Cheapest Courier for UK Resellers (October 2026 Prices)

On Vinted the buyer pays the postage at a price Vinted sets per carrier and size tier, shown at checkout; your cost is nothing. On eBay, Simple Delivery charges the buyer by parcel size and item value (£2.94 for a small parcel up to 1 kg on an item under £75) and the figure is the same whichever courier carries it; if you offer free postage it comes off your proceeds. On Depop, Depop Shipping charges the buyer a fixed Evri tier (last published £2.99, £4.49 and £6.49). Only on Etsy, Amazon, Whatnot's business orders and with the 'Other' option on Depop do you pay a courier's own rate, and those are the sales the table below is for.

Online prices including VAT, verified on 6 October 2026. Thin item under 2.5 cm and 750 g (a T-shirt, a slim book): Royal Mail 2nd Class Large Letter £1.55 up to 100 g, £2.40 up to 500 g, £2.70 up to 750 g, or Tracked 48 Large Letter £2.90 up to 1 kg with £75 of cover; nothing else offers a letter format. Under 1 kg and thicker: InPost Small £1.99 locker to locker (£2.89 to the door), Evri £2.62 to a ParcelShop or £3.04 to the door, Royal Mail Tracked 48 Small Parcel £3.75. 1 to 2 kg: InPost Medium £2.59, Evri £3.52 (small) or £4.79 (standard), Royal Mail Tracked 48 £3.75. 2 to 5 kg: InPost Large £3.99 if it fits 41 × 38 × 64 cm, Evri £6.59, Royal Mail 2nd Class Medium Parcel £9.00. 5 to 10 kg: Evri £6.68, Royal Mail £9.00. 10 to 15 kg: Evri £10.28, Royal Mail £13.70. 15 to 20 kg: Royal Mail £13.70 only.

• Thin and light: Royal Mail Large Letter (£1.55 untracked, £2.90 tracked)
• Fits a locker, under 2 kg: InPost (£1.99 to £2.59)
• Does not fit a locker, under 2 kg: Evri (£2.62 to £3.52) or Royal Mail Tracked 48 (£3.75) for the cover
• 2 to 15 kg and too big for a Large compartment: Evri (£6.59 to £10.28)
• 15 to 20 kg: Royal Mail Medium Parcel (£13.70); over 20 kg: DHL via eBay or Parcelforce

The cheapest price is not the cheapest courier if the item is worth more than the cover. InPost's network maximum is £500 but second-hand items are covered only up to £50 and glass, ceramics and collectables not at all. Evri's standard cover is £20, raised to £999 only when you book directly and pay for it. Royal Mail Tracked 24 and 48 include £75 and Special Delivery £750 (£9.85 for 100 g, £16.05 for 2 kg since October). For a £150 pair of trainers sold outside a marketplace, Special Delivery at £9.85 is the cheap option; InPost at £2.59 is the expensive one if the parcel goes missing.

InPost lockers and Evri lockers are open around the clock and need no printer; Royal Mail's Collect+ counters are open later than Post Offices and print QR-code labels. A courier that is 50p cheaper but means a lunchtime queue or a second trip because the parcel did not fit is not cheaper. For marketplace sales where the buyer pays, convenience is the whole decision.

An Etsy seller posts a knitted scarf (280 g, 2 cm thick in a flat mailer), a pair of boots (1.6 kg in a mailing bag, 12 cm deep) and a 3.2 kg box of homeware in one week. Scarf: Royal Mail Tracked 48 Large Letter, £2.90. Boots: InPost Medium at £2.59 if the seller sends direct and the buyer accepts locker delivery, otherwise Evri at £3.52 to the door. Homeware: Evri at £6.59, against Royal Mail's £9.00 Medium Parcel. Total under £13 for three parcels, and the boots would have cost £3.75 with Royal Mail Tracked 48 for £75 of cover instead of InPost's £50.