Are you using a courier service to send a parcel? Do you know which courier service to use? Are you wondering what the differences are and why they matter?
Parcel delivery services all work in the same way - you book your delivery, the courier collects your parcel and then delivers it to your recipient. Simple!
But how do you decide which courier service to use? How do you get the best rates? Do you know what the differences are between the different parcel delivery services?
Our 10 Tips should help you choose the right service for your parcel delivery:
• Do you want to be able to compare prices and services between several couriers? If you do, an intermediary service can give you competitive rates and let you select the best service for your parcel. One which allows online quotations and bookings is often the most convenient.

• Do you need a shipping solution which will take parcel delivery information from your ecommerce system and seamlessly book carriers? Some ecommerce shopping carts, including eBay, can be linked with intermediaries software to help you manage your fulfilment more effectively.

• Is your collection urgent? Not all courier services have an 'express delivery' option and, even if they do, you will need to check exactly what they mean by 'rapid' or 'express'.

• Does your delivery need to arrive at a specific time? If it does, you need to choose a parcel delivery service which offers deliveries by specific times.

• Is your parcel valuable? Various insurance options are available for your delivery, depending on the courier service you select. Often a certain level of cover is included in the standard booking fee and then higher levels of insurance can be arranged separately.

• What size is your collection? Do you need a courier company that can handle heavy items or pallets? Parcel delivery companies offer different types of service according to the size of your items. Larger items will need to be collected by bigger vehicles and might require 2 people to lift them. This will be reflected in the price.

• Do you need cheap parcel deliveries? No one wants to spend more than necessary on their courier service but the exact cost will depend on your requirements. You might be able to negotiate better rates if you are flexible on collection and delivery times, or make regular or bulk bookings.

• Do you require regular collections If you know that you need a courier service to collect parcels at regular times, you might look for a company that can pre-book parcel deliveries. You might get a better price and you will save yourself a lot of time making repeat bookings.

• Are there more parcels to despatch on certain days of the week? For many people, Monday is a very busy day and some courier services cope better than others with the level of demand. If timely collection and delivery are important to you, check that the parcel delivery service you use can cope with your schedule.

• Would you prefer your parcel to be collected and delivered by someone in a uniform and a sign-written van? If your customers require their deliveries to arrive in a smart van with a uniformed driver, check that you choose a parcel delivery service which requires its courier drivers to be turned out appropriately. Often these services are more expensive so, if your customers are happy with an un-branded service, you might prefer a cheaper alternative.
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