Identify which code you have before attaching it
An online postage confirmation, a QR code for obtaining a label and a printed shipping barcode can appear in the same order journey. They serve different purposes. Royal Mail’s Customer Service Point instructions let customers bring the QR code from their confirmation email to print a label. That QR code is part of the label retrieval process; it should not be assumed to be the finished postage label or the reference requested by Track your item.
For a UK recipient returning an order, start with the retailer’s return instructions and the options actually offered for that return. If you have a printing QR code, follow the specified printing route. If you already have a postage label, check the destination and attach that label to the correct parcel. Keep any retailer return authorisation linked to the order; it answers a different question from whether the parcel has been posted.
Print from the chosen template and check readability
Click & Drop’s printing guide supports 6 × 4 adhesive labels, A4 printing and ordinary paper attached to the parcel. Choose the appropriate template for the printer and stock. The guidance permits glue or clear tape when the label remains unobscured and the barcodes readable. It also warns that resizing generated labels or using custom contrast settings can interfere with carrier scanners and tracking notifications.
Our recommended packing check is to compare the final printed address, full service name and reference with the order before releasing the parcel. If a print is clipped or faint, correct the printer or template settings and review the replacement print. A barcode successfully read by our local image tool is useful for inspecting its contents, but it cannot certify that the whole label meets the carrier’s printing requirements.
Choose collection or a suitable UK posting location
Parcel Collect normally requires a purchased postage label or returns label attached to the item; Royal Mail explicitly distinguishes this from the QR code. If offered during booking, select Bring my label so the postperson brings the label for you to attach. A collection booking records the arrangement. Retain evidence that collection occurred, and use the booked service’s conditions when assessing delivery timing.
For UK drop-off, Royal Mail lists shops, lockers, postboxes and Customer Service Points, but the available facilities and accepted products need checking. Its Service Points page excludes Special Delivery Guaranteed and stamped items from Royal Mail Shops. A Royal Mail Shop can print a label from the confirmation email’s QR code. Check the location’s services and opening times, parcel limits and product instructions before travelling; a nearby location is not automatically suitable for every item.
Keep posting evidence separate from preparation records
A payment confirmation establishes a purchase. A saved label records prepared shipping instructions. A manifest helps reconcile a dispatch batch. To answer when and where a parcel was physically posted, retain the receipt, certificate or collection evidence applicable to that handover. Keep the actual reference and parcel identity linked to it rather than treating every document generated before collection as proof of carrier receipt.
Royal Mail’s Customer Service Point page says an emailed posting receipt provides basic evidence for a loss, damage or delay claim. It also explains that customers needing proof of postage can bring a completed certificate of posting for staff to stamp. Check the applicable claim requirements as well: possession of one document does not by itself establish eligibility, compensation or a completed delivery.
Apply the distinction to a China–UK consolidation
For Jeton Express shipments, link Guangzhou receiving and final packing to the international movement, UK clearance and Royal Mail handover. A Royal Mail label generated while the goods are in China identifies the planned UK parcel stage; it cannot establish that the UK carrier already holds the item. UK retail QR printing and drop-off instructions should be applied only where the agreed route uses those facilities.
Ask the dispatching partner which label, paperwork and acceptance evidence belong to the contracted UK handover. Match the final parcel references to the upstream batch, including any changes after repacking. For an Edinburgh return, keep the UK posting record and the warehouse’s later receipt separately. Our recommended support record includes the order, label reference, booked product, actual handover date, evidence and latest carrier event, so the next enquiry addresses the missing step.
Official references
References reviewed on 2026-10-07. Check current product and help terms before booking or making a claim.