Direct answer
If a courier loses a parcel you sent during a move, your claim goes to whichever courier you booked and paid directly - Royal Mail, Evri and DPD each run their own claims process, and each sets its own timing and evidence requirements rather than following one shared rule. Before you claim anything, keep your proof of posting or booking confirmation, the tracking reference, and evidence of what the parcel contained and was worth - all three couriers ask for this before they'll assess a claim. There is no single universal compensation figure that applies across couriers or services, so check the specific courier's current claims page for the figure that applies to the service you used, rather than assuming a fixed amount.
Contents
- What to do first: evidence before anything else
- Whose contract are you actually claiming against?
- Royal Mail: timing and claims process
- Evri: timing and claims process
- DPD: timing and claims process
- Where the Consumer Rights Act 2015 fits in
- Lost parcel: scenario comparison
- When it's more than one parcel
- Frequently asked questions
What to do first: evidence before anything else
The outcome of a claim usually comes down to what you can actually prove.
Before you contact anyone, gather three things: proof you sent the parcel (a receipt, certificate of posting, or online booking confirmation), the tracking number and its last recorded status, and evidence of what was inside and roughly what it was worth (a photo taken before you sealed the box, a receipt for the contents, or a reasonable written valuation if you don't have a receipt for items like clothing or books). Every courier's claims process asks for some combination of these, and a claim without them is far harder to progress, because the courier has no way to confirm what you actually posted.
It's also worth checking the tracking history carefully before you assume the parcel is lost rather than simply delayed. A status that hasn't updated for a few days isn't unusual during busy periods, and all three couriers below set a minimum number of days that has to pass - counted from the due delivery date, not from when you posted it - before they'll treat an item as officially lost and accept a claim. Submitting too early can mean the claim is rejected or delayed, so it's worth checking the specific courier's current timing before you start the process.
Whose contract are you actually claiming against?
This is the detail that decides who you should actually be talking to.
If you packed a box of your own belongings and booked a courier yourself - dropping it at a Post Office, booking a collection online, or using a parcel locker - your contract is directly with that courier. You're the sender, you paid for the service, and you're generally the person entitled to claim if it goes missing. This is the situation most people are in when a parcel goes astray during a house move: you're sending your own things, not buying something from a retailer.
That's different from the more commonly discussed scenario of buying something online that never turns up. In that case, the retailer arranged the courier, so the retailer - not the courier - is usually who you should go back to first, because your contract is with them. Citizens Advice is explicit about this distinction: if a seller used a courier to deliver something you bought, it's the seller's responsibility to chase the courier, not yours. This guide is written for the first scenario - sending your own parcel directly - because that's the one relevant to a move, but it's worth knowing the two situations are handled differently if you're ever unsure which one applies.
Royal Mail: timing and claims process
Based on Royal Mail's own published compensation and claims guidance.
Royal Mail will not treat a standard, non-guaranteed parcel as officially lost until 10 working days have passed after its due delivery date without delivery or an attempted delivery. For Special Delivery Guaranteed, which is a faster, tracked service, that threshold is shorter - just 5 working days after the due delivery date. If you're not sure which threshold applies, Royal Mail's own "find out if my item is lost or delayed" page sets out the current figure for the specific service you used.
Claims are submitted through Royal Mail's online claim form, which has largely replaced the paper P58 form for most cases, though a paper version can still be requested at a Post Office. You'll need to provide the sender and recipient's details, proof of posting, and evidence of the parcel's value. For most standard services, either the sender or the recipient can submit the claim, but Royal Mail restricts claims on its Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 services to the sender only - worth checking before you start, if you're the one expecting the delivery rather than the one who sent it.
There is a deadline for submitting a claim after posting, and it's shorter if you're the recipient than if you're the sender - check Royal Mail's current claims page for the exact window that applies to your situation, since it varies by who is claiming and by service type. Royal Mail's compensation for a standard loss claim also varies by service and the cover level attached to it, so rather than quoting one figure here, the accurate answer is: check the compensation terms for the specific service you paid for on Royal Mail's own retail compensation policy page before you post, if the value of what you're sending matters to you.
