Recommended Couriers??

[Crossy 10]

Hi all,

I've found a bike for sale in Scotland and the buyer has agreed to send it down to me in Ascot.
Can anyone recommend any good bike courier services and also what's the best way to package it (Not done this before and don't want to get ripped off).

Thanks for any help

Paul

 

[Blackers]

Complete bikes . Basically seller strips and packs in a bike box .
Then sends via courier company eg (paisley freight) and usually next day .
Was Around £30 .

Frame only send via royal mail in as smaller box as possible £13 to £15

And make sure the seller is capable of packing.
As I bought a pace rc200 f1 and the seller sent me this pic after it had been collected

That's my 2pence worth

 

[trailwright]

I've just used Parcelforce a couple of times in the last week for the very same thing and it was £31 for a full size bike box from Scotland south. That did include their 15% discount code which for this month is NOV21. I put the weight of the box and bike at 10kg estimate (likely slightly more) and job done. They collect and even take the address label.

 

[KermitGKona88]

Paisley freight, try and get it in as small a box as possible.

 

[Crossy 10]

Thanks all, I used the contact us page as well as emailed Paisley Freight but had no reply.
The seller has managed to get a quote from Bikes Direct I think was the name and it's booked for collection this coming Tuesday with Delivery to me Wednesday. £47 including packaging so not that bad considering.
Only thing missing is the pedals which were removed for storage and now can't be found so I'll need to source some of those for it. Also not a fan of the thumb shifters so will keep an eye out for a set of those to replace them but otherwise...can't wait for it to arrive!!

Cheers again for taking the time to reply

 

[Tootyred]

As we all know size is everything. The odd cm can make all the difference!

I must admit, i now try to use parcel force collection now whenever i can, but if your jot careful with your packaging sizes the prices can run away!

 

[Bawgixer]

Used this company last few times with no problems and the weight of the boxed is up to 30kg

https://www.bikedelivery.co.uk/

 

[legrandefromage]

Just be aware; Paisley Freight subcontract to other couriers including Hermes

 

[Gtpulse]

Used this company last few times with no problems and the weight of the boxed is up to 30kg

https://www.bikedelivery.co.uk/

Think bikedelivery is Paisley Freight. They do a service where they drop off the empty box one day and pick it up another which has helped me out a few times with sellers who don’t offer postage.

In terms of least clicks from search to parcel they are the most convenient. Last time I used them it was APC subcontracted who were great but it changes.

It really depends - if it’s low value and the postage cost detracts from this ironically it becomes more complicated/I have to really read the small print to keep within their weight/dimensions for the lowest price. For something higher value I don’t really think about it and just go for the best I can afford, consistently that has been Parcelforce here but it varies depending on local service I guess.

It’s all in the small print - I sent I garden tool to Ireland, inputted all of the dimensions and thought I was paying £16, in the end I paid £32 which wiped out the value of the sale as the small print stated they could surcharge if the item was oversize (in this case about 10cm of handle).

I’ve started to avoid eBay GSP entirely - last time I had 2 parcels for collection (clearly labelled with A4 printed labels) they then added their own labels. A £60 wheel rim ended up on the south coast UK with a buyer expecting a vintage garden spade - the garden spade ended up in the USA with the buyer wondering where his wheel rim was. No compo as the courier had tracking for both, I gave up trying to argue my case and wrote both off.

 

[Crossy 10]

Think bikedelivery is Paisley Freight. They do a service where they drop off the empty box one day and pick it up another which has helped me out a few times with sellers who don’t offer postage.

In terms of least clicks from search to parcel they are the most convenient. Last time I used them it was APC subcontracted who were great but it changes.

It really depends - if it’s low value and the postage cost detracts from this ironically it becomes more complicated/I have to really read the small print to keep within their weight/dimensions for the lowest price. For something higher value I don’t really think about it and just go for the best I can afford, consistently that has been Parcelforce here but it varies depending on local service I guess.

It’s all in the small print - I sent I garden tool to Ireland, inputted all of the dimensions and thought I was paying £16, in the end I paid £32 which wiped out the value of the sale as the small print stated they could surcharge if the item was oversize (in this case about 10cm of handle).

I’ve started to avoid eBay GSP entirely - last time I had 2 parcels for collection (clearly labelled with A4 printed labels) they then added their own labels. A £60 wheel rim ended up on the south coast UK with a buyer expecting a vintage garden spade - the garden spade ended up in the USA with the buyer wondering where his wheel rim was. No compo as the courier had tracking for both, I gave up trying to argue my case and wrote both off.

I did think the logo's where almost identical (Just different letters used).
I believe it's being collected today and should be here tomorrow. Fingers crossed it all works out ok, the bike's seller is just east of Edinburgh so no chance of driving there myself a over 400 miles each way.
I've paid the extra for insurance so have a little less worry than if not.
Once it arrives I'll provide an update on the service received for others as they may find it helpful when deciding upon a courier to use in the future.