Switching to Couriers? - UK Business Labs

**Emma** · #1 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 04:31 PM

Do people here prefer couriers to Royal Mail? How competitive are their prices? Is it a nause to find them, then drop-off your parcel, rather than just nip down the post office?

faststaff · #2 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emma

Is it a nause to find them, then drop-off your parcel, rather than just nip down the post office?

We, like many brokers, offer a collection service as part of the cost.

Rich

**essex_courier** · #3 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 05:59 PM

When it comes to the run of the mill, mundane stuff then royal Mail is your best cheapest option.
Some local towns are setting up their own mail system done by a courier and that means collecting the mail at 10am and delivering the same day in certain postcodes for around 65p per letter. Southampton has a system going through the trial stages as we speak.
Same day courier or Express couriers deliver urgent and more valuable items. Obviously, this is a different service to the Royal Mail system and the items to be delivered do not leave the courier (if they are professional), check you items are not transhipped or co-loaded if they are fragile or high value.
Parcel companies such as DHL do parcel / package delivery and they can charge lower prices due to high volume of packages through the system. Your items sent through a parcel carrier use a similar system to DHL.

What service you use is dependant on what you want to pay and how likely you want to your items to arrive in one piece.

Trades 4 Work · #4 (**permalink**) 16-02-2009, 01:48 AM

emma
it can take ages ringing around looking for couriers, and if you call someone like citylink business post etc they will charge you anything between 89p & £1.50 per loaded mile for a sameday courier.

Your best off going to a website where there are couriers registered right accross the uk covering the whole of europe.
Just post your collection & delivery details wait a couple of seconds until the site finishes sending out sms text & email alerts then sit back & wait for the fone calls, the chances are you'll get the job done for a backload price, If not a backload price i'm sure the couriers will negotiate a price to suit you both.

All couriers will collect the goods from you.

Brian the Courier · #5 (**permalink**) 19-02-2009, 10:03 AM

Hi all - I am a courier working out of the north east - make sure whicever courier you use has full Goods in Transit insuranc e- I have this up to £15k and also charge just 75p per loaded mile to anywhere in the UK - give me a shout if you need me and it fits in my Polo hatchback - proof of delivery i.e signature comes with the service. Brian

Parcel Dude · #6 (**permalink**) 09-05-2009, 02:03 PM

If you send above 1-2kg with Royal Mail it can be very expensive. My company are volume related. If you give us the numbers we can do it.

We look the best and have perhaps the best first time pick up and delivery record which can be invaluable. We don't do same day, its all next day guaranteed. Premium timed services are available. If you are interested you can always pm me but I am directly employed, no middle man.

Paul Norman · #7 (**permalink**) 10-05-2009, 09:04 AM

Interesting - lots of Royal Mail alternatives for certain types of service.

The reality is, that Royal Mail is slowly dying. It will be privatised, but under the new guise will fail, as it will not employ the level of change management needed to move from beaurocracy to lean business.

So, all you couries companies, lean up and get ready to clean up!

Parcel Dude · #8 (**permalink**) 10-05-2009, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Norman

Interesting - lots of Royal Mail alternatives for certain types of service.

The reality is, that Royal Mail is slowly dying. It will be privatised, but under the new guise will fail, as it will not employ the level of change management needed to move from beaurocracy to lean business.

So, all you couries companies, lean up and get ready to clean up!

Nice thought for myself Paul, but any buyer would have to promise service as is. What they charge for it is down to them but there will be a regulator in place. A 40b ish turnover and 250m profit is scarey. Parcel Farce is their alternative independant couriers but is lacking in both service and VFM.

fundingportal · #9 (**permalink**) 08-06-2009, 09:33 PM

I use Fastway Couriers - a national franchise organisation.. They work on a voucher system (ie you buy a book of vouchers) which normally works out cheaper than registered post, and you don't have to queue in the Post Office!

They collect same day (as long as you call before midday) and generally deliver next day. I also feel that the recipient treats couriered deliveries more seriously.

**Mark Hutchinson** · #10 (**permalink**) 27-10-2009, 09:29 PM

We use a mixture of royal mail and couriers for shipping our appliances our to customers and resellers which are typically 10kg to 15kg. Rates vary considerably depending on where there being sent and how quick you need it delivered - if 5-10 days delivery is acceptable you can save a small fortune, if you need guaranteed next day delivery with someone like DHL its going to cost a small fortune.

Kind Regards

Mark

Site map

**Mark Hutchinson** · #11 (**permalink**) 27-10-2009, 09:30 PM

We use a mixture of royal mail and couriers for shipping our appliances our to customers and resellers which are typically 10kg to 15kg. Rates vary considerably depending on where there being sent and how quick you need it delivered - if 5-10 days delivery is acceptable you can save a small fortune, if you need guaranteed next day delivery with someone like DHL its going to cost a small fortune.

Kind Regards

Mark

Site map

Dave the courier · #12 (**permalink**) 17-11-2009, 02:38 PM

No Mention of anyone using motorcycle couriers as far as I can see. We offer a dedicated secure service which is ideal for confidential items throughout the UK and into Western Europe, for example we do same day to Amsterdam for one of our clients. Royal Mail and some of the larger courier operations do not seem to offer the same day dedicated services that a lot of the smaller self employed couriers do, maybe its because the smaller outfits care more about the customer and need to give a top level service in the hope of getting repeat business. After 3 and half years of operation we have never nissed a deadline or let a client down. Regarding costs, some potential clients think that £1.00 per mile loaded is expensive but it has to be realised that it costs a lot more to run a motorcycle and a van or car, for example tyres only last about 10K and services are on average every 4000 miles and of course the gear we have to wear to stay warm and protected doesn't come into consideration for 4 wheel vehicles.

Best regards

Dave

**essex_courier** · #13 (**permalink**) 17-11-2009, 02:47 PM

Hi Dave,
When they talk about couriers in these forums they are rarely talking about the services that our companies provide. To many, parcel carriers are the only type of courier, until they break or lose something and then they investigate a little deeper and find us

Sarah

Dave the courier · #14 (**permalink**) 17-11-2009, 03:40 PM

Hi Sarah,

yep you are dead right here, I do get client telling me they have sent highly sensitive documents through the post or by one of the larger next day couriers and it's either never arrived, been tampered with or been delayed. If this had been a tender then huge contract could potentially be lost.

I guess in the end the question is how valuable is the item being to sent to the client, only he or she can answer that.

Personally if I am sending anything of value it always goes by same day dedicated courier.

Cheers

Dave