Online orders make life so much easier – until they have to be sent back again. For those who don’t have the time or leisure to make an extra trip to the post office for this, almost all well-known postal service providers now also offer parcel pickup. But how exactly does the pickup of parcels from DHL, Hermes & Co. actually work? And what does the service cost? We took a closer look at the conditions.
The conditions and costs of sending parcels from home vary among the individual service providers. We have compiled a useful overview for you below.
With DHL, you can use the pick-up service for your private parcels Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 20:00. However, if you would like to ship on the next working day, your order must be placed by 22:00 the day before. As soon as it is clear in which time windows the carrier will come to you, you will receive an e-mail from DHL with a possible hour specification.
If the DHL courier comes to your home anyway for a delivery, you may be able to give him your shipment free of charge, provided you have already franked it. However, there is no guarantee of this voluntary take-away by the provider.
Otherwise, the booked pick-up of parcels will cost you €3 per order at DHL. From four packages franked online, the collection is then again free of charge. Please note, however, that DHL accepts a maximum of 10 parcels per day from one address. DHL will pick up returns with a return slip, the same applies to bulky goods with the appropriate marking.
Here you can order DHL to pick up your parcels for your parcels.
If you have parcels picked up by DPD, the cost of the pick-up is based on the size of your shipment. Pick-up fees start at €3.60 for the smallest size, and you’ll pay €7.10 for an XL parcel as it stands today. For an additional fee, you will receive a guarantee of delivery at a specific time if required: on weekdays this is at 10:00, 12:00 or 18:00 and on Saturdays at 12:00.
On its website, the provider provides a price overview. It already shows the total prices you pay for shipping plus pickup. Below the table, the respective maximum sizes of the packages are noted. You can also calculate what the calculated size of your parcel is with centimeter information. You must take care of a completed parcel label and franking yourself in advance.
You can book a pick-up with DPD here.
According to our research, GLS offers a range of services, from climate-neutral shipping to opening hours of its GLS parcel stores until 8 p.m. in some cases, but the option to pick up parcels does not seem to exist for private senders. If you return your parcel, you can only book a pick-up service if the business sender has already contractually agreed on this option with GLS. Otherwise, you will have to visit a parcel store.
Hermes offers door-to-door pickup in Germany for parcels weighing up to 31.5 kg. Bulky parcels can also be picked up after prior notice and for a separate surcharge. As with all collection and delivery services, the service can be ordered online. As with other providers, the prices for parcel pickup at Hermes are independent of weight and depend on the parcel size.
The total price ranges from €9.95 to €33.95. If you decide to pay cash on collection, the exact amount must be kept ready. It is also assumed that you have already taken care of the parcel label and franking in advance.
You can also have your parcels picked up directly by the UPS courier for a fee. To find out the final price for your package, an online calculation is necessary, as UPS does not offer a flat rate price overview.
A menu guides you through the booking process. When it comes to the pickup time, it is possible for you to specify the earliest or latest desired time, but this cannot be guaranteed. If there is a lot going on, your doorbell may ring at 9 p.m. under certain circumstances. Various express delivery options are offered, but again they cost extra. It is possible to order the pickup service by phone.
Click here for the UPS parcel service shipping calculator.
For products purchased via Amazon, you are generally entitled to a 30-day return policy. By contacting the customer service, you can request a pickup of your goods. However, this is not always free of charge.
You only do not have to pay for the service if an incorrect, defective or damaged item was delivered to you, and you are entitled to a replacement product as a result. Parcel collection is also free of charge for you if you exercise your 14-day right of cancellation, the item has a value of goods of over €40 and a free return option was offered at the time of purchase. In other cases, the collection of your parcel costs you €3.50 throughout Germany, internationally it is more expensive. The amount will then be deducted from your refund fees.
You can find out more about the requirements and return costs at Amazon here and here.
Almost every well-known postal service in this country offers parcel pickup from home. But the fact is and remains that you are somehow always tied. You have to be at home for both pickup and delivery to benefit.
The time slots are not very flexible, especially for working people. And with all due understanding for the emerging volume that parcel carriers have to cope with: Who has not experienced waiting in vain for the messenger?
Parcelsea makes you completely free of obligations.
Have we piqued your interest? Then why not order your smart home assistant to your home today. If you have any questions about the product in advance, feel free to email us at info@self-service.parcelsea.com, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Receiving and picking up parcels becomes a pleasure with Parcelsea!
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