The “galling” extra delivery costs paid out by people across the north have been revealed in an eye-opening region by region breakdown.
Earlier this week it emerged that Scots were paying £36.3million a year more than the rest of the UK does to have items delivered.
Now, fresh statistics have laid bare the sums stumped up by people in different parts of the Highlands and in Moray.
Customers in Inverness and Nairn shelled out a staggering £13.98million extra on delivery fees across the last year.
People living in Caithness, Sutherland and Ross paid £3.86million, those in Argyll and Bute paid £3.77million and Na h-Eilenan an Iar residents forked out an additional £2.54million.
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP, Kate Forbes, said the extra £3.84million her constituents were being forced to pay was “scandalous”.
She added: “The scandal of retailers charging almost £4million to customers in Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch has never looked like such a rip-off.
“That means that customers who have purchased goods online this Christmas have paid over the odds and lined the pockets of retailers and delivery firms who think nothing of over-charging Highland consumers.”
The figures were obtained by Moray MSP Richard Lochhead, whose own constituents paid an extra £2.28million.
He said: “These charges are often imposed without any justification, which is galling for customers shopping online.
“It is especially galling that some retailers will post items to the north for free, while others impose this tax.”
People in Orkney paid an additional £1.39million, while those on Shetland were charged a combined £1.73million extra.
The analysis was carried out by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, as efforts to end the practice gained the backing of the Advertising Standards Authority this week.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said the figures would prove useful when the UK Government completes a report on the matter, which is due to be published in April.
He added: “This is exactly the type of information we need, these are tangible figures we can use to show the scale of the problem.”
Mr Lochhead has launched a website asking people to share their own delivery charges horror tales.
More than 2,200 people have pledged their support at www.fairdeliverycharges.scot
