How long a parcel stays at a pickup point depends on the carrier and on where you collect it: a shop, a parcel locker or a post office. With La Poste, the French postal service, a Colissimo parcel stays 14 days at a pickup point and 5 days in a Pickup Station locker (La Poste). The exact deadline is in the text message or email telling you the parcel has arrived. After that, the parcel is normally sent back to the sender.
Holding period by carrier: the table
We only give a number of days when the carrier's official page confirms it. Otherwise, the cell links to the carrier's terms: the figures you find on other websites often contradict each other and are sometimes several years old.
Post office, after a missed delivery card: see La Poste's terms. In every case, the deadline given in your "parcel ready" message is the one that counts.
Collection time with Colissimo, Mondial Relay, Chronopost and the others
How long to collect a Colissimo parcel
According to La Poste's help pages, a Colissimo parcel (La Poste's parcel service) delivered to a pickup point (a Pickup partner shop) stays there 14 days, and 5 days in a Pickup Station locker. The same page says these periods do not change in summer. It does not say exactly when the period starts, nor whether it can be extended: go by the date in your message. For a parcel held at a post office after a missed delivery card, see La Poste's Colissimo page.
How long to collect a Mondial Relay parcel
The period depends on Mondial Relay's terms, at a Point Relais® as well as in a Locker: check its help page. Different figures circulate online, some of them old: only the official page and your "parcel ready" text message count.
How long to collect a Chronopost parcel
Chronopost parcels are collected through the Pickup network, at a shop or in a Pickup Station locker. The period depends on Chronopost's terms: check its help pages.
DPD, Relais Colis, UPS, GLS and Colis Privé
Each carrier sets its own period: DPD, Relais Colis, UPS, GLS (general terms and conditions) and Colis Privé. The number of days is also given in the message telling you the parcel has arrived.
Amazon and Vinted Go
For an Amazon order or a Vinted purchase, the deadline appears in the "parcel ready" message and in the app. The rules are in Amazon's help pages and Vinted's help centre.
How do you find your parcel's deadline?
- The "parcel ready" text message or email: it gives the pickup point's address, the collection code and the deadline.
- The missed delivery card, for a parcel held at a post office.
- The carrier's online tracking: track your parcel and see its deadline.
- The app of the carrier or the platform (Vinted, Leboncoin, the French classifieds site, Amazon).
Do Sundays and closing days count?
It depends on the carrier: some count calendar days (Sundays and public holidays included), others count working days, and the official pages do not always say which. The safest approach is to take the date in your message literally and not to wait until the last day.
If the pickup point is closed on the day you planned to go, see what to do if the pickup point is closed. To collect at the weekend, think of parcel lockers and shops that open on Sundays.
Pickup points open on Sundays in the largest cities:
Can you extend the holding period?
We have not found an extension rule confirmed by an official page for any carrier. If you cannot get there in time, contact the carrier's customer service before the deadline, or ask someone close to you to collect your parcel.
Uncollected parcel: what happens?
The parcel goes back to the sender
Once the period is over, an uncollected parcel is normally sent back to the sender. The tracking then shows a return status. How long the return takes is not guaranteed and varies by carrier.
Will you get a refund?
There is no single rule: it all depends on the seller's terms of sale, or on the platform's rules for a purchase between individuals. We found no official source on return costs that might be charged to the recipient: read the terms and conditions of sale of the site where you bought the item.
Bought on Vinted: see Vinted's help centre. Amazon order: see Amazon's help pages.
If you are the sender
If you sold an item to another individual, the uncollected parcel is normally sent back to you. Keep an eye on the tracking and keep your proof of drop-off. If the return never arrives, see parcel not found or return never received.
Pickup point, parcel locker or post office: which gives you the most time?
Parcel lockers usually have the shortest periods. With La Poste, the difference is clear: 5 days in a Pickup Station locker, against 14 days at a pickup point (La Poste). If you are not sure when you can go, choose a shop pickup point instead. See pickup point or parcel locker: the differences.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a parcel stay at a pickup point?
It depends on the carrier and the place. With La Poste: 14 days at a pickup point and 5 days in a Pickup Station locker. For the others, the deadline is in your "parcel ready" message and on the carrier's help page.
What happens if I don't collect my parcel?
After the deadline, the parcel is normally sent back to the sender. Any refund depends on the seller's or the platform's terms. See uncollected parcel.
How many days do I have to collect a Mondial Relay parcel?
It depends on Mondial Relay's terms: check its help page and the date given in your "parcel ready" text message, which is the one that counts.
How long does La Poste keep a parcel?
A Colissimo parcel stays 14 days at a pickup point and 5 days in a Pickup Station locker, according to La Poste's help pages. For a parcel at a post office after a missed delivery card, see the Colissimo page.
Can I ask for the holding period to be extended?
No extension rule is confirmed by the official pages we checked. Contact the carrier's customer service before the deadline, or ask someone close to you to collect the parcel.
Do Sundays count in the holding period?
It depends on the carrier (calendar days or working days). Take the deadline in your message literally and go before it.
Sources
Official pages checked for this guide (in French). Carriers' terms can change: the notice saying your parcel is ready (text message, email, app) always prevails.
- La Poste help: delivery to retail pickup points and Pickup lockers, checked on 20 October 2026: 14 days at a pickup point, 5 days in a Pickup Station locker, unchanged in summer
- La Poste: receiving a Colissimo parcel at a pickup point, checked on 20 October 2026: post office holding period to be read on the page, not repeated here
- Mondial Relay: help, checked on 20 October 2026: holding period to be read on the page, not repeated here
- Chronopost: help, checked on 20 October 2026: holding period to be read on the page, not repeated here
- DPD France: recipient questions, checked on 20 October 2026: holding period to be read on the page, not repeated here
- Relais Colis: frequently asked questions, checked on 20 October 2026: holding period to be read on the page, not repeated here
- UPS France: tracking support, checked on 20 October 2026: holding period to be read on the page, not repeated here
- GLS France: general terms and conditions 2026, checked on 20 October 2026: holding period to be read in the document, not repeated here
- Amazon: help, checked on 20 October 2026: holding period to be read on the page, not repeated here
- Vinted: help centre, checked on 20 October 2026: holding period and refund to be read on the page, not repeated here
- Colis Privé: official website, checked on 20 October 2026: holding period to be read on the website, not repeated here
Written by the Relais autour de moi team, an independent site not affiliated with any carrier. All our guides: the parcel pickup point guide.
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