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Royal Mail + ReturnMate

BetaThis integration is production-deployed and merchant-usable today. We're still expanding feature coverage and may iterate on behaviour as we learn from real usage. No service interruptions are expected.

Royal Mail is the default carrier for UK domestic returns, and its Post Office network is the densest drop-off footprint in the country. ReturnMate connects to Royal Mail's Click & Drop API to generate outbound labels and drop-off return labels on your Click & Drop account — the customer takes the parcel to any of 11,500+ Post Office branches. Newly released in Beta: label retrieval in the API requires a Click & Drop Pro subscription with OBA (account) postage.

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§ 01 — Capabilities

What the Royal Mail connection actually does.

  • UK labels via the Click & Drop API on your own Royal Mail account
  • Tracked 24, Tracked 48, Special Delivery, and 1st/2nd Class service codes
  • Drop-off return labels addressed to your warehouse — usable at any Post Office branch
  • Multi-package orders with per-parcel weights and dimensions
  • Order cancellation from the RMA before dispatch
  • Label PDFs served straight into the portal and admin
§ 02 — In practice

Where it earns its place.

UK-resident merchants

Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 cover the vast majority of UK domestic return volume cost-effectively, on the postage rates already attached to your Click & Drop account.

Post Office drop-off returns

Return labels route the parcel to your warehouse and the customer drops it at any Post Office — the largest drop-off network in the UK, including supermarket and convenience-store counters.

Low-cost untracked services

For low-value items where tracking isn't worth the premium, 1st and 2nd Class letter/parcel services are available with the order reference carrying the RMA number.

§ 03 — Setup

How Royal Mail gets connected.

Carrier accounts are set up by our team, not by you. We contact Royal Mail directly, obtain API access against your existing commercial account, and apply it — so you never have to source or handle API credentials.

  1. You send us three things

    Your existing Royal Mail account number, written authority for ReturnMate to contact them on your behalf, and your account manager's name, email and phone number.

  2. We contact Royal Mail

    Our support team requests API access against your account and handles the paperwork and technical back-and-forth with the carrier.

  3. We apply the credentials

    Credentials are stored encrypted against your shop. They are never shown to you and never need to be — there is nothing for you to paste or maintain.

  4. We test it end to end

    We generate a test label — including the dangerous goods transport document where it applies — and confirm it works before the carrier goes live for your team.

Turnaround varies by carrier, depending on how quickly they issue API access. Support confirms the expected timeline for Royal Mail when you start onboarding. Don't have an account with them yet? We can help you set one up.

§ FAQ

Questions about Royal Mail.

What does Beta mean for Royal Mail?

The integration is deployed and available to connect today. Beta means it's newly released and still accumulating real-world merchant mileage; run a test order on your own Click & Drop account before going live.

Why do I need Click & Drop Pro with OBA?

Royal Mail only returns the label PDF in the API response for Pro accounts paying postage on account (OBA). On other tiers, ReturnMate still creates the order but the label must be printed from the Click & Drop dashboard — workable, but not the smooth flow.

Are courier pickups and live tracking supported?

No — the Click & Drop API offers neither collections booking nor tracking events, so Royal Mail returns are drop-off only and tracking links out to Royal Mail's own tracking page. Both are Royal Mail API limitations rather than ReturnMate ones.

Does Royal Mail support DG?

Royal Mail has restrictive DG rules — most lithium batteries and Class 9 items can't travel on standard products. ReturnMate routes DG-flagged SKUs to a DG-capable carrier automatically and blocks Royal Mail for those shipments.

§ Enquire

Ask about the Royal Mail integration.

Tell us how you ship with Royal Mail

Volumes, lanes, whether you already have an account — we'll come back within one business day.

§ Related

Often set up together.

Carriers

DPD (UK)

UK labels, collections, and tracking via the DPD UK API. Next Day, Two Day, and Expresspak services on your DPD account.

View integration →Carriers

InPost

Locker-first parcel network for Poland and the UK — ShipX labels, locker and courier services, dispatch-order collections.

View integration →Carriers

DHL Express

International express labels, rates, tracking, and pickup booking via the MyDHL API. Strong across EU, APAC, MENA, and the Americas.

View integration →Carriers

FedEx

Global Ship/Rate/Track/Pickup for US, Canada, EU and rest-of-world. OAuth2 REST API for non-AU merchants.

View integration →Developer

Webhooks & REST API

External API for RMA creation + lifecycle webhooks with HMAC-SHA256 signatures. Available on Scale and Enterprise plans.

View integration →

Wire your stack together.

Start free — 5 returns a month on the Free plan, no credit card required. Billed through Shopify.

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