Compensation of up to £50 for loss and damage is included in the price you pay. Enhanced compensation is available for an additional fee to a maximum of £2,500. Please see our Compensation page for prices. However, there are some items that are not covered for loss and damage at all.
Proper packaging is really important. If your goods are not packaged properly and become damaged, we won't pay compensation. We look at packaging before deciding whether to pay a claim for damage. Please keep the parcel and its packaging until your claim is settled. Please see our Packaging page for advice.
What's covered: The lowest of the cost/sale price will be used to settle a claim subject to the maximum compensation and allowing for wear and tear and depreciation where appropriate. VAT will be reimbursed in appropriate cases. Indirect or consequential loss including any labour costs is not covered. Postage costs are not refunded for damage claims.
Items excluded from compensation for loss and damage
The following goods are excluded from compensation in the event of loss or damage:
Dangerous, prohibited or restricted goods (where you do not comply with the relevant terms and conditions), or goods sent in breach of sanctions. Please visit our prohibitions and restrictions and sanctions pages for further information.
Money, coins and financial documents (money's equivalent)
- This includes banker's drafts, credit/debit cards, current bank notes, currency notes or coins, postal orders, cheques or dividend warrants, bearer securities including share warrants, scrips or subscription certificates, bonds or relative coupons, unfranked postage stamps or revenue stamps (except a revenue stamp embossed or impressed on an instrument which has been executed), coupons, vouchers, tokens, lottery tickets, scratch cards or similar items which can be exchanged themselves or with any other item for money, goods or services, national insurance stamps. Out of circulation coins (not made of gold or silver) and bank notes are classed as collectables
- Nationally issued government certificates or licences which have a reissue value are covered for loss or damage but compensation is limited solely to the national government reissue cost. For example passports, driver's licences, wedding certificates, birth certificates, death certificates and changes of name or gender certificates
- Negotiable documents
- Stamps: unused or unfranked postage or revenue stamps. Out of circulation or franked stamps are treated as collectables for compensation purposes
- All tickets, including travel and events, or tickets which are exchangeable for goods or services e.g. airline tickets.
Valuables
- Antiques (objects over 100 years old)
- Articles made largely or wholly of platinum, gold, silver or other precious metals
- Diamonds and other precious stones
- Fur (except imitation)
- Jewellery (except imitation)
- Sim cards
- Watches and Clocks, including watch movements and other parts
Items excluded from compensation for damage
- Any items that by their inherent nature are particularly susceptible to damage are excluded from compensation in the event of damage on all services. This includes but is not limited to the below:
- Automotive vehicle parts and body work for example but not limited to doors, bumpers, headlights and other large body parts or panels
- Cakes of all types
- Cases (including suitcases and musical instrument cases) when used as external packaging
- Ceramics or composites wholly or partially made of china and/or porcelain
- Collectable toys and action figures, where the original packaging contributes to the item's value
- Computer monitors – including laptop screens, all-in-one desktops and iMacs
- Furniture – both flat packed and ready built e.g. tables, chairs, shelves, cupboards and similar items
- Lighting – fluorescent tubes, neon lighting, X-ray tubes, light bulbs etc. or any other inherently fragile lighting items
- Models, for example completed kit or scratch build models, dolls houses and architectural models
- Televisions – including CRT, LCD, LED and Plasma screens
- Items made wholly or partially of the following materials or similar materials:
- Ceramics e.g. china and porcelain
- Composites e.g. concrete and fragranite
- Glass – Items wholly or partially made from or containing glass, e.g. picture frames and clocks containing glass or crystal items. Damage to other items in the parcel caused by broken glass will not be covered
- Plaster items – including plaster of paris, fibre clay
- Resin items – including amorphite, amber and composites
- Rock, stone and mineral items – including granite, marble, fossils, geodes, gem stones, crystals or similar items
- Packaging (external) – e.g. if items are sent in a suitcase, musical instrument case or in the manufacturer or retailer's original packaging without adequate external packaging, Parcelforce Worldwide will not be liable for damage to the suitcase, musical instrument case or manufacturer or retailer's packaging.
Other compensation exclusions, special conditions or restrictions
Perishable foodstuffs and articles: All perishable items, including food, eggs, cakes, plants, flowers, seeds and medicines, may only be sent in accordance with the terms and conditions set out under the heading "Perishable foodstuffs and articles". Please visit our prohibitions and restrictions pages for more information.
- UK services: Parcels for delivery in the UK which contain perishable foodstuffs or articles must be sent by a next day service as a minimum requirement, and be able to withstand transit times of at least two working days. Items sent on a Friday must be sent on a next day Saturday delivery service. Claims for damage will not be accepted where the goods have perished, and the parcel was delivered within two working days. Claims for damage caused by late delivery will not be accepted where this was outside of our control.
- International services: Items containing perishable foodstuffs or articles sent using our international services are completely excluded from compensation.
Musical instruments are excluded from enhanced compensation. Guitars and brass instruments are particularly prone to damage and should be packed very carefully, in a hard case. See our packaging guidelines for guidance.
Collectable items: These are items which have appreciated in value either due to their scarcity or due to their being out of production. Any loss of, or damage to, any collectable shall be limited to the lesser of the actual cost price paid for the collectable by the seller or the purchase price paid by the buyer and shall not exceed our stated limits of compensation as set out in the compensation table, subject to the customer providing satisfactory written or printed evidence. Please note the exclusion from compensation for damage to original packaging, listed above.
Items sent overseas: Claims for compensation for loss/damage will not be accepted where the goods shipped are prohibited by the country of destination. For some international destinations there is no compensation payable for any service. The countries to which this restriction applies can vary, so please check our individual country directory before sending.