What happens if Royal Mail loses your gold parcel

What Special Delivery gives you

Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed provides tracking and proof of delivery, with delivery commitments subject to the service, acceptance time and applicable exceptions. Tracking events do not mean a signature is taken at every internal handover. A parcel can still go missing, so keep the posting and value evidence. GoldPaid can confirm the appropriate postal option before you post, which is why requesting a prepaid label starts with what the lot is worth.

Who is liable if the parcel is lost, and how do I claim?

• Cover ceiling, not a guaranteed payout. £2,500 is a ceiling that may be available; the paid figure follows the evidence of actual loss, capped by the cover level used.
• Check the deadline promptly. The retail loss policy sets an 80-calendar-day limit from posting. Confirm the applicable terms and waiting period for your label, particularly if it was issued on a business account.
• Use the correct claim route. Keep the tracking number and proof of postage ready. Royal Mail has separate retail and business-account claims guidance.
• Evidence, in one folder. Photos of every item and every hallmark, your home-scale weight for each piece, and the description you gave when the label was requested.
• Confirm higher-value arrangements before posting. Separate items may need separately covered parcels; a single item over the limit needs another suitable arrangement.

Our normal process is for you to submit the claim with our records and assistance, as set out in GoldPaid’s terms. This is not a universal Royal Mail rule that recipients cannot claim: the retail loss policy permits either party to claim but pays only one. If both apply, the sender’s claim normally takes priority. Account services have their own terms. These carrier rules do not change the allocation of responsibility in GoldPaid’s terms.

The five-step process if a parcel goes missing

1. Tell us straight away. Message GoldPaid on WhatsApp or call. We check the tracking with you and confirm whether the parcel has reached us.
2. Confirm the tracking history. Royal Mail’s tracking shows the last scan point. A missing scan does not establish that the parcel is lost. Do not assume a particular recovery time.
3. Check the enquiry route with Royal Mail using the tracking number and the service details we provide. Our process is sender-led, and we help you establish what evidence and waiting period apply.
4. Compile the claim evidence. Your Post Office proof-of-postage receipt with the tracking number is the key document. We add the item description you gave when you requested the label.
5. Follow the confirmed claim route. Under our normal sender-led process you submit the claim with our supporting records. Compensation depends on eligibility, evidence and the terms for the cover level used on the label. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. GoldPaid can confirm the appropriate postal option before you post.

Check the terms for the actual label

The references on this page were checked on 9 October 2026. Read Royal Mail’s retail loss policy or Business Account Claims Centre, as appropriate. A delivery guarantee, a delay refund and compensation for lost contents are separate matters; a missed delivery time does not itself guarantee a loss payment.

Why proof of postage matters most

How to make a loss less likely in the first place

• Hand the parcel in at a staffed Post Office counter, never a postbox.
• Use plain packaging, never write "gold" or "jewellery" on the outside.
• Tell us before posting anything above the confirmed cover. Separate items may need separate covered parcels; one item exceeding the limit needs another suitable arrangement.
• Photograph everything you sent, before you sent it.