Courier recommendations

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Post Reply
User avatar
printedland
Posts: 113
Joined: 21 Feb 2017, 9:48am
Location: Cumbria

Courier recommendations

Post by printedland »

Anyone got any recommendations for a low-cost and reliable courier to pick up a bike (boxed) and transport it?

And even better, any idea what kind of price one might be looking at?

Thanks!
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 7993
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: Courier recommendations

Post by simonineaston »

Funnily enough, I have just received a Samsonite suitcase full of bike, delivered without incident, by Parcel Force. I understand from the sender that he used ParcelCompare & that it cost £18, which may have included insurance - sender may care to comment if he spots this. Personally, I think that's a good price.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
delilah
Posts: 356
Joined: 11 Nov 2008, 4:44pm
Location: Oldham

Re: Courier recommendations

Post by delilah »

simonhill
Posts: 5211
Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 11:28am
Location: Essex

Re: Courier recommendations

Post by simonhill »

Google it for a selection. They all offer much the same, but with a few differences: label needed (ie you need a printer); home collect; drop off; insurance value; etc.

I sent a bike frame and used the Post Office, about £15.

Beware if you don't have a printer. I got caught out by this and had to nip into the library to print it off.
User avatar
printedland
Posts: 113
Joined: 21 Feb 2017, 9:48am
Location: Cumbria

Re: Courier recommendations

Post by printedland »

Thanks to all for replies. The problem seems to be how you package it. When it goes over 1m long, most companies either don't carry or charge the earth. Parcel2go website tells me it's too big and won't quote. Parcelcompare website tells me the cheapest is £42 +VAT from TNT

A large size touring bike is probably over 1m long whichever way you remove components.....

@simonineaston: I'd love to know how your sender got an £18 quote....
PH
Posts: 13099
Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 12:31am
Location: Derby
Contact:

Re: Courier recommendations

Post by PH »

Parcelforce booked via Interparcel has come up with the best prices when I've sent frames recently, if getting it to the post office is inconvenient then collection is only a couple of quid more.
Think carefully about whether you want to pay for the insurance, it can double the price. Lost or damaged deliveries are probably very rare but they do happen. I don't think it makes any difference who the courier is, I've just returned a damaged in transit frame, delivered by Parcelforce.
freeflow
Posts: 1634
Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Re: Courier recommendations

Post by freeflow »

Not Hermes.
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 7993
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: Courier recommendations

Post by simonineaston »

@simonineaston: I'd love to know how your sender got an £18 quote....
Samsonite suitcase, containing Moulton TSR
Samsonite suitcase, containing Moulton TSR
Last edited by simonineaston on 7 Jul 2020, 4:22pm, edited 1 time in total.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
simonhill
Posts: 5211
Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 11:28am
Location: Essex

Re: Courier recommendations

Post by simonhill »

This company was posted on a bike NL > UK post. No one knew anything about it, but if you look at it you will see that they start their prices at £24, which is presumably within the UK. They take full size bike boxes.

https://luggagemule.co.uk/ship-my-lugga ... g-service/

Pleaser report back if you use them.

On that post, I got a quote for overseas with DHL. I put in full size bike box, so you could also try them, but they were expensive for international (UK > NL £152).
User avatar
The utility cyclist
Posts: 3607
Joined: 22 Aug 2016, 12:28pm
Location: The first garden city

Re: Courier recommendations

Post by The utility cyclist »

Send wheels and frame in separate boxes if you are unable to get it within the max dimensions for one box, it usually depends on size of the frame and if you're prepared to take forks off and are decently good at packing.

Personally I use ParcelForce and use a discount code that gets you 15% off , PM me if you want it, the other reason I prefer PF is that I can drop the parcel off at a PO at my own convenience.

I just checked and a 45 hour service using 100x20x60cm @10 kg + 80x30x68cm @5 kg is £18.36 including the discount code,
One box I got 119x24x68 and 15kg for same price.
£100 inclusve insurance

I know that some other parcel intermediaries offer £60 in their initial quote.
HTH
User avatar
printedland
Posts: 113
Joined: 21 Feb 2017, 9:48am
Location: Cumbria

Re: Courier recommendations

Post by printedland »

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. I think the verdict is:

Size is the factor that really bumps up the price. @simonineaston's bike in a suitcase is great, but most people want to remove one or two wheels and get it into a old bike box donated from their local bike shop

The Luggage Mule service mentioned by @simonhill only works for sending bikes abroad: their website doesn't allow you to get a quote for UK to UK service (my guess is they are using plane freight services)

For anyone wanting to send a full frame + wheels which come to over 1m long, then the best value seems to be:
https://www.bikedelivery.co.uk/ at £26
https://www.paisleyfreight.com/ at £30
Tuffnells via Interparcel (https://uk.interparcel.com) at £26

Ian
User avatar
Redvee
Posts: 2464
Joined: 8 Mar 2010, 8:58pm

Re: Courier recommendations

Post by Redvee »

freeflow wrote:Not Hermes.


I sent and Ebay sold frame via Hermes recently and the only issue was I had to take it to a local collection shop which meant an uphill walk with the boxed frame. It cost me £11 because I wanted a signature on delivery, it would have cost more if a local courier had collected the frame but the chance of them collecting in the morning before I left for work wewre unlikely.
User avatar
geomannie
Posts: 1091
Joined: 13 May 2009, 6:07pm

Re: Courier recommendations

Post by geomannie »

freeflow wrote:Not Hermes.


Seconded. For me they not only have played silly b*ggers with missing delivery slots and forging my signature for parcel received, they have missed all day pick-up slots 2 days in a row. You can get awfully fed up waiting for a courier who never arrives

If you get a cheap quote from Hermes, there is a reason. Their reliability is lamentably poor.
geomannie
User avatar
printedland
Posts: 113
Joined: 21 Feb 2017, 9:48am
Location: Cumbria

Re: Courier Suggestion

Post by printedland »

A quick update on this question from a week ago, for anyone interested in using couriers.

I used Bike Delivery UK (https://www.bikedelivery.co.uk)

Placed the order on tuesday afternoon, they picked up the bike on Wednesday (yesterday), and it's scheduled for delivery this afternoon (thursday)

The service cost £26. They use APC, the national carrier company. Extremely simple and clear online ordering process.
Post Reply