection when placing an order. Collection schedules can from time to time be impacted by traffic delays or other issues such as incomplete pick-up address information.

If your parcel is not collected we would ask you to contact us as soon as possible so we can immediately arrange for either a new collection or an alternate courier to pick up your parcel with minimal fuss and maximum speed.

It is the customer's responsibility to ensure that the weight and dimensions given are accurate. Errors can result in additional fees being charged by the courier you select. We have provided a unit converter for your convenience to help you with this process.

Unlike most other parcel delivery services we do not have the restriction of a maximum package weight. Customers should be aware that depending on the courier that you select for your door to door shipping service there may be an additional sum to pay for heavy packages. The customer is responsible for the accurate weighing of their packages - incorrectly weighed packages may incur additional charges.

Rapid Parcel can handle packages of any shape and size. Customers should be aware that the larger the package that you are sending the higher the likelihood of incurring additional charges. The customer is responsible for accurately measuring their packages - incorrectly measured packages may incur additional charges.

Please be aware that we do not offer guarantee for collection of any shipment. We are working with our courier partners to provide you with such a solution in the near future. Any guarantees that given only apply once the parcel has been collected.

If you need to cancel or amend the collection of a parcel please contact Rapid Parcel customer service on: 0208 324 2062.

When you book your door to door shipping and parcel delivery with Rapid Parcel you can choose either a time guaranteed service or a non-guaranteed service. For time guaranteed services your package will be delivered by the specified time on your designated day. Our non-guaranteed service offers delivery before 5.30pm within the time frame described by your selected courier.

Most parcel delivery couriers offer online tracking so you know where your consignment is at any point in time. When you are selecting which courier to use through Rapid Parcel you should check which courier companies offer online tracking as standard.

Late delivery on a time guaranteed service rarely occurs but should it happen we have a compensation scheme in place for this eventuality.

Rapid Parcel offers door to door shipping services to and from anywhere in the world. If you need a rapid door to door shipping service for your packages you can rely on Rapid Parcel. We aim to be your total parcel delivery solution no matter where you are shipping to or from.

All deliveries must be signed for. If we catch you when you're out we'll leave a calling card and you can call to arrange a more convenient parcel delivery time.

Depending on the destination and the contents of your parcel you may be required to fill out additional paperwork. We will automatically send you all of the outgoing paperwork that your parcel will require (please be aware that Customs department's in certain countries may require additional forms to be completed at the package's destination).

In general personal effects can be sent duty free, but it is customs at the parcel's destination that will determine whether any charges are payable on your package. All duties, taxes and/or quarantine fees applied are at the discretion of local customs or governmental organisations in the destination country and are out of our control. Please see the following links for further customs advice:
◊ http://www.excess-baggage.com/customs_information/customs_guide.php(FIDI customs guide)
◊ http://www.wcoomd.org/
◊ http://www.iamovers.org/ (use search box. i.e. type 'Venezuela customs' )

As part of the booking process all parcel delivery services require you to place a value on the items you are sending in your package. This is so customs at its destination can determine whether any duty is payable on the items. The "commercial value" of an item is its saleable value, and even items that are being sent for personal use can sometimes carry a duty, it is the customer's responsibility to accurately state the value and use of the goods in their consignment.

All packages must be signed for on delivery. However, if it has suffered any damage in transit you should note this on the same form along with a brief explanation of the nature of the damage. It is also important that you keep all packaging (as failure to do so could invalidate your claim), and take photos of any damaged items.

Our standard shipment protection is for up to £50 depending on the value of the items in your parcel, We offer additional coverage of up to £2,000 for extra peace of mind. Please see our Additional Shipment Protection form.

Rapid Parcel prides itself in offering only the finest door to door shipping and parcel delivery services, and this includes the customer service you receive when problems occur.. To ensure that your claim is handled quickly we would ask you to complete our claims form and attach the required documentation as quickly as possible. Only the person who placed the order with Rapid Parcel may claim for lost or damaged items.

For damaged parcels you must submit your completed claim form so that it is received within 14 days of dispatch. For parcels lost in transit you should submit your forms so that they are received within 28 days of dispatch.

Your claim could be invalidated if you do not package your parcel to a sufficiently high standard, Where your package contains any prohibited or hazardous goods all claims will be invalidated. See our Packaging Advice and Hazardous pages for relevant information.

All items within your parcel should be wrapped separately. Sharp edges should be protected appropriately to prevent them from damaging your own or other parcels, non-solids must be properly sealed, fragile items should be cushioned and the whole parcel should be sealed securely with industry quality tape. Our packaging shop caters for all your parcel delivery needs and supplies only the highest quality packaging materials to ensure the safe transit of your package.

For the safety of your items all parcels must be boxed (or jiffy bagged) properly. If they are not the collecting courier may refuse to take your parcel. For some helpful hints and tips on the right way to package your parcels go to our Packaging Advice page.

A label stating that a parcel contains fragile items is not a substitute for a properly packed parcel. Please ensure all breakables, non-solids and valuables are packed into the centre of a parcel surrounded in cushioning material and not touching the sides of the parcel. "This way up" labels should also be applied to the sides of parcels containing non-solids, and if you are packing delicate items with others make sure that they are all separated by cushioning material.

It does not matter on which surface the address goes so long as the label is visible, printed clearly and the full destination address is showing.

Rapid Parcel is the online courier comparison and booking service. We have selected the world's finest door to door shipping and parcel delivery companies, negotiated the best possible discounts (due to the volume of business we trade with them), and we are happy to present them to you in our intuitive, simple and easy to navigate website. We are sure Rapid Parcel can help you find the right combination of speed and economy for every shipment to any destination worldwide.

On our Home page you will find a box titled "Get your Rapid quote here". Fill in this mini form and click on the QUOTE button to be shown a choice of relevant couriers which can satisfy your requirements. We have designed our new website to be as user friendly as possible, so you only have six short pages to complete to make your booking.