Royal Mail Click & Drop: how to buy and print postage at home

Click & Drop is Royal Mail's free online tool for buying postage. You enter the parcel details, pay online, then print a label or get a QR code. It's usually cheaper than buying the same service at a Post Office counter, and it lets you skip the queue.

Why use it?

• It's cheaper. Royal Mail's tracked services bought online are priced below the untracked 1st and 2nd Class parcel prices at the counter. A small parcel by Tracked 48 online is £3.75 for up to 1kg, compared with £4.60 for 2nd Class at the counter.
• You get tracking on most parcel services.
• There's no fee to use it – you only pay for the postage.
• It's quicker – no queuing to have parcels weighed and paid for.

How to use Click & Drop

1. Pack, weigh and measure your parcel first.
2. Go to Royal Mail's Click & Drop website and sign up for a free account, or continue as a guest if offered.
3. Enter the recipient's address and your return address.
4. Enter the weight and choose the size: Large Letter, Small Parcel or Medium Parcel.
5. Choose a service – Tracked 48 and Tracked 24 are the most popular.
6. Pay by card or other payment methods.
7. Print the label, or choose the QR code option if you don't have a printer.

No printer? Use a QR code

Royal Mail can send you a QR code instead of a label (it calls this Labels to Go). Take your parcel and the code on your phone to a Post Office, a Royal Mail Customer Service Point or another participating drop-off point, and they'll scan it and print the label for you. There's no extra charge for this.

Where to drop off

• Any Post Office branch
• Royal Mail Customer Service Points (delivery offices)
• Royal Mail parcel lockers, where available
• Postboxes, if the parcel is small enough to fit and already has its label

You can also book a collection from your door for an extra charge.

Tips

• Get the weight right. Under-declaring the weight or size can lead to a surcharge or the parcel being returned.
• Stick the label flat on the largest side, without covering it with tape over the barcode.
• Keep the confirmation email – it's your proof of postage.
• Selling online? Click & Drop can import orders from marketplaces like eBay and Etsy, which saves typing addresses.