When you've got large or heavy items to ship, either for yourself or someone else, sticking them in a suitcase or popping down to your local post office is not an option.
For these larger items, you're going to need the services of a professional shipping provider.
But if you've never had to do this before, you may not have a good understanding of what you can ship and how to do it.
If that’s the case, you've come to the right place.
In this guide, we’re going to take a look at how to ship large items from your home, so you can quickly and easily get your goods to the chosen destination.
Read on to find out more.
The different types of large items you may need to ship
When we talk about shipping large items in this way, we’re not usually referring to shipping large items that have been sold. However, that’s not to say you can’t use a shipping service for that kind of business.
But for the most part, these shipping services are likely to be used for things like moving house, studying abroad, going on a longer trip or simply just going on holiday as a big family with loads of bags.
Some examples of large items you may wish to ship include furniture and appliances or even garden equipment. You might also be shipping sporting gear for a holiday or event, such as surfboards, snowboards, skis, golf clubs or possibly a bike.
Finally, you may just have heavy suitcases or a large number of cases because you're going on a big holiday or moving house. Whatever your reason for shipping large goods, a trusted shipping service can offer the best possible door-to-door service.
The benefits of shipping large items with a shipping provider
It might seem obvious, but shipping heavy goods yourself can be a nightmare and in some cases, it might even be impossible. But if you choose to book with a professional shipping service, you will experience a range of benefits, these include:
- Reducing the stress of handling the items yourself
- Being able to select a door-to-door service so you don’t have to drop the items off at a store or collection point
- Not having to pay huge baggage fees to take large items on a plane with you
- Not fighting to get these items on other forms of transport, causing stress and issues for other passengers
- Tracking your items so you know where they are at all times
- Booking your items and shipping needs online through the quick and easy form
- Allowing you to relax knowing that your items are in safe hands and will be delivered safely to your chosen destination
With that in mind, it makes sense that you would choose a shipping provider to do the heavy lifting for you. In this next section, we’re going to look at the different steps required to arrange and ship these large items from your home.
Find the right courier
First, you need to do some research to find a shipping provider that will collect from your address and offer all the services you need.
You should do some research and a quick comparison to get a rough idea of costs. It’s a good idea to look for providers that offer flexibility as well as a fair price, just in case you need to make changes or cancel your booking for any reason.
It’s also a good idea to make sure that the item (or items) you’re sending is not prohibited, particularly if you're sending something abroad. For the most part, this is unlikely, but different countries have different rules and customs, so it’s always best to check this out beforehand if you’re worried.
Book your shipping
Booking your shipping should be pretty straightforward as you can do this online. In order to do this, you need to make sure you know the key details of your package. You’ll need to know:
- The collection address
- The delivery address
- The weight of the package
- The dimensions of the package
Once you have all these details you can complete your booking. When you do, you’ll receive all the relevant documents and/or labels you need to send your package.
You may be required to print these labels off ready for collection, but at the very least you should save them in a safe place in case you need them at a later date.
Package your goods
As collection day approaches, you need to package your items carefully to make sure they stay safe during transit. If you’re shipping something very valuable or fragile, make sure to package it as carefully and effectively as possible.
You can then attach the correct labels ready for the package to be collected.
It’s also a good idea to include a return address or contact number, just on the off chance something goes wrong and your parcel is lost in transit. This is very unlikely as you're using a professional service provider to avoid this, but it can help to give you peace of mind anyway.
Prepare for collection day
You’re almost there and your items are nearly out the door. You just need to make sure that your parcel is ready and properly labelled when the courier arrives on your chosen day.
Some services will offer two to three-day shipping, while others can offer next-day, depending on how far your items have to travel. Of course, you will need to choose the most appropriate option for your items when you’re making your booking online.
Let the courier do the rest
Now you can sit back and let the shipping provider do the rest.
They will handle the parcel in transit and make sure it is delivered to the correct address on the other side.
This takes all the stress out of shipping large and potentially heavy items and ensures you won’t have to spend a fortune doing so. It also means you can do so without having to leave your home.
