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Royal Mail Packaging Sizes (legacy)

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This guide covers the legacy StoreFeeder view and explains how to set up packaging sizes so that Royal Mail Large Letter items are sent with the right service in the UK and abroad. If you use the current view, see Royal Mail Packaging Sizes instead.

Why packaging sizes matter for Royal Mail

When you use the Royal Mail direct integration in StoreFeeder, your packaging sizes need to be set correctly. When you manifest, StoreFeeder uses the packaging size on the order to choose the correct service on your Royal Mail Online Business Account (OBA).

For how StoreFeeder works out packaging sizes, see How to set up Packaging Sizes.

Large Letters in the UK and abroad

The maximum thickness of a Large Letter is different for UK and international orders:

  • UK Large Letter: up to 25mm thick
  • International Flats: up to 20mm thick

This means a package 23mm thick is a Large Letter in the UK but a Parcel when it's sent abroad.

To cover this, there are two Royal Mail packaging types for Large Letter products. Choose the one that matches the thickness of the package:

Royal Mail packaging type Use for packages UK orders are sent as International orders are sent as
Large Letter / Large Letter Up to 20mm thick Large Letter Flats
Large Letter / Parcel 21mm to 25mm thick Large Letter Parcel
The Packaging Sizes page, with the Royal Mail Packaging Type of the Large Letter and Large Letter / Parcel packaging sizes highlighted

If you send Large Letter products abroad, add a packaging size for the thicker items (Step 1), then give that packaging size to the right products (Step 2).

Step 1: Add a packaging size for 21mm to 25mm items

  1. Go to Settings > Shipping Configuration > Packaging Sizes.
  2. Click New Packaging Size and add a packaging size for products between 21mm and 25mm thick, for example Large Letter (21-25mm).
  3. Set its Royal Mail Packaging Type to Large Letter / Parcel.
  4. Check that your existing Large Letter packaging size, for items up to 20mm thick, is set to Large Letter / Large Letter.
  5. Click Save.

Your Packaging Sizes page should now look similar to this:

The Packaging Sizes page with Letter, Large Letter (0-20mm), Large letter (21-25mm) and Parcel packaging sizes, each with a Royal Mail Packaging Type

Step 2: Give the new packaging size to your thicker products

Update every product that is 21mm to 25mm thick so it uses the new packaging size. In this example, that's Large Letter (21-25mm), so those products are sent as a Large Letter in the UK and as a Parcel abroad.

  1. Go to Products > Manage Products and click the product.
  2. Open the Shipping & Handling tab in the left-hand menu.
  3. In Size & Shipping Details, set Package size to the new packaging size.
  4. Click Save at the top right.
The Size and Shipping Details section of a product, with the Package size and Packaging Quantity fields highlighted
Note: Adding the packaging size in Settings doesn't change any products. You need to update the package size on each product that should use it.

Troubleshooting

International orders for 21mm to 25mm items are manifested as Flats instead of Parcel
Those orders have a packaging size whose Royal Mail packaging type is Large Letter / Large Letter. Check that the thicker products use the packaging size set to Large Letter / Parcel (Step 2).

The wrong Royal Mail service is chosen when I manifest
StoreFeeder uses the packaging size on the order. Check the Royal Mail Packaging Type of each packaging size in Step 1, and the package size on the products in the order.

Still stuck? Contact StoreFeeder support with your account name, the order number, the SKU of the product, the packaging size it uses and the Royal Mail service you expected. This lets our team check the packaging size on the order.

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