Choosing Your Parcel Carrier

In a recent article examining parcel delivery prices, the author was explaining how the only way to choose your parcel carrier was via a comparison web site, where you could view the complete range of suppliers and examine which company provided the best and cheapest service.

The first thing that stood out was that the author was in fact the executive in charge of the comparison web site and it was really not the balanced view that you would come to expect of a valid article. There is no doubt that comparison web sites can quickly be viewed and comparisons made in terms of price per unit delivered, but this can easily be carried out by a person with a few minutes to spare by examining a few of the major world wide parcel delivery services.

The one problem is that many of the best companies do not advertise on these comparison web sites, and are left off the lists as a result. Therefore comparison web sites end up only comparing the services of companies who end up being willing to pay to be listed there. If you are looking for a carrier to do the job properly, by all means look at the web site comparison sites but also look at the individual carriers - a simple search engine will throw up a list of the best sites and you can examine them quickly and decide on your preferences.

Give the carriers a phone call and talk to them directly, see what they can offer you in terms of service and advice. Ask them if they can supply the services you want and at what rates. Get quotes for larger sized business deals and ask them if they can examine what you are sending, and if they can suggest cheaper alternatives of sending your deliveries.

Check the insurance deals and the surcharges that apply if the goods need extra insurance. Some couriers will offer a standard level of insurance, usually of around £50, as basic insurance for all parcel deliveries they make. Check on the extra costs for shorter term deliveries, as you can expect to pay more for next day or same day delivery; the likelihood is that the cheapest price quoted will actually be for three or four day delivery. Check on the surcharges if the product is not sent according to the rules of shipping, and more importantly make sure that the rules are fully known so these mistakes are not made.

Get references and read reviews for the companies and ensure that they have a good record in delivery times and security of delivery. As with all things, the cheapest service is not always the best, as sometimes the cheapest comes from taking short cuts or second rate delivery services.

Get a good world wide supplier and work with them - the time taken to investigate and talk with the courier will more than pay for the service received.