Evri: timing and claims process
Based on Evri's own published parcel cover guidance.
Evri includes a level of parcel cover automatically with its standard service, and offers the option to pay for upgraded cover on higher-value items at the point of booking. If a parcel doesn't arrive, Evri's process starts with contacting their customer service team through their website, which leads to a claim form covering what was inside the parcel, proof of its value, and the cover level you had on the booking.
Evri expects the person who booked and paid for the service - the sender - to be the one who opens the claim. If you're the intended recipient of a parcel sent through Evri and it hasn't turned up, you generally need to go back to whoever sent it and ask them to raise the claim on your behalf, rather than contacting Evri directly yourself. There's a window after the expected delivery date within which a parcel needs to be reported as missing before a claim can be pursued, and once a claim is open, Evri's own guidance describes the assessment and payment process as taking some weeks rather than days - check Evri's current parcel cover page for the exact reporting window and processing time that applies to your service, since Evri updates these figures from time to time.
DPD: timing and claims process
Based on DPD's published claims process as described in independent, consistent third-party summaries.
DPD's claims process is built around whoever booked the collection - again, generally the sender. If you've bought something online and the retailer chose to ship it with DPD, your contract for that delivery is between DPD and the retailer, not you, so your first step should be the retailer rather than DPD directly. If you booked DPD yourself to send a parcel - for example, sending boxes ahead to a new address - you're the sender and the claims route is open to you directly.
DPD operates a defined, fairly short window for reporting a lost parcel and opening a claim after the expected delivery date, so it's worth doing this as soon as you notice a problem rather than waiting - check DPD's current claims page for the exact number of days that applies to your service before you assume you still have time. As with the other couriers, DPD will ask for proof of the booking, evidence of what the parcel contained and its value, and the tracking history. We haven't quoted a specific compensation figure for DPD here, because published figures vary depending on the service and cover level you booked - DPD's own claims page is the accurate source for the amount that applies to your specific shipment.
Where the Consumer Rights Act 2015 fits in
Relevant, but not in the way it's sometimes assumed to apply.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is most often discussed in the context of buying goods online: if a retailer arranges delivery and the goods don't arrive, the retailer remains legally responsible for making sure they reach you, and it's the retailer you should pursue for a redelivery or refund, not the courier they happened to use. That's a genuinely useful right, but it's a different situation from sending your own belongings during a move.
When you book a courier yourself to send your own parcel, you're not buying goods from that courier - you're buying a carriage service, and your position is a direct contract-of-carriage claim against the courier under their own published terms, evidenced by your proof of posting and the item's value. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 doesn't hand you a fixed, universal compensation figure in this situation; it mainly governs the quality and reasonable care expected of the service itself. The specific compensation you can claim comes from the courier's own terms for the service you booked, which is why checking the courier's current claims page - rather than assuming a standard legal entitlement - is the accurate way to find out what applies to your parcel.
Lost parcel: scenario comparison
What each situation actually involves, and what to confirm before you rely on it.
| Option or job scenario | What it includes | Main restriction | What to confirm before booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| You sent the parcel yourself via Royal Mail, Evri or DPD | A direct contract-of-carriage claim against that courier, using your proof of posting and tracking reference | Each courier applies its own minimum wait before treating an item as lost, and its own claim deadline | The exact working-day threshold and claim window for the specific service you used, on that courier's own current page |
| A retailer shipped your online order and it hasn't arrived | A Consumer Rights Act 2015 claim against the retailer, who is responsible for the goods reaching you | The retailer, not the courier, is normally your first point of contact | The retailer's own returns/non-delivery policy and how they want non-delivery reported |
| You're the recipient, not the sender, of a courier-booked parcel | Some couriers allow recipient claims on standard services; others expect the sender to claim | Royal Mail's Tracked 24/48, and most Evri and DPD claims, are sender-only | Whether your specific courier and service allow a recipient claim, or whether you need the sender to raise it |
| Several parcels sent as part of one house move | Each parcel is normally a separate claim, even if sent on the same day to the same address | Evidence (proof of posting, value) needs to be kept per parcel, not just for the overall move | Whether you kept separate tracking references and value evidence for each individual parcel |
| Larger furniture or multiple boxes moved as one job, not sent as parcels | Not a courier parcel claim at all - this is a clearance or man-and-van removal job instead | Courier claims processes don't apply to items moved by a removal or clearance crew rather than posted | See our house clearance checklist for preparing a move or clearance job directly, rather than relying on a courier claims process |
When it's more than one parcel
A single lost box is a claims question - a whole move is a bigger planning question.
