Cheap parcel delivery

There are a lot of variables when it comes to parcel delivery, eg, location, weight, size, drop off or collection, delivery speed etc, so we can't give you exact prices as they vary enormously – but during our research we've spotted some trends based on the weight of the item you're sending. 

• A small item less than 1kg? Royal Mail usually wins – though not always by a lot. For an idea of items under 1kg, a reusable aluminium water bottle, a large page-a-day daily diary or a 1,000-piece jigsaw should all fall within this bracket.
  
  We've checked hundreds of examples over the years, and Royal Mail usually wins, even if it's sometimes by pennies rather than pounds. It's not guaranteed though, so check before you send – and remember to take the size of the parcel, the value of the contents and the service you want into account. When we last tested 10 examples, we found that Royal Mail was cheaper for parcels under 1kg on seven occasions.
  
  For example, in one of our checks, sending a parcel worth £100, weighing 500g, dimensions 40cm x 30cm x 15cm, cost £5.10 via Royal Mail (£100 cover, delivery within 2-3 working days, tracked with signature) vs £5.55 for the cheapest discount courier site (£100 cover, delivery within 2-4 working days, tracked with signature).
  
  But Royal Mail isn't always cheaper, so check. For example, in one of our tests we wanted to send a parcel worth £60, weighing 600g, dimensions 10cm x 25cm x 25cm, and found we could send via courier collection for £5.52 (£60 cover, delivery within 3-4 working days), compared with £7.98 via Royal Mail collection (£100 cover, delivery within 2-3 working days).
  
  Use Royal Mail's price finder to quickly check prices and delivery options based on your parcel's weight, size, value and destination.
  
  
• A heavier item of 1kg or more? Discount courier sites are usually cheapest. Examples of items weighing 1kg or more include a pair of boots, a couple of hardback books or a blender.
  
  Again, we've tested this hundreds of times over the years, and once again there's a trend – discount courier sites usually win. But again, this isn't a universal rule, so check before you send. And if you want your parcel collected, while discount courier sites would usually win, Royal Mail may be cheaper right now as it's offering collection for 30p (normally 72p) until Sunday 26 September.
  
  When we recently tested 10 examples (not taking the above Royal Mail promotion into account), we found that for parcels over 1kg, a discount courier beat Royal Mail on eight occasions. For example, in one of our tests we sent two cook books weighing a total of 2.1kg via standard delivery, and the cheapest courier was £6 vs £10 sent via Royal Mail.