InPost shipping for UK online shops: lockers, prices, delivery times and returns

It's Tuesday evening. Your customer gets home, finds a "Sorry we missed you" card on the mat and opens your contact form to ask where their order has gone. Multiply that by a few hundred orders a month and failed deliveries quickly become a cost line of their own.

That's exactly the problem InPost set out to solve. Instead of chasing your customer around their doorstep, the parcel waits in a locker near home, work or the supermarket until they're ready to collect it, often late at night.

In the UK, InPost has grown from a locker newcomer into a serious carrier: more than 16,000 lockers, InPost Shops on the high street and, since bringing Yodel into the family, home delivery too.

In this guide we cover how InPost works for online retailers, locker sizes and prices, delivery times, tracking, returns and claims, and how it compares with Evri and Royal Mail.

And if you ship at volume, Outvio's shipping software for eCommerce includes a native InPost integration, so you can automate labels, carrier rules and tracking alongside the rest of your carriers.

InPost in short

How InPost works: lockers, shops and home delivery

Now for the detail. InPost's first lockers appeared in Poland in 2009, and today the group operates in nine European countries.

In the UK, the model is simple: the customer picks a locker or shop at checkout, you send the parcel, and they collect it whenever suits them.

InPost delivery options

InPost gives your customers three ways to receive an order:

InPost locker sizes

Each parcel needs its own compartment, so a two-box order means two labels. These are the InPost locker sizes:

• Extra Small: 4 × 23 × 40 cm, for slim items (not available at every locker).
• Small: 8 × 38 × 64 cm, for accessories, cosmetics or a T-shirt.
• Medium: 19 × 38 × 64 cm, for trainers, books or a handbag.
• Large: 41 × 38 × 64 cm, for boots, coats or sports kit.

How long does InPost hold parcels?

Your customer has 72 hours to collect once the parcel lands in the locker. InPost sends a reminder with 24 hours to go, and the collection time can't be extended: anything left uncollected goes back to the seller.

💡 Tip: mention the 72-hour window in your shipping confirmation email. One sentence there saves you a pile of returned-to-sender parcels.

Who delivers InPost parcels?

You'll hear this question a lot, because the answer has changed twice. InPost bought Yodel in April 2025 and ran it as Yodel by InPost. Since 17 July 2026, the whole operation carries the InPost name, with tracking and notifications coming from the InPost app.

InPost delivery times, prices and sending

So far, so convenient. But two questions decide whether InPost fits your shop: how fast is it, and what does it cost?

How long does InPost take to deliver?

For parcels sent through InPost's own service, InPost aims for delivery within 3 working days to a locker or shop and 4 working days to a home address. Retailers with a business contract agree their own service levels, including next-day options.

Does InPost deliver on Sundays?

Not usually. Standard deliveries run Monday to Saturday, 7am to 9pm, although InPost may deliver on Sundays during busy periods. Most lockers are open around the clock, though, so your customer can still collect on a Sunday.

InPost prices

InPost charges by parcel size, not weight. These are the public prices for labels bought in the InPost app or online:

What does that mean for a retailer? A 2 kg pair of trainers costs the same as a 200 g phone case if both fit the Medium compartment. Business rates are negotiated separately, based on your volume and parcel profile.

How to send a parcel with InPost

Sending with InPost takes three steps:

1. Create the shipment in your InPost account, plugin or shipping platform, choosing the customer's locker, shop or address.
2. Pack the parcel and add the label, or use a digital label with a QR code.
3. Drop it off at any InPost Locker or Shop with space, or book collections under your business contract.

Easy for ten parcels. At 300 orders a day, though, copying addresses between your shop and a carrier portal becomes a job in itself, which is where automated label creation pays off.

Packaging and restricted items

Before your first drop-off, check the basics:

• Sturdy, sealed packaging with no empty space inside.
• The smallest compartment that fits comfortably. Never force a parcel in; if it doesn't fit, tap «My parcel doesn't fit» on the locker screen.
• Restricted items: InPost publishes a list of goods it won't carry or won't compensate. Check it before adding a new product line.

