Parcels and pallets to France
With 67 million consumers and a growing e-commerce revenue year on year, France is the market to target as a Dutch or Belgian webshop. The French parcel market counted approximately 1.7 billion shipments in 2024 (source: Arcep) and generated €15.5 billion in sector revenue. Market leader Colissimo (La Poste) handles 35-40% of all deliveries, followed by Chronopost, DPD France, Mondial Relay and GLS.
What makes the French market unique: consumers are used to points relais. Nearly a third of all online orders are collected at a pickup point. If you don't offer a point relais option in your checkout, you lose conversions immediately. Wuunder makes it possible to display home delivery and point relais options side by side, tailored to your customer's delivery address.
Available carriers for France
Colissimo dominates the home delivery market, Mondial Relay is the undisputed leader in point relais deliveries, and Chronopost serves the express segment. Below are the most popular services via Wuunder.
| Carrier | Service | Transit NL-FR | Parcel / Pallet |
|---|---|---|---|
| DHL Ecommerce | Europlus | 2-3 business days | Parcel & Pallet |
| DPD | Business | 2-3 business days | Parcel |
| DPD | Home | 2-3 business days | Parcel |
| GLS | Business parcel | 2-3 business days | Parcel |
| PostNL | International parcel | 2-3 business days | Parcel |
| Mondial Relay | Standard | 3-5 business days | Parcel |
| DHL Express | Worldwide | Next day | Parcel & Pallet |
| FedEx | International Priority | Next day | Parcel & Pallet |
| TNT | Express | Next day | Parcel & Pallet |
| UPS | Express Saver | 1-2 business days | Parcel |
| Chronopost | Express | Next day | Parcel |
| DSV (Schenker) | Pallet / Groupage | 3-4 business days | Pallet |
We also create the perfect shipping experience for these brands
How does shipping to France work with Wuunder?
Setup & integration
Connect your webshop and configure which French delivery options you want to offer. Wuunder integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Lightspeed and custom API connections.
Smart checkout for France
PuzzlPack calculates the optimal package dimensions and only shows delivery options that actually fit, including points relais and lockers. Rates are compared live. Based on your shipping rules, the platform automatically selects the best combination of price and speed.
Processing & labelling
Orders flow into your WMS, are automatically booked with the selected carrier, and the label is generated instantly. Pickup is arranged or you drop off at a drop-off location.
Tracking & returns
Your French customer tracks the shipment via Wuunder Track and can easily create a return label through the returns portal with drop-off at a point relais.
Points relais: essential in France
No other Western European country relies on pickup points as heavily as France. Around 32% of all online orders are collected at a point relais. This is not a "nice to have" but a hard conversion requirement.
Available networks via Wuunder:
- La Poste / Colissimo: 17,000+ bureaux de poste and pickup points
- Mondial Relay: 11,000+ Points Relais
- DPD France (Relais Colis): 8,500+ relay points
- UPS: 6,000+ Access Points
- GLS: 4,000+ ParcelShops
The Wuunder Parcel Shop Locator automatically displays the nearest point relais based on your customer's postcode, and filters by package dimensions (via PuzzlPack).
What to consider when shipping to France?
- Points relais required for conversion: without a pickup option, a large portion of your French customers will abandon their cart
- Corsica and DOM-TOM: shipments to Corsica, Réunion, Martinique, Guadeloupe and other overseas territories fall outside standard pricing. Not all carriers serve these destinations. Wuunder filters automatically.
- Timed delivery is becoming standard: Chronopost and DPD offer delivery windows. French customers increasingly expect this.
- Remote area surcharges: rural areas in central and southern France incur extra costs with some carriers
- Volumetric weight for express: UPS, FedEx and DHL Express invoice the higher of actual or volumetric weight
No customs, but environmental registration required
France is within the EU single market: no customs documents, no import duties. VAT is settled via the standard OSS mechanism.
What is mandatory: registration with CITEO for the French EPR obligation (Extended Producer Responsibility). Every webshop that ships packaging to French consumers must be registered, including from abroad. No registration = risk of fines and a sales ban.
Control your costs
- Resell rates: no contract of your own? Access competitive DHL and DPD rates without minimum volume through our resell partners
- Mondial Relay as budget option: ideal as a low-cost alternative alongside home delivery
- Carrier-mix strategy: standard parcels via DPD or GLS, urgent shipments via Chronopost or DHL Express
- PuzzlPack: automatically select the smallest packaging and avoid volumetric weight surcharges
Optimise your checkout for the French market
French shoppers click on Colissimo, Chronopost, DPD and Mondial Relay. PostNL means nothing to them. So only show carriers they recognise, always offer a point relais option, and translate your entire checkout and tracking into French. Have physical stores in France? Display them as a pickup option. Configure which services are visible per country to prevent confusion and boost conversion.
Returns from France
French consumers return less than German ones, but still expect a smooth process. With Wuunder Returns you offer:
- Return labels with drop-off at Mondial Relay, DPD, Colissimo or UPS points relais
- QR code returns without a printer
- Branded returns portal with exchange option
- Automatic return tracking via Wuunder Track
Ready to enter the French market? Book a free 15-minute scan.
We analyse your current shipping process and show which carrier mix, services and rates work best for France.
FAQ
Q: What is the cheapest carrier for France?
A: DPD Business and GLS offer the sharpest standard rates. For point relais deliveries, Mondial Relay is the most affordable choice. Wuunder compares live per shipment on price, speed and availability.
Q: What is the transit time to France?
A: Standard shipments arrive in 2-3 business days. Chronopost, DHL Express and UPS offer next-day options with a guaranteed delivery window.
Q: Can I ship pallets to France?
A: Yes. DHL Europlus Pallet, TNT and DSV offer pallet transport to business addresses throughout France.
Q: How do returns from France work?
A: Customers create a label through your branded returns portal and drop off at a point relais (Mondial Relay, DPD, Colissimo or UPS). QR codes available, no printer needed.
Q: Is CITEO registration mandatory?
A: Yes. All webshops shipping packaged products to French consumers must be registered with CITEO, regardless of where they are based. Without registration you risk fines and a sales ban on the French market.
Q: Why are points relais so important in France?
A: Around 32% of all French online orders are collected at a point relais. Not offering this option directly leads to higher cart abandonment.
Q: Do you also deliver to Corsica?
A: Not all carriers serve Corsica and French overseas territories. Wuunder automatically filters which services are available based on the postcode. Expect longer transit times and adjusted pricing.
Related destinations
Also explore our pages on shipping to other popular European destinations:
- Ship to Germany
- Ship to the UK
- View all carriers →