This article covers how to set up Royal Mail and generate return labels. You can connect Royal Mail two ways: through Ship by Loop (Loop's built-in shipping service, recommended) or through EasyPost.

Use the menu on the left to quickly navigate this article.

Important: If you bring your own Royal Mail account (through Ship by Loop or EasyPost), it must be an Online Business Account (OBA) enabled for the Tracked Returns 48 service type. If you use Loop's negotiated Royal Mail rates instead, you can enable the carrier without your own account.

Ship by Loop is Loop's built-in shipping service and the recommended way to connect Royal Mail. You can either use Loop's negotiated Royal Mail rates or bring your own Royal Mail account.

Before you begin:

• If you're bringing your own Royal Mail account, it must be an Online Business Account (OBA) enabled for Tracked Returns 48 (see the callout above). This isn't required if you use Loop's negotiated rates.

• UK/EU shipping must be enabled on your Loop account. If it isn't, contact your Merchant Success Manager or support@loopreturns.com.

Important: You can only have Ship by Loop or EasyPost enabled — they're the same underlying provider and can't both be active. If you currently connect Royal Mail through EasyPost (see the section below), disconnect that EasyPost integration before enabling Ship by Loop.

Follow these steps to connect Royal Mail through Ship by Loop:

1. In the Loop admin, expand Returns management in the left navigation, click Shipping, then click Shipping services.

2. On the Shipping services page, click Connect shipping service, then in the modal click Connect next to Ship by Loop. (Skip this step if Ship by Loop is already connected.) Complete the Ship by Loop – Account Setup form (primary contact name, phone, email) and click Submit.

Note: Royal Mail labels are billed by invoice on your Loop bill, so you don't need to set up a prepaid shipping wallet (wallets are only required for wallet-based US carriers).

3. Open the Carrier Directory (click Manage carriers on the Ship by Loop page). Search for Royal Mail and click the Royal Mail tile — this opens the Royal Mail page on the Registration tab. Choose one of the two options:

• Use Loop's negotiated rates: under Negotiated rate account, click Enable. No additional information is required.

• Bring your own Royal Mail account: under Bring your own carrier account, enter your Account Number, OBA Email Address, Posting Location Number, OBA Access Code (optional), and Contact Name, then enable the account.

4. Link Royal Mail to your return policy. Customers won't receive Royal Mail labels until the carrier is linked to a policy: go to Return policies, edit the relevant policy, turn on label generation, select Ship by Loop, and assign the Royal Mail carrier account. Click Save. (For more detail, see Carrier Accounts by Return Policy.)

5. Test the connection by following these label generation testing instructions to confirm a label generates.

Note: Royal Mail ships on the Tracked Returns 48 service and requires package dimensions on every label. If you need to set or adjust the service type or dimensions, use the Configuration tab on the Royal Mail carrier page. If that tab isn't available in your portal, contact your Merchant Success Manager or support@loopreturns.com to confirm these settings.

Note: Royal Mail connections can take 2–5 business days to activate, so start this process early.

If you aren't using Ship by Loop, you can connect Royal Mail through EasyPost. Generating labels for Royal Mail through EasyPost requires the Tracked Returns 48 service type, which requires additional onboarding with EasyPost. For more detail, see EasyPost's Royal Mail Guide.

Note: There is a 2–5 day delay for connecting Royal Mail via EasyPost, and onboarding can take up to two weeks — start the process as early as possible.

1. In EasyPost, go to Account Settings and select the Carriers tab.

2. Select Add Carrier and use the search field to find Royal Mail.

3. Add the merchant's Royal Mail account credentials, then click Create.

4. After adding Royal Mail to EasyPost, email support@easypost.com to start onboarding. Provide:

• A heads up that the merchant needs to onboard its Royal Mail account to use for return labels with Loop.

• Account data EasyPost needs to verify the account with Royal Mail: the Royal Mail account number, the PLN (Posting Location Number), and the email on the Royal Mail OBA.

• Contract details for the Tracked Returns 48 service type — EasyPost needs the contract number to load the contracted services. They'll provide a form to complete.

5. Once the Royal Mail account is fully onboarded, EasyPost will notify the merchant that setup is complete.

6. Alert the merchant's Loop Onboarding Specialist (or support@loopreturns.com) that (a) Royal Mail is onboarded with EasyPost and (b) the merchant's Loop admin needs to be enabled for the Tracked Returns 48 service type.

7. Once Loop confirms Tracked Returns 48 is selected for the merchant's Royal Mail service type, follow these label generation testing instructions to confirm a Tracked Returns 48 label generates.

For questions about Royal Mail setup, please reach out to support@loopreturns.com.