We aim to make the price of Postage and Packaging as transparent as possible, so that you can buy from HitchensHotDeals with complete confidence. Our Postage costs are calculated from what it costs us to Pick, Pack, and Post the item. We do not make a profit on the postage cost. Detailed postage costs are shown at the bottom of this page. Please email us at ebay@hitchensretail.co.uk if what you are invoiced does not match what is shown on the table.


How will you send my item?

Most of our items are sent out using Parcelforce, the UK's leading Courier company. With smaller items our Secure Checkout will give you the option of having them posted with Royal Mail, using their Second Class Recorded service. Larger items over 30kg in weight or 1.5m in length are sent with TNT.

PLEASE NOTE ALL OUR COURIERS REQUIRE ITEMS TO BE SIGNED FOR.

When will you send my item?

Your item will normally be dispatched the next working day after we receive cleared payment. We will send an email to your default ebay email address on the day the item will be dispatched. If you do not receive an email, check your spam box, or check the email address you have registered with ebay is correct. We dispatch items from Monday to Friday, but not at weekends or on Bank Holidays.

Can i choose when my item is delivered?

Unfortunately not. All our couriers will attempt delivery within the relevant timescale, and it is not possible to specify a morning or afternoon delivery slot.

What happens if i am out when the courier tries to deliver?

This depends which courier is used. If there is no-one in to sign for the item:

Royal Mail will usually leave a card and return the item to their depot. You can then collect the item from their depot for 1 week after attempted delivery, before they return it to us. Occasionally Royal Mail may leave the item with a neighbour. Please Note it can take up to 2 months for undelivered items to be processed through Royal Mails system and delivered back to us. To re-send items returned to us, we would require postage costs to be paid again.

Parcelforce and TNT will try again the next working day, and if they still cannot deliver it, they will leave a card and return it to their depot. You can then contact them to arrange re-delivery or collection from their depot. Parcelforce may also either leave the item with a neighbour, or at your local Post Office.

Can i get my item delivered to a different address, e.g. a work address?

Yes you can. When you enter your details into our secure checkout, you can choose where you would like the item delivered to. Please Note we ship the item to the shipping address you enter into our secure checkout. We do not use your default ebay or Paypal address.

Do you deliver outside of the UK?

Yes we ship to most European countries, with the exception of some far eastern european countries. We do not ship to any country outside Europe, and there are no exceptions to this. Items shipped to Mainland Europe can take longer then specified to arrive, depending on what immigration and border controls are in place in countries the item may pass through. Detailed postage costs to Europe can be found in the table at the bottom of the page. PLEASE NOTE Larger items over 30kg in weight or 1.5m in length can only be sent to the UK mainland.

Can my item be delivered at the weekend?

Royal Mail items can be delivered at any time Royal Mail normally deliver post. Unfortunately Parcelforce and TNT items cannot be delivered at weekends or on Bank Holidays. Therefore for example if an item is sent out on Parcelforce 24hr Service on a Friday, it will be delivered sometime on the following Monday.

Do you discount postage if I buy more than one item?

With the exception of items that have to be shipped with TNT, yes we do, as long as the items are paid for together. If the items are paid for seperately, our system will process them as seperate sales and will not discount the postage. Please see the table at the bottom of the page for details of postage costs for additional items. If you wish to purchase a large quantity, please email us at ebay@hitchensretail.co.uk to get a quote for postage costs.

What happens if delivery takes longer than expected?

First of all check that payment has been received by us. If your Paypal account is Uncleared, Paypal will send the money as an E-cheque, which can take up to 10 days to clear into our account. Check that the courier hasn't already tried to deliver the item, as it may be held at their depot. If the item was sent with Parcelforce they will have emailed a tracking number to you, which you can use to track the item on their website. If you are still concerned, please email us at ebay@hitchensretail.co.uk. We will then contact our couriers and do everything possible to determine when you can expect the item.


The 'additional item' in the table below is the amount you will pay for postage of additional items if more than one item is bought and paid for together. PLEASE NOTE if you buy an item that can be sent by Royal Mail, together with an item that can only be sent by Parcelforce, both items will need to be sent together using Parcelforce, and the total postage cost will be calculated as such.

PLEASE NOTE Some items will not have all postage options available.

Mainland UK Postage

Courier	Service	Delivery Time	Cost	Additional Item
Royal Mail	2nd Class Rec	3-5 Working Days after dispatch	£3.50	£2.50
Parcelforce	48 hour	2 Working Days after dispatch	£6.50	£3.00
Parcelforce	24 hour	1 Working Day after dispatch	£7.50	£4.00
TNT	30kg - 70kg	1-2 Working Days after dispatch	£20.00	N/A
TNT	Over 70kg	1-2 Working Days after dispatch	£35.00	N/A

If you wish to have a large item sent with TNT to any of the following postcodes in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, please contact us for a postage quote, as postage on large items to these postcodes can be significantly higher than to the rest of the UK.
IV - all postcodes
KW 1-14
PA 34, 37, 38 & 39
PH 19-26, 30-41, 49-50

Northern Ireland + All Offshore Islands

Courier	Service	Delivery Time	Cost	Additional Item
Royal Mail	2nd Class Rec	3-7 Working Days after dispatch	£3.50	£2.50
Parcelforce	48 hour	2-4 Working Days after dispatch	£14.00	£7.00

Channel Islands + Republic of Ireland

Courier	Service	Delivery Time	Cost	Additional Item
Royal Mail	2nd Class Rec	3-7 Working Days after dispatch	£5.00	£3.50
Parcelforce	Euro 48 hour	2-4 Working Days after dispatch	£14.00	£7.00

France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Monaco

Courier	Service	Delivery Time	Cost	Additional Item
Royal Mail	2nd Class Rec	5-10 Working Days after dispatch	£10.00	£5.00
Parcelforce	Euro 48 hour	2-4 Working Days after dispatch	£14.00	£7.00

Rest of Europe

Courier	Service	Delivery Time	Cost	Additional Item
Royal Mail	2nd Class Rec	Dependant on border controls	£14.00	£10.00
Parcelforce	Euro 48 hour	Dependant on border controls	£32.00	£16.00

PLEASE NOTE, Rest of Europe is defined as the following countries only:

Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstien, Malta, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican State.