I’ve always had an issue with getting stuff delivered when ordering online and I’d come across Parcel Motel in September on the recommendation of a mate. It works by sending whatever you’ve ordered to an address in either the Republic or the North and then your parcel is delivered to a collection point close to your home (there seems to be about 70 odd). You ramble up at your convenience with a PIN number that’s been sent to your phone and collect it. Each delivery costs you €3.50 and you can top up with credit on their site. I use it predominantly for Amazon as they offer a lot of items with free UK delivery, meaning you get it sooner and often for cheaper.
One pro-tip I’d give in the run in to Christmas is to sign up for the Amazon Prime one month trial. With it you get unlimited next day UK delivery so all you pay is the Parcel Motel fee. You can cancel it at the end of the month for free or continue it for £49 a year. The Parcel Motel site could use some UX love but I reckon I’ll certainly be using the service for a good while to come.