To a parcel locker or pick-up point: will your box actually fit?
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
A parcel locker is a cabinet with fixed compartments: what doesn't fit, won't go in. This way, you choose box sizes that always fit, from letterbox packages to large parcels.
You’re at the parcel locker, you scan the code, the compartment opens — and your box just doesn’t fit. Or worse: you’re told at the collection point that the package is too big for the locker and that the recipient has to pick it up elsewhere. That’s a shame, because in almost all cases, it wasn’t the product but the box around it that was the problem. A few centimeters less would have made all the difference.
Parcel lockers are increasingly used in the Netherlands: you drop off when it suits you and the recipient picks up when it suits them. But a locker is literally a cabinet with compartments. What doesn't fit, doesn't go in. Below, we list the dimensions that matter, where things usually go wrong, and how to adjust your packaging accordingly.
A locker is not a counter
At a service point behind the counter, there's still some leeway: bending something, tilting something, someone thinking along. Not with a locker. The largest compartment has a fixed size and your package must be able to go in in one movement. According to PostNL's customer service page about the parcel and letter locker, a maximum of 70 x 35 x 50 cm (width x height x depth) applies there. This is ample for most webshop packages, but tight for anything long and rigid: posters in a tube, a saucepan in a box, a picture frame.
Please note: carriers regularly adjust their terms and conditions, and other carriers use their own sizes and sometimes their own types of lockers. So always check the current information with the carrier you're shipping with before purchasing a large batch of boxes. We list the figures as they appeared on postnl.nl at the time of writing.
The dimensions that really matter
Besides the locker itself, the shipping format determines what you pay. On its page about dimensions and weight for domestic shipments, PostNL distinguishes, among others:
Format
Maximum dimension
Maximum weight
Letterbox parcel
38 x 26.5 x 3.2 cm
2 kg
Small parcel
38 x 28 x 15 cm
3 kg
Medium parcel
100 x 50 x 50 cm
10 kg
Large parcel
176 x 78 x 58 cm
23 kg
Do you see it? A medium package of 100 cm long fits the carrier's format perfectly, but won't fit in a 70 cm wide locker. The opposite is also true: almost anything you send as a small package will fit effortlessly into a locker. So, those who keep their assortment within the small formats rarely have problems.
The 3.2 centimeters where things usually go wrong
If you want to stay within the letterbox rate, height is the bottleneck. Not the length, not the weight — that 3.2 cm. A box 2.8 cm high gives you just enough leeway for tape and a little bit of bulging. Our recycled letterbox box in A6 (180 x 115 x 28 mm, 100 pieces) costs €17.95 per bundle; the A5+ version (255 x 160 x 28 mm, 100 pieces) is €24.00. Both remain well within 3.2 cm as long as you don't overfill them.
Overfilling is precisely the pitfall. A 28 mm box that you stuff until it bulges will suddenly measure 35 mm in the measuring tool. Rule of thumb: if the lid doesn't close flat without you pressing on it, the package won't pass as a letterbox parcel. In that case, it's better to choose flatter packaging, for example, a flat cardboard box of 13.5 x 8.7 x 2.6 cm (€1.99) for small items.
How to choose boxes that always fit
It saves a lot of hassle if you consciously choose your box sizes within limits instead of improvising per order. Three practical steps:
Measure your three best-selling products — including the filling you want around them. That's your starting point, not the box you happen to have on hand.
Check the longest dimension against the locker. If your largest box stays under 70 cm on its longest side, then every shipment can, in principle, go via a locker.
If you sell something where the packaging is part of the experience, it can perfectly align with these dimensions. A holographic shipping box of 20 x 13 x 3 cm (€3.99) is flat enough to go as a letterbox package and still looks like a gift when opened.
Preparing for shipping without losing centimeters
Filling and tape count towards the height. So, be economical at the top and generous at the sides. With a roll of bubble wrap measuring 500 mm x 500 m (€12.95), you can wrap a product tightly instead of placing loose wads around it; this saves height and prevents shifting.
For sealing, one strip over the seam works better than three crisscrossing. Use packaging tape of 50 meters x 48 mm (€3.00), and if you're sending more than a few packages a day, a tape dispenser with two rolls (€9.95). If you're sending something valuable, a VOID security seal (60 pieces, €9.95) visibly indicates whether the box has been opened en route — especially useful with lockers, where no one is watching.
Is the label flat and fully affixed to one surface, so the scanner can read it?
Does nothing rattle when you shake the box?
Does the recipient know that the package will be at a locker, and until when they can pick it up?
Everything you need above can be found in our collections of letterbox packaging, packaging and shipping, tape, and envelopes. If you're unsure which box size suits your product, or want to know what a bundle of 100 pieces costs you per package? Email your dimensions to info@verpakkingdeals.nl and we'll calculate it for you.
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