Royal Mail Delays

Royal Mail’s letter service has been unreliable lately, and that can mean your order takes longer to arrive than either of us would like.

Royal Mail sells 2nd Class as a service with a delivery aim of 2–3 working days.
When that doesn’t happen, it creates frustration for you, and extra admin for me, even when I’ve dispatched quickly.

𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵: I dispatch usually the same day, within 24 hours max

𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲: Items are sent using the correct size/weight service

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱: so it survives the journey

Most of what I sell fits the Large Letter format and is low value. For items like that, Royal Mail 2nd Class Large Letter is the only realistic option that keeps prices fair.

If I sent every order via Tracked 48 or couriers by default, the overall cost would rise. Even when a listing shows “free postage”, postage is still built into the price, so higher postage means higher item prices.

Anything over £10 (or when your total order is over £10) will be sent 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝟰𝟴.
Higher value items are sent using the service shown on the listing (for example, Special Delivery where stated).

Royal Mail’s performance has been serious enough that Ofcom has issued major fines for missing delivery targets, including a £21m fine announced 15 Oct 2025 for failures in the 2024/25 financial year.

I’m sharing that for context, not drama, because it explains why delays can happen even when sellers dispatch quickly.

Because letters aren’t scanned like tracked parcels, delays can be hard to see in real-time.

𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗: 2–3 working days
𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗗: 4–7 working days
𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘: 8+ working days

If you’re in the “properly late” zone, message me and I’ll help.