open pricing

straightforward charges with no hidden costs

We have an absolute policy of honesty and openness in our pricing,  and there are three costs you must consider;

The Service Fee:   This is the fully inclusive cost to set-up and hold an account for three,  six,  or twelve months.

Handling Charges:   Unlike some mailbox providers,  you don't have to guess,  in advance,  how much mail you are likely to receive each month.   Rather than offer a range of account options based upon predicted mail volume,  and then sting you with penalties if you run over,  our handling charges  ( see below )  are entirely 'pay-as-you-go' and applied only to the mail that we process for you.

Postage:   When we forward your mail,  you only pay the onward postage or shipping cost.

& fixed fees

guaranteed never to increase!

This unique fixed price guarantee means that,  so long as you don't allow your account to expire,  the fees you pay in ten or fifteen years time will be those that were in force on the day you joined expostwe'll never charge you a penny more to renew your account,  handle your parcels or scan your letters!

Sadly,  we don't control the Treasury,  so our price guarantee cannot cover future changes to the VAT rate or its application.

your postage fund

When you create a mailbox account,  you also deposit £20 into a notional 'Postage Fund',  from which all charges are drawn down as they become due.   If this fund runs low,  our system will send you a reminder so that you can top it up through your control panel.

Any balance remaining in your Postage Fund will be repaid,  in full,  at the end of your account period.

Pound coins - illustrating virtual address charges

all charges

 

service fees

This is the charge to set up and manage your mailbox,  and is identical for both Private and Business accounts.

3 months

Ideal as a 'bridging' option whilst moving home,  or for short term marketing campaigns.
£100 service fee,  plus £20 postage fund credit.
( London Mail Centre - service fee  £125 +VAT )

12 months

The most popular and cost effective option,  a 12 month account also allows you to use your address as the registered office for one or more UK Companies at no extra charge.
£240 service fee,  plus £20 postage fund credit.
( London Mail Centre - service fee  £300 +VAT )

handling charges

We apply a small charge for each item of mail that we receive and process for you;  to sign-for if necessary,  identify,  sort,  store and insure whilst on the premises,  then to consolidate and package ready for forwarding.

Letter:  60p
Large letter:  £1.00
Parcel  ( up to 20Kg ):  £3.00

scan to view

Per A4 image:  50p

sms alerts

Per SMS:  5p  ( 10p to a non-uk mobile number )

Please note that all charges are automatically debited from your Postage Fund as they are incurred.

surcharges

. . .and how to avoid them!

We are able to operate at such low cost because ProPost™,  our in-house software,  controls and manages your mail automatically.   A surcharge is only applied when a service you request requires manual intervention.   But don't worry,  surcharges are rare,  and regardless of the amount of extra work that may be necessary they are fixed at just £3.00
In all cases,  if a surcharge is applied you will be notified by email,  ( and by SMS if you have this option selected ).

manual searches

mailbox search

To manually search a mailbox in order to identify an individual item or items for the purpose of a scan,  forwarding,  or simply to confirm receipt.

unknown user searches

If mail is delivered in a name that you have not registered as a User but which,  after investigation,  we successfully identify as intended for your mailbox account.
The item will be logged in and the new User name will be added to those already listed in your account.

archive searches

To search our 'unidentified' archive for an unregistered User name,  or to recover mail from a Closed account.
All recovered items will be logged into your account in the normal way and Handling Charges will apply.

additional services

outpost

Per consignment,  regardless of the number of items processed and despatched.

special delivery or courier despatch

To complete the additional paperwork ( pro-forma invoice, waybill etc. ) and facilitate collection.

paying third party charges

To pay excess postage or Customs Duty due on delivery.

oversize parcel handling

To receive and store an item larger,  or heavier,  than the Royal Mail Medium Parcel format.

unsolicited visitors

Whilst a very rare occurrence,  we have had bailiffs,  collection agents,  the police,  council officials and even the odd customer of our customers turning up at a Mail Centre!   If an unsolicited visitor should call looking for you,  or one of your registered Users,  we will apply a Surcharge of £10 to deal with the caller.

All 'personally identifiable data' held on our system is protected by GDPR and we will never reveal any information about you unless required to do so by the Courts.   Any documentation left by the visitor will be logged into your mailbox.

Credit cards and padlock - secure payments

transaction fees

please read this bit carefully!

We do not apply an extra charge to pay on-line.   What we do,  however,  is itemise the transaction fee charged by your payment provider separately,  so that the cost is totally transparent to you.

When you buy something on the internet,  your card issuer or PayPal charges the retailer a percentage of the transaction.   These charges vary enormously,  from 1.5% to as much as 8% in some cases,  according to the provider  ( Visa,  Mastercard,  PayPal,  Amex etc. ),  the payment type  ( Credit or Debit )  and the geographical location of both the card holder and the issuing bank.

This means that there is no way to predict transaction fees in advance,  and we think it would be unfair to increase our charges across the board  ( as most retailers do )  in order to account for a small percentage of these higher cost transactions!

Transaction fees are debited from your Postage Fund in real time so,  for example;  if you top-up £20,  but only see £19.60 added to your balance,  it is because a transaction fee of 40p  ( 2% )  was charged by your card issuer or PayPal.

payment methods

You may use any major debit or credit card in our secure Stripe checkout or,  if you prefer,  via PayPal.   You don't need a PayPal account of your own,  simply go through their checkout as 'Guest' and use your credit or debit card in the normal way.

refund policy

your right of withdrawal

Even though,  under the European Consumer Rights Directive,  you do NOT have the right to withdraw from the contract you make with us at registration  ( because the product is entirely bespoke ),  we understand that people occasionally act in haste and make mistakes.

As a courtesy and without prejudice,  if you decide within seven days that you no longer wish to hold a mailbox Account with us,  for whatever reason,  we will return both your Service fee and initial Postage Fund lodgement  ( less our £25 administration costs and any transaction charges applied by your bank,  card issuer or PayPal ).