Parcel etiquette

[Turt]

If you take in a parcel for your neighbour, do you drop it to them or do you wait for them to collect it?

take it round to them. We live in the country and as neighbours we look out for each other. We always wave if we pass them when going out in the car. It would be seen as a huge insult if we were not to greet them.

Generally, I'd expect them to collect it, but if they don't and I'm going out, or remember as I'm coming in and see a car there, I'll drop it round. It's no big deal either way.
Sometimes the courier forgets to put a card through or it gets lost or they've been round and missed you. Can't get worked up about dropping it in for someone. Equally - around me at least - other neighbours are the same. Sometimes they come for their parcels and occasionally they bring a parcel over to us.

Bit if both here too. I try to call round to pick it up but they sometimes knock to pass it over. Just depends on what’s convenient

I see it as a mutual task if I take a package in a neighbour's behalf, but a lot of our neighbours are home all day so if I come home to a missed package I immediately go to the neighbour's to collect it so they don't have to bother.

How late in the day is too late to drop it round to them? I was off mid-week and was able to take in a rug for my neighbour but I'm not home until near 7pm every night. They know it's at ours and know we get in late but haven't knocked to get it

They come and collect. Apart from anything else I'm not going to know if they are home or not.

If we see each other come home we'll drop it round. If not, we'll collect from them or vice versa.

I wait for them to collect, maybe put a note through their door saying we will be home at x,y or z time on certain days.

I would never take a parcel to their house, I’m not a courier and I’ve done them a favour taking it in in the first place.

The only exception I make is for the lady over the road as she walks with a crutch because of a bad knee and a lady a few doors down who is lovely and has three dcs under 4 and a husband who works away for weeks at a time so I know rounding the dcs up to go a few doors up to collect a parcel is a faff for her.

Our neighbours often drop things round as they see us coming in from school run. If there's a card and they haven't dropped over, we'd knock at their door some time we see they're around. It's rarer we've had parcels for them but if we notice them getting back we'll similarly drop over. I don't think it's an etiquette about who does it, more who notices that the other is in. 7-8 when you get in would be fine I'd think.

@JollyAndBright you know taking the parcel round is actually less effort than posting a note, right?

I've taken in 2 parcels (2 separate days) for my neighbours over the past week and they haven't collected... Going to give in and pop over this evening, but I'm sure etiquette dictates that you come and collect your parcels when your neighbour has taken them in for you! I think it's slightly rude not to.

I usually wait for the neighbours to collect it.

Although if it was something big and in the way - i imagine this would be the case for a rug - I’d be making more of an effort to either drop it round, or leave a note telling them when I’d be in and asking them to come get it.

And posting a note is not more effort than taking a parcel round.
Parcels are bigger, heavier, sometimes difficult to carry, and then you have to knock and wait for the neighbour to open the door, and if they’re out or ignore your knocking you have to drag the damn parcel back home again. There’s none of that inconvenience with posting a bit of paper through their letterbox.

Either, our front doors are only 20ft apart, no steps and we can instantly see when each other is likely to be at home by the presence or absence of cars. It's no bother at all.

Depends. I have a first small hallway so if they haven’t picked it up within 24 hours then I drop it off. I wouldn’t cut off my nose to spite my face by waiting ages for someone to come over, after all they might not have received the card.

The rug is huge and I'm also heavily pregnant - which they know!

They have 2 cars as do we but neither of us use both cars daily so I am unsure when they're in either. It's annoying as this isn't the first time they've done this and it always seems to be huge parcels.

We won't be home until gone 10pm tonight and then working at the weekend too. Grrr!

@Turt if they're taking the piss just stop accepting them

No wonder they are finding it hard to know when you are in to collect. I think 10 woukd be too late for calling on neighbours. If you don't want to carry it then just knocking and saying could you come over and fetch the rug now would work, but not if you don't know if they're in either. Can't you tell if they have lights on when you're coming in at 7?
Maybe if you pop a note through the door with your mobile number, you could get in contact that way. Then you could just message each other to find out when you're both in.

@thirdfiddle we're out for a meal tonight, 10pm is a rare occurrence. Yes they'd know when we came in as we come in after them and it's a very quiet private road so you do hear cars/doors being opened.

@ AmIThough I would only post them a note if I was only going to be in/it would only be convenient for me at specific times or if it had been a few days and the parcel was still sitting in my porch.

Most of the time I’d happily leave it until they come and get it.

If they’re in the habit of not coming round for their parcels reasonably quickly, then personally I’d stop accepting large parcels for them.

Surely just pop round and ask them to come and get it. If they're not in, try again later or the next day. They might not know its there, cards can get missed in a pile of mail, or picked up by a DC and fallen down the back of the hall table (done that before).

@ExpletiveDEVILighted but the issue I think is if I've done you a favour, have some curtesy about it and come get it. I shouldn't have to tell you your parcel is at mine as you're aware what you've ordered. Ps.. they have no kids just a cat!

Maybe they didn't get the card. Maybe they're worried about disturbing you. Maybe they're not curtain twitching and don't realise you're in. Maybe they've already knocked five times and you weren't there.
Is there going to be a sudden reveal that this is actually a country estate and neighbours are a km trek away? Cos otherwise I don't see the great difficulty of knocking on the door or sending a text message to tell them to come and get it now.
I think if you're this bothered about knocking on a door it is probably best not to take in parcels. It does seem to be bothering you, and maybe best to get the couriers out of the habit of ringing your bell before you also have the worry of waking a sleeping baby anyway.

@thirdfiddle no they live next door but it's a quiet road with only 6 houses on it.

I was generally asking for the etiquette of it and what others do because I know they got the card as the courier had it in his hand to put in their letterbox after handing me this rug. But this will be last I collect as I am not their personal sorting office

We take in for 6 different neighbours and expect then to collect from us. The only one we won't take in for anymore sent their child over to ask us to bring it over. We are both disabled/elderly, they aren't, we said no, two days later Mum came over for parcel.