terms & conditions.

These terms and conditions govern your use of Parchel's doorstep parcel collection and international shipping service (“the Service”). The Service is operated by Parchel Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number: 16849647), with its registered office at Office 173, Unit 5, 399–405 Oxford Street, Mayfair, London W1C 2BU (“we”, “us”, “our”).

By booking the Service you confirm you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

Parchel provides free doorstep collection of parcels from residential and business addresses within Greater London, followed by international shipping via our carrier partners.

Collection is available to customers located within Greater London. Free doorstep collection is offered as a launch promotion until 30 September 2026. Same-day collection is offered to customers in the Canary Wharf and E14 postcode district; other Greater London areas may receive same-day or next-day collection depending on route availability. After 30 September 2026, Parchel may introduce, amend, or withdraw this promotion at its discretion, without affecting bookings already confirmed.

We act as a service intermediary between you and the carrier. The international shipping contract is formed between you and the carrier at the time of booking confirmation. We facilitate that contract and handle the physical handover on your behalf.

All prices quoted at the time of booking are for the international carriage element only. Doorstep collection within E14 is provided free of charge.

Prices are calculated based on the destination country, box size, and estimated weight you provide. All quoted prices are estimates. When you book, your card is authorised (a hold is placed) for this estimated total — you are not charged at this point. The final price is confirmed after we collect and pack your parcel and obtain a live carrier quote based on the actual dimensions and weight, and this is the amount we then capture from your card when we dispatch your parcel.

If the final price is lower than or equal to the estimate, we capture only that final, lower amount — you are simply never charged the uncaptured difference. No refund is needed because you were never charged more than the final price in the first place.

If the final price is higher than the estimate (by more than £0.50), card networks do not allow us to capture more than the amount authorised. We will capture your authorised amount and contact you with a payment link for the difference. We will not ship your parcel until that top-up is confirmed. You may cancel at this point and we will release your card authorisation in full.

Card authorisations are normally valid for around 7 days. If your parcel has not been dispatched within that window and the authorisation lapses, we will contact you with a new payment link for the final amount before we can dispatch. If you cancel a booking before dispatch, we release your card authorisation immediately rather than processing any charge.

If you choose our Premium Pack service (flat fee of £6.66 including box and packing materials), the packing fee is fixed and no price adjustment will be made for packing. The carrier shipping element may still be reconciled based on actual weight and dimensions.

We offer three service tiers — Parchel Economy, Parchel Standard, and Parchel Express — with different price and transit time combinations. Quoted transit times are estimates provided by our carrier partners and are not guaranteed.

You are responsible for:

• Providing an accurate description of the parcel contents.
• Declaring the correct weight and dimensions when booking.
• Ensuring the parcel is properly packed and ready for collection at the agreed time.
• Ensuring the contents are not prohibited under UK export law, carrier terms, or the law of the destination country.
• Providing accurate recipient name and address details.
• Being present (or ensuring an authorised adult is present) at the collection address on the booked collection day.

If your parcel is materially heavier or larger than declared and a higher rate applies, we reserve the right to charge the difference or return the parcel to you.

The following items must not be sent using the Service:

• Cash, banknotes, coins, or negotiable instruments
• Firearms, weapons, or ammunition
• Explosives, flammable, or hazardous materials (including lithium batteries above carrier thresholds)
• Controlled drugs or substances
• Live animals or perishable goods requiring cold chain
• Human remains or ashes
• Counterfeit or infringing goods
• Items prohibited for import in the destination country

We reserve the right to refuse collection or return any parcel where prohibited items are suspected. You remain liable for any costs, fines, or penalties arising from shipment of prohibited items.

Our booking flow includes an optional AI-powered photo analysis feature that suggests an appropriate box size based on an image you upload. This suggestion is provided as guidance only and may be inaccurate. You must confirm or adjust the suggested size before proceeding. Parchel is not liable for pricing differences that arise from an incorrect AI size suggestion that you accepted without manual verification.

Because prices are estimates reconciled after packing, any inaccuracy in the AI size suggestion will be corrected at the reconciliation stage — we will either simply capture a lower final amount than authorised, or ask you to pay the difference before dispatch if the final amount is higher than your card's authorisation.

Photos uploaded for AI analysis are stored securely and are not used to train AI models. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

For international shipments, you are responsible for accurately describing every item, and for confirming its value, quantity, country of origin, and any restrictions that apply. You will be asked to review and accept a specific customs declaration before we book your shipment, and that declaration is your legal statement to us and to the carrier.

Our VulchIR AI may suggest a commodity (HS) code candidate from your description or photos. This is a suggestion only, not a legal or tariff determination — it does not verify or guarantee the correct classification, and it is checked against carrier requirements before dispatch. You remain responsible for confirming the code is accurate, and we may ask you to clarify material, use, or composition before your parcel can be dispatched.

Where you purchase our Premium Pack service, we are responsible for packing your item to a reasonable professional standard using the materials supplied. Where you pack the parcel yourself (self-pack), you are responsible for the adequacy and safety of your own packaging; we are not liable for damage caused by insufficient packing that we did not carry out.

We may inspect, hold, refuse, or repack any parcel that we reasonably believe is unsafe, prohibited, or inconsistent with its declaration, at your cost where repacking or additional documentation is required.

Final acceptance of any parcel, and final classification, duty, tax and clearance decisions, are made by the carrier and the relevant customs or border authorities — not by Parchel. We do not guarantee customs clearance, duty outcomes, or delivery timescales for international shipments, and we are not liable for delays, charges, or refusals imposed by a carrier or customs authority.

Any protection included with a shipment is the exact amount shown for the selected carrier service at booking and may be £0. Some contents are excluded from compensation; electronics may be eligible for loss only and not damage. All claims remain subject to the selected carrier's current terms and evidence requirements.

Declare the full value of your goods and review the protection status shown before booking. Additional protection is offered only where the selected service and contents are eligible. We are not liable for any loss, damage, or delay beyond the carrier's applicable terms, nor for indirect or consequential losses.

Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law.

Please refer to our Refund Policy for full details of your right to cancel and the refunds available.

All content on this website — including the Parchel name, logo, design, and text — is owned by or licensed to Parchel Ltd and is protected by UK and international intellectual property law. You may not reproduce or use any part without our prior written consent.

We may update these terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email if you have a booking on record. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. Any disputes arising in connection with the Service shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If you are a consumer, you may also benefit from any mandatory consumer protection provisions of the law of the country in which you are resident.

Questions about these terms? Please email us at support@parchel.com.