Tracking, returns and claims with InPost

The parcel has left your warehouse. From now on, your customer wants two things: to know where it is and to send it back easily if needed.

InPost tracking

Customers can track a parcel with the tracking number on the InPost website or in the InPost app. When it arrives, they receive a QR code and a collection code by email, and app users can open the locker remotely.

Still getting "where's my order?" emails every day? Branded notifications and your own tracking page cut most of them before they reach your inbox.

InPost returns

Returns run through the same network. Your customer gets a QR code, drops the parcel at any InPost Locker or Shop with space, and the courier adds the label at collection. No printer, no queue.

According to InPost, returns should be back with the retailer within 5 working days. For your customer, that's a two-minute stop on the way home.

InPost claims and compensation

What if a parcel goes missing or arrives damaged? It depends on who bought the label:

• Labels bought in the InPost app: cover up to £50 is included, with the option to upgrade to full-value compensation.
• Retailer orders: your customer contacts your shop, and you open the claim with InPost under your business contract.

In other words, you're the first point of contact. Agree claim deadlines and cover levels with InPost before peak season, not during it.

InPost customer service

You can reach InPost Customer Care through the help centre or on 0330 335 0950, charged at your network's local rate. Lines are open Monday to Friday from 7am to 10pm and at weekends from 8am to 8pm.

InPost vs Evri vs Royal Mail: which suits your shop?

With all that on the table, where does InPost fit? It isn't a like-for-like swap for the UK's two biggest carriers, and that's the point.

Pros and cons of InPost for eCommerce

The main advantages for an online shop:

• Fewer failed deliveries: the parcel waits in a locker, most of them open 24/7.
• Size-based pricing: heavy but compact products don't cost more.
• Locker and door in one carrier: since the Yodel integration, InPost covers both.
• Labelless returns through the same lockers and shops.

And the limits to keep in mind:

• 15 kg maximum weight and 41 × 38 × 64 cm maximum size.
• A 72-hour collection window with no extension, tight for customers who travel.
• Claims for retailer orders go through you.

How InPost compares with Evri and Royal Mail

Evri and Royal Mail rely on large networks of ParcelShops, Post Offices and doorstep delivery, and they cover heavier and bulkier parcels than a locker compartment can take. InPost, by contrast, is built around lockers, with home delivery added on top.

One detail worth knowing: since 1 March 2025, InPost Lockers no longer accept Evri parcels, so the two networks are fully separate. To compare all your UK options, see our guide to the best couriers in the UK or our Royal Mail shipping guide.

💡 Tip: you don't have to choose just one. Many shops offer InPost lockers as the low-cost option and keep another carrier for anything over 15 kg or for doorstep delivery.

Shipping with InPost through Outvio

InPost covers locker delivery brilliantly, but not every order on its own. So how do you add it without creating extra work?

Official InPost tools

InPost offers a Shopify app that shows lockers and shops at checkout, plus business contracts for delivery and returns set up with its sales team. They work well if InPost is your only carrier.

Advantages of managing InPost with Outvio

The picture changes when you ship with several carriers, from several warehouses or to several countries. Juggling separate portals soon slows the whole team down.

With the InPost integration in Outvio, you connect your InPost account and manage it alongside your other carriers:

• Shipping rules: we assign InPost or another carrier by destination, weight or service, for example InPost for small parcels to lockers and another carrier for anything heavier.
• Bulk labels: print hundreds at once without copying data between portals.
• Pick-up points at checkout: customers choose their locker or shop; read more in our guide to pick-up points.
• Branded tracking and notifications in your customer's language.
• Returns: a branded returns portal where customers request a return or exchange and get their InPost QR code.
• One dashboard for incidents, delays and performance across every carrier.

Outvio is built for growing, high-volume brands, so InPost slots into your existing workflow instead of adding another one.

💡 Tip: before switching InPost on, measure your most common boxes against the Large compartment and check what share of your orders weighs over 15 kg.

Is InPost right for your shop?

If you sell small and medium-sized products across the UK and your customers like collecting on their own schedule, InPost deserves a place at your checkout. For the bigger picture on out-of-home delivery, read our guide to parcel lockers.