I am happy to share my address
Buy the postage yourself, use your own address as the delivery address, then send the QR code or label to the person sending the item.
Pay for postage, not promises
If someone says they have an item your family needs, this is a safer way to handle postage without sending cash first.
Do not send postage money directly to a stranger.
Buying the postage yourself does not make every exchange safe, but it helps reduce risk. You keep control of the booking, you get tracking, and you may be able to cancel an unused label if the parcel is never dropped off.
Courier prices and rules can change. The prices on this page are guide prices checked in July 2026, not promises from LittleBlueCup.
This connects to safety
This page is part of LittleBlueCup's wider safety guidance. It is not a guarantee, but it can reduce pressure, reduce unnecessary address sharing, and make postage conversations easier to check.
Choose your route
Start with whether you are willing to share your home address.
Both routes are about the same basic habit: you buy postage directly from the courier, then give the sender the label or QR code instead of sending them money.
I do not want to share my address
Choose a locker, shop, or collection-point option where the sender can drop the parcel off and you collect it without giving out your home address.
Best default for LittleBlueCup families
If the parcel fits and both people can reach a locker or shop, try InPost Locker or Shop to Locker or Shop first. It keeps postage payment with you, avoids sharing your home address, and gives a clear drop-off trail.
Collect locally
Choose a locker or shop you can actually get to, with opening hours that work for you.
Track drop-off
Wait for the sender to drop the parcel off before assuming anything is on its way.
Still check the item
Postage control helps with payment risk. It does not prove the item is genuine or packed well.
How to do it safely
Keep the payment route simple, documented, and reversible where possible.
- 1Choose the courier yourself and check the current price on the courier website.
- 2Buy the label or QR code yourself. Do not send postage money directly to a stranger.
- 3Send only the QR code, barcode, label, or booking details the sender needs to drop off the parcel.
- 4Ask the sender to share a drop-off receipt or tracking screenshot once the parcel is handed over.
- 5Track the parcel yourself. If it is not dropped off, cancel or refund the unused label where the courier allows this.
The easiest version is to send one link and ask the sender what works for them.
They can read the delivery options, choose a practical drop-off or collection route, and send you the details you need before you pay.
Delivery options for the senderMessage you can copy
Thank you for offering to send this. We are really grateful. To keep everything clear and safer for both of us, I do not send postage money directly. Please choose the delivery method or service that is easiest for you from this page: https://www.littlebluecup.org/delivery-options-for-senders Please let me know once you have chosen the delivery method, along with the parcel size and weight, whether you can print a label at home, and the drop-off option that works best for you. I will pay for it and send you the QR code, barcode, label, or booking link you need. Once you have dropped it off at the shop, locker, parcel box, Post Office, or courier point, please send me the tracking or receipt. Thank you so much.
Courier options
These are practical starting points, not endorsements or guarantees. Always check the live courier page before you pay.
InPost Locker or Shop: best privacy-friendly option
When you want the sender to drop the item at a locker or shop and you want to collect from a locker or shop.
- InPost sells print-free digital labels and QR codes. The sender can drop off at an InPost Locker or Shop, and the parcel can go to the recipient's chosen Locker or Shop.
- Guide prices checked July 2026: locker or shop delivery starts at about £1.99 for a small parcel.
- Recipients currently have three days to collect after the parcel arrives, so check the chosen point and collection window before booking.
- Good default when the item size fits and both people can reach an InPost point.
InPost home delivery and the combined delivery network
When you are comfortable sharing your address and want to keep control of the postage payment.
- For InPost's standard Send service, you still buy the postage yourself and send the digital QR code to the sender, who drops the parcel at an InPost Locker or Shop.
- Guide prices checked July 2026: home delivery starts at about £2.89 for a small parcel.
- Yodel by InPost will move fully under the InPost brand on 17 July 2026, bringing home, locker and shop deliveries and collections under one brand. Check the InPost website or app for the current options available for the parcel and postcodes.
- This reduces payment risk, but it does not hide your address from the sender.
Evri: good backup option, especially ParcelShop to ParcelShop
When an Evri ParcelShop or Locker is easier for the sender or collector than InPost.
- Evri offers online booking, ParcelShop delivery options, tracking, and print-in-store QR codes for many parcels.
- Guide prices checked July 2026: ParcelShop delivery starts at about £2.62 for parcels up to 5kg.
- Check whether the exact service protects your address in the way you need before booking.
Royal Mail Click & Drop: useful UK-wide option, with privacy details to check
When Royal Mail is easiest, the sender can use a Post Office, Parcelshop, Parcel Locker, or Delivery Office, and both sides understand what appears on the label.
- Royal Mail Click & Drop can create postage online and Labels to Go QR codes for many personal shipments.
- Royal Mail has one of the most familiar UK drop-off networks, so it can be a very practical option.
- Royal Mail's Labels to Go warning is about the return address: that return address belongs to the person sending the parcel.
- Check the final label and delivery route rather than assuming either person's address is hidden.
DHL eCommerce UK: useful in some areas, usually more of a backup
When DHL ServicePoints are local, the parcel is larger, or other courier options are not practical.
- DHL eCommerce UK offers online booking, ServicePoint drop-off, home collection, tracking, and UK delivery options.
- Guide prices checked July 2026: small and medium parcels start from about £3.84.
- It can be sensible, but it is usually not the first privacy-friendly LittleBlueCup route.
Compare options with Parcel2Go
When you need to compare couriers, check local drop-off points, or find a label-free service.
- Comparison sites can be useful, but always check the final service, collection point, cover, and privacy details before paying.
- Some services offer label-free drop-off, while others need a printed label or collection from the sender.
- Be careful not to pick the cheapest option if it creates more address or drop-off risk.
What if the sender is in another country?
Be slower with international offers. Customs forms, delivery costs, import charges, return routes, and dispute processes can all be harder.
If the item is coming from outside the UK, use a courier or marketplace route where you can see the full price, tracking, customs requirements, and what happens if the parcel never arrives. Do not send informal postage money to someone you do not know.
Red flags to watch for
A genuine helper should understand why you want to pay the courier directly.
- They refuse a QR code or label and only want bank transfer, PayPal Friends and Family, vouchers, crypto, or gift cards.
- They ask for extra money after you have already bought postage.
- They say the courier label will not work, but will not explain why.
- They rush you, guilt you, or say they will sell the item or dispose of it unless you pay immediately.
- They will not send current photos of the actual item, packaging, or tracking receipt.
- They ask for money for an item with low or no resale value, especially when you have already offered to cover postage.
- They claim to be a shop, store, warehouse, or supplier with discontinued stock but cannot give strong, current proof.
- Their photos look AI-generated, edited, or recycled from another listing.
- They say the item is outside the UK and every safer payment or courier route is suddenly impossible.
- They keep adding excuses after you offer a fair postage route that leaves them with no real cost except packaging.
What this protects you from
This route mainly reduces payment and address risk. It is not a full guarantee.
It helps reduce:
- someone taking postage money and never sending anything
- pressure to send quick cash before you can think
- losing control of the postage booking
- some unnecessary sharing of your home address
- unclear tracking or drop-off evidence
What it cannot fully protect you from
- a parcel containing the wrong item
- a genuine delivery delay, loss, or courier dispute
- damage caused by poor packaging
- a sender who drops off an empty or misleading parcel
- all privacy risks if you choose home delivery
Slow is safer than sorry.
If a postage conversation starts feeling pressured, stop and report the concern. You do not have to work out someone's intentions alone.