Will surcharges apply to my parcel delivery? | Tips to ensure that the price you see is the price you pay

If you're thinking of booking a courier service to send a parcel within the UK or abroad, the first thing you'll want to do is get a quote for how much it will cost. Once you've found a service and a price you're happy with, you'll want to make sure that the price you see is the price you pay! Follow this quick guide to ensure you can anticipate and - where possible - avoid any surcharges on your parcel delivery.

Why are surcharges applied?

The most common reasons for the application of surcharges are:

• Parcels that exceed weight or size restrictions, or that the carrier deems to be heavier or larger than originally stated by the shipper
• Parcels that are insufficiently packaged and therefore entail an additional handling charge. 
• Parcels with a collection or delivery address deemed to be "remote" by the carrier. 

How can I avoid them?

In order to avoid surcharges you should:

• Make sure you weigh and measure your parcels as accurately as possible and always after it has been packaged.
• Check in advance that you are not exceeding any carrier or country specific restrictions with regard to parcel size or weight. Our customer service team will be happy to advise you in this regard.
• Ensure you package your parcel appropriately by following quality packaging guidelines such as those available on our website. 

Of course, there are some surcharges that cannot be avoided: if your delivery destination is remote, there is nothing you can do to change that! It's a good idea, however, to get a variety of different quotes from different carriers from resellers such as Transglobal Express, since different carriers will have different criteria as to what defines a "remote" location. DHL, for example, do not administer remote area surcharges for any US addresses- that's a potential saving of £16 per shipment! 

For further information on surcharges, please contact our customer services team on 0845 145 1212 Monday-Friday 9:00-5:50pm or visit the surcharges section of our website.