UK sellers
Proof of postage proves you posted something. It does not prove what was inside it.
Almost every seller who loses an empty-parcel dispute lost it holding a document they believed was protection. Here is what each kind of evidence actually establishes, and which one answers a contents claim.
By Mason Hughes at ParcelProof, which records how a parcel was packed and opened so a seller can answer “it arrived empty”. This guide is written to be useful whether or not you ever use it.
Last checked 8 August 2026. Courier policies change; always confirm on the courier’s own site before you rely on a deadline.
There are three different things a UK seller might need to prove, and they are routinely confused with one another:
- That you posted something. A certificate of posting, a Royal Mail receipt, a drop-off scan.
- That it arrived. Tracking, a delivery scan, a signature, a photo on a doorstep.
- What was inside it. Almost nothing you currently hold.
A buyer claiming an empty box is not disputing the first two. They usually agree the parcel was posted and agree it arrived. They are disputing the third, and it is the one thing the postal system was never designed to record.
Why this catches people out
Royal Mail now gives free digital proof of posting at postboxes and in the app, so more sellers than ever are holding a document that feels like protection. It is genuinely useful, and it is evidence of posting. It says nothing about contents.
What each kind of evidence actually proves
| Evidence | Proves | Answers an empty-parcel claim? |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of posting | You posted an item | No |
| Tracking number | It moved and was delivered | No |
| Delivery photo | Something arrived at an address | No |
| Signature on delivery | Someone received it | No |
| Courier weight at drop-off | The parcel had mass | Partly |
| A record of the packing | What went in, and when | Directly |
The weight scan almost nobody asks for
If you have already been accused and you did not record anything, this is the strongest thing left. Most UK couriers weigh parcels when they are accepted and again at sorting hubs. That figure comes from the carrier, not from you and not from the buyer, which is exactly what makes it worth something.
A parcel logged at 640g at drop-off is hard to reconcile with an empty box and a bubble mailer. Ask the courier, in writing, for the recorded weight at acceptance and at any subsequent scan. Some retain it, some do not, and none of them volunteer it.
Ask for it early
Scan data is not kept forever, and the request is easier to make while a claim reference is open. If you are mid-dispute right now, do this before you do anything else on this page.
Where a packing video helps, and where it does not
The honest position, which the marketplaces themselves will not put in writing: a video helps considerably with a courier claim, and unpredictably with a marketplace case. Sellers report both outcomes on every platform. Anyone telling you a video guarantees a win is selling something.
There is also a real objection worth stating plainly, because a dispute handler will think it even if they do not say it. A packing video is a file the seller controls. It can be shot with a decoy item, re-recorded, or edited after the fact. That is precisely why resolution teams discount ordinary phone footage.
What changes that is not resolution or watermarking. It is whether the record can still be altered after the moment it was made. A recording that is sealed to a reference at the point of packing, with a history that can only be added to, is a different kind of artefact from a video file in a camera roll. It still is not proof of honesty. It is proof the account has not been rewritten since.
If you are in a dispute right now
- Do not refund immediately. Once money moves, most courier claim routes close behind it.
- Ask the courier for the weight and scan history in writing, quoting the tracking number.
- Ask the buyer for photographs of the packaging as it arrived, including the seams and any seal. A genuinely empty parcel usually shows how it got that way.
- Open the courier claim within the window, even if you expect the marketplace to rule against you. They are separate processes with separate deadlines.
The courier route is covered in detail for the two carriers most UK sellers use: Royal Mail and Evri.
Common questions
Is proof of postage enough if a buyer says the parcel was empty?
No. A certificate of posting records that an item of a certain weight and size was accepted for carriage on a date. It records nothing about what was inside it. An empty-parcel claim is a dispute about contents, so proof of postage does not answer it.
Does tracking prove what was in the parcel?
No. Tracking proves the parcel moved and was delivered. In a contents dispute the buyer usually agrees the parcel arrived, so tracking confirms the one fact nobody is arguing about.
Does the courier's weight scan help?
Sometimes, and it is the most overlooked artefact available to a seller. Most UK couriers weigh parcels at intake and at sorting hubs. If a parcel was recorded at 640g at drop-off and the buyer says it arrived empty, that is a fact from a third party rather than from either side of the argument. You have to ask for it, and it is not always retained.
Do marketplaces accept video evidence?
It varies, and none of them promise to. Sellers on every platform report both outcomes. What is reliably true is that couriers adjudicate formal claims on submitted evidence, so a record is worth more in a courier claim than in a marketplace case.
Sources
- Retail compensation policy for loss — Royal Mail
- If something you ordered hasn't arrived — Citizens Advice
Links checked 14 August 2026. If one has moved, tell us and we will fix it.