Cheap Parcel Delivery Official Discussion

buglawton

You don't need a parcel service you need a freight forwarding agent. It can be surprisingly cheap by ship but you need to add in all the freight forwarder's fees (they handle customs for you & invoice you for it).

iieee

Hmm well I got my parcel collected today in the end. It was the courier's (City Link) fault rather than Parcel Monkey. The driver went to an address a few roads away (completely different street name) for reasons best known to himself, and left a card as the woman was out. He went back there again today but luckily she was in and pointed out that he was at completely the wrong place! Looks like I would still be waiting if she hadn't been in though!! Think I'll stick to DHL next time, even if it is a 48 hour service they always seem to deliver in 24 anyway (and they know where my house is!!!)

ScaramangaFife

cem wrote: »

Didn't see the point of starting a new thread as a this thread already exists.

Anyone know a company (or two) who can move around 200KG of paper from Pakistan and India to the UK ? (doesnt matter whether its shipping or by air) need it to be cheap

Thanks

Hi we import a lot of paper based items as well as other goods to the UK from India. I cannot help you with Pakistan and you may be able to transfer the paper from one country to the other and forward as a single consignment to the UK, but this is fraught with Indian / Pakistani border issues.
Where is the paper located in India?
If it is near a large city you should get very competitive courier rates to the UK. Delhi to the UK could be as low as INR180 / kg (just under £3) and it could arrive as quickly as four days. Goods sent on a Saturday will arrive on Tuesday.
If the paper is some distance from a main couier hub a local courier will have to forward it to onto the larger courier (TNT / DHL / Fedex / Aramex / Legend / EPS). That cost is usually low, but of course depends on where it is coming from. The courier will complete the local paperwork and customs formalities. Another factor you will need to consider is getting it packed well enough for it to travel to the UK. Typically parcels will pass through many more hubs / hubs than in the UK and are usually treated roughly. Your supplier may be able to help or the local / international courier can aslo help. Finding a good local courier can sometimes be a problem as they tend to be small offices with no tracking facilities. A parcel can often travel 1000km before the tracking starts at a large city.
Another oprion is airfreight for that you will need a freight forwarder as suggested and typically this is airport to airport e.g. Delhi to Heathrow. You have to arrange the customs clearance and delivery to / from the airports at both ends. Personally I think a courier is the best option for 200kg of goods. AF rates for 200kg from Delhi are around INR130 / kg (£2). AF and courier rates have recently inceased by 5-10%, but this is expected to be a short-term rise, probably due the volcano ash cloud.

ScaramangaFife

cem wrote: »

Didn't see the point of starting a new thread as a this thread already exists.

Anyone know a company (or two) who can move around 200KG of paper from Pakistan and India to the UK ? (doesnt matter whether its shipping or by air) need it to be cheap

Thanks

Hi, I did not touch on sea freight. It is unlikely to be cost effective. This quantity will need to be sent as LCL (less than a container load) i.e. consolidated with other people's cargo and stuffed in a conatiner. You will need to crate the paper and not just box it. There are various port formalities and charges including THC (terminal handling charges) and customs. From Mumbai you can get a CBM for as little as USD30 to Felixstowe, but then there are quite a few customs and handling charges in the UK as well as the overland haulage to where you are.
Time to the UK is 21 days ocean sailing as well as 2-3 days in the UK unloading and another 4-5 days in India as well as getting the consignment to the port. Hope this helps.

buglawton

Seriously, for 200KG, freight is likely to be the most cost effective.

But cem hasn't mentioned the context - is this paper being transported as material or is it bulk documents with value?

the182guy

Recently had some experience with ParcelMonkey and I have to say the service was very good. I will be using them in future instead of the Post Office.

greyhaireddad

Can anyone give me advice on which courier reseller to use to send long parcels? I have some garden tools to sell which are about 1.7m long, but even with cardboard wrapping, the width and depth are only about 20cm x 10cm. Weight is about 2.5kg.

If this parcel was the same weight and a little shorter, it would only cost £5.95 + VAT with parcels to go (who I normally use), but the cheapest I can find anywhere is about £14 given the length of the handle.

Any suggestions?

jordanryan

greyhaireddad wrote: »

Can anyone give me advice on which courier reseller to use to send long parcels? I have some garden tools to sell which are about 1.7m long, but even with cardboard wrapping, the width and depth are only about 20cm x 10cm. Weight is about 2.5kg.

If this parcel was the same weight and a little shorter, it would only cost £5.95 + VAT with parcels to go (who I normally use), but the cheapest I can find anywhere is about £14 given the length of the handle.

Any suggestions?

Hi

Interparcel have a UPS service for £9.99+VAT

cem

buglawton wrote: »

Seriously, for 200KG, freight is likely to be the most cost effective.

But cem hasn't mentioned the context - is this paper being transported as material or is it bulk documents with value?

Thanks for the info guys. This is for a new business in the UK for property. So the type you get put through your door (eg. Chinese takeaway leaflet etc)

What I would like is for all of the formalities to be dealt with initialy until I grt comfortable with it step by step. Is their a company that you chaps would recommend?

Cheers

buglawton

cem wrote: »

...This is for a new business in the UK for property. ...

I would get a UK quote to compare with: It can be a bit nightmarish dealing with a foreign printing co.