Posting a few boxes ahead of a move is a reasonable way to lighten a load, but it's worth treating each parcel as a separate claim risk: keep tracking references and proof of value for every box individually, not just a general sense of "I sent six boxes." If more than one goes missing, you'll be filing separate claims with separate evidence for each, and mixing up which box contained what makes that much harder.
If you're planning a move and trying to decide what's worth posting ahead versus what should travel with a removal or clearance job instead, our downsizing and house clearance planning guide covers that kind of decision in more detail, including what tends to go more smoothly moved as a single job rather than split across multiple parcels. And if you're clearing a property as part of the same move - rather than just posting a few personal boxes - our house clearance checklist is the more relevant starting point, since courier claims processes only apply to items that were actually posted, not to furniture or bulk items a clearance crew collects directly.
Frequently asked questions
The questions that come up most often once a parcel hasn't turned up.
My courier lost a parcel I sent during my move - who do I actually claim from?
Whoever you paid to carry the parcel. If you booked and paid Royal Mail, Evri or DPD directly to send a box of your own belongings, your contract is with that courier, and you claim from them. This is different from buying something online that never arrives, where your contract is with the retailer, and the retailer - not the courier - is who you should chase first.
How long does Royal Mail wait before treating a parcel as lost?
It depends on the service. For standard, non-guaranteed services, Royal Mail will not treat an item as lost until 10 working days have passed after the item's due delivery date without delivery or an attempted delivery. For Special Delivery Guaranteed, that threshold is shorter, at 5 working days after the due delivery date. Check Royal Mail's current claims page for the exact figure for your specific service before you submit a claim.
Can the recipient claim instead of the sender?
Sometimes, but it varies by courier and service. Royal Mail allows either the sender or the recipient to claim for most standard services, though its Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 services restrict claims to the sender only. Evri and DPD generally expect the account holder who booked and paid for the service - normally the sender - to be the one who opens the claim, with the recipient needing to go back to the sender rather than claim directly.
What evidence do I need to make a claim?
Proof you sent the parcel (a receipt or certificate of posting, or a booking confirmation), proof of the item's value (a receipt, bank statement, or similar), and the tracking reference showing the parcel's last known status. Couriers ask for this because a claim without evidence of posting and value is very difficult for them to assess, so it's worth keeping this paperwork until a parcel has actually arrived, not just until you've dropped it off.
Does the Consumer Rights Act 2015 guarantee me compensation for a lost parcel?
Not directly, and not a specific amount. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 mainly governs who is responsible when you buy goods online and they don't arrive - in that case the retailer, not the courier, is responsible for getting the goods to you. If you've sent your own belongings via a courier you booked yourself, your position is a direct contract-of-carriage claim against that courier, governed by that courier's own terms and compensation limits rather than a universal legal entitlement to a set amount.
Is there a deadline for reporting a lost parcel?
Yes, and it's usually tighter than people expect - often a matter of days to a few weeks after the expected delivery date, not months, though the exact window differs by courier and service type. Reporting a parcel as missing as soon as you notice it hasn't arrived, rather than waiting, gives you the best chance of meeting the courier's own deadline for opening a claim.
Planning a move with more than a few boxes to send?
If you're weighing up what to post ahead versus what to move as one job, you can post your job for licensed clearance and removal carriers to quote on.
Request clearance quotes