Your tracking hasn't updated in two weeks. The parcel isn't at the depot, isn't with a neighbour, and Royal Mail's own tracker just says "item despatched to delivery office" on a loop. Before you assume you'll get the full value of what you sent back, it's worth knowing exactly how Royal Mail's compensation actually works — because the standard cover on most post is far lower than most people assume.
Who can actually claim: sender or recipient
If the item was a personal parcel — a gift, a private sale on eBay or Vinted, something you posted yourself — either the sender or the recipient can start a claim, but Royal Mail will only pay out once, and the sender's claim takes priority if both submit one. If instead you bought something from an online retailer, don't claim from Royal Mail at all: under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the retailer remains legally responsible for the goods until they reach you, regardless of which courier they used. Contact the retailer, not Royal Mail.
The two deadlines that actually matter
- You have to wait before you can claim. For 1st and 2nd Class post, Royal Mail won't treat an item as lost until 10 or more working days have passed after the expected delivery date (5 working days for Special Delivery). Filing earlier than that gets your claim rejected outright.
- You have 80 calendar days from the posting date to submit a loss or damage claim — this is a hard cutoff with no exceptions for extenuating circumstances. Royal Mail states plainly that it has no legal liability once this window closes.
The part most people don't realise: compensation is capped, and the cap is low
This is the single most important thing to understand before you post anything valuable. Royal Mail's standard compensation is not based on what your item was actually worth — it's capped by which service you paid for:
- 1st Class, 2nd Class, and Signed For: up to £20 for the contents, plus a refund of the postage. Send a £300 item by standard 2nd Class and lose it, and your compensation is £20 — full stop, regardless of the actual value.
- Tracked 24 / Tracked 48: up to £100.
- Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm: up to £750 included as standard, rising to £1,000 or £2,500 if you purchased additional compensation cover at the time of posting.
- International Tracked: up to £100 standard, £300 with enhanced cover.
If you're posting anything worth more than £20, standard 1st or 2nd Class simply doesn't protect you — you need Special Delivery with the right level of cover purchased upfront. There's no way to add that protection retroactively once something's gone missing.
What you need to actually file a claim
- Proof of posting — a Post Office receipt, a certificate of posting, or online confirmation for a tracked service. Without this, most claims are rejected outright.
- Proof of value — a purchase receipt, an eBay sale page, or a bank/card statement showing what you paid.
- For damaged items: keep every piece of packaging until the claim is fully resolved — Royal Mail may require it for inspection, and throwing it away can invalidate the claim.
How to file
- Go to Royal Mail's Claims Centre online (the old paper P58 form is no longer the standard route for most claims).
- Select "item lost" or "item damaged," enter your tracking reference and posting date.
- Upload your proof of posting and proof of value.
- Submit — Royal Mail aims to respond within 30 calendar days (90 days for international items).