How on earth would I pack a double buggy for courier delivery?

[Millie1]

Does anyone have any tips please? I put it on eBay last week and it didn't sell. I imagine/hope that was to do with the fact that I offered collection only and we live in the back of beyond of N Ireland. So, I wonder whether I'd get some interest if I list it for UK delivery. It's an Easywalker Duo so pretty heavy and bulky and I don't have any of the original packaging. Any ideas pls?

Thanks

I have recently sent a MB double and received a number of buggies in the post.

I remove the wheels to make the dimensions as small as possible then wrap it in bubble wrap - adding extra around bits that stick out (wheel axle) or bits that are especially fragile (clips). Then I wrap it in bin liners making sure that I have included my address and the buyer's address inside somewhere incase the address label becomes detached from the outside of the package.

Sometimes, I wrap thin cardboard around weak points to try and cushion them.

Also, I make sure that the courier service I pay for includes enough insurance cover for the sale price of the buggy. There are many different courier companies with different prices and not all cover insurance.

open up a few large cardboard boxes and make a sort of tube ,
or place empty cereal box round each wheel, wrap in bubble wrap and cover in bin bags so waterproof, my guess is it will cost about £25-30, if too bulky you could always send lighter accessories like raincover footmuff in separate package as they don't weigh mch but do bulk pushchair out
weigh by standing on scales holding it once packed to nearest kg for effective delivery cheaper if under 20kg cut off point is 32kg as beyond that it is not a 1person job. we once got an electric lawnmower in box by taking handles off putting wheels in grasscollector etc

measure dimensions get onto a few courier sites ( is there say a courier near you that regularly goes to mainland probably glasgow) get quote from them as he may be an agent for bigger company which then does glasgow to anywhere else leg, of

Thank you both for such good advice. Deep breath ... I'll list it again but not before I stock up on packaging and price couriers. I guess I can measure it and add a few inches on to all the dimensions for size plus an extra 1kg (would that be enough for packaging?) for weight?

Thanks!

weigh pushchair then weigh 2 empty cardobxes with 4 newspapers inside and that will give an good idea

Almost a month later I'm still here and so is the pram!!! Okay, having real difficulty getting courier quotes. In short, the dimensions of the package seem to be ruling put Royal Mail Parcels and DHL. It's unpackaged dimensions are very approximately 93x77x50cm so I'm adding about 15cm onto each of those. I've put in a weight of 20kg but expect it will be less than that. It's not the weight, it's the blinking dimensions. Parcels2go came in at around £70-125!!!!!!!!!!! And TNT website is down but I don't expect there will be a bargain to be had there.

Any ideas lovely people?

Thanks

Send it now is weight only so quite good value as dimensions are irrelavant. They are actually parcelforce.

P4d are also excellent and will give a selection of quotes.

P4d is £28-£32 on your dimensions depending which service

www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Business-Office-Industrial-/12576/i.html?_nkw=pram+courier&_catref=1&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282

how about 1 of these?

is it really 20K? that seems an awful lot.

sorry, I meant 20kg

If it's the duo its only 13k no way packaging weighs 7k what else is in with pushchair, anything? Otherwise fergoose is right your calculTions are out

Thanks - shall check out P4d and Send it Now - haven't heard of either, am off to Google.

No, it definitely won't weigh 20kg - it's weight is 13.5kg, then with bumper bar and rain cover plus packaging I reckon, what, around 16kg. But as I said, it's not the weight, that's accepted by all companies I tried, it's the dimensions I've allowed with packaging. And, they are a guess! I don't really want to package it only to have it not sell and then have wasted the time and effort etc wrapping it . I'm going to get it in from the garage in the morning, take the wheels off and measure it as accurately as I can.

Okay, will check all links/websites out and will return!

Do you think it's okay to list it now (want to get free listings) with a note to say that I am pricing up courier charges and will update in a day or so?

Would it be cheaper to split it, courier pram and send accessories in separate parcel - bit complicated, but worth pricing up

or list accessories as a separate lot maybe?

Gah ...

P4D - okay, putting in weights of anything from 16-20kg doesn't effect the price - it stays the same .... £144.07 via DHL. That was using dimensions 110x90x70. Even if I reduced those dimensions to allow only 10cm on each measurement, then it is only reducing to £125. Eek. It's because I'm in Northern Ireland - sorry, I should have said that - duh!

Okay, getting a bit excited about Send it Now. I've tried several postcodes and it's around £13-15 - wow!!! But here is what it says re dimensions:

Each parcel must weigh no more that 30kg. Remember that someone at the other end has to be able to lift the thing when it is delivered! If you have more than 30kg to send, why not split this into more than one parcel. In terms of dimension, the longest side must be no more than 1.5m, and if you take the total measurement all the way round the thickest part of your parcel (we call this the girth) and add to the longest side, this must total no more than 3m. If you choose an option that includes drop off and/or pick up at a Post Office, the maximum weight is 20kg.

Therefore, based on my measurements, even without packaging it's too blooming big ... 93+50+50+77+77= 347cm. Bummer.

And here's what it says about packaging materials:

?Use a strong outer container
A corrugated fibreboard box with a good quality kraft outer wrapping is best. Sub-standard and damaged cartons can cause problems.*
*?Is the carton strong enough?
The table below may help you choose the most suitable carton material. The letters ?gsm? are the standard measurement for paper/card thickness. We also recommend an inner cushioning lining of at least 50mm as further protection against damage. A compensation claim for damage of contents will be deemed invalid if the parcel is inadequately packed or if the packaging is not retained for verification.

Weight of Contents Grade of Carton
Up to 5kg 200gsm
5kg-10kg 300gsm
10kg-15kg 150gsm double wall
15kg-25kg 200gsm double wall
25kg-30kg 300gsm double wall *

Note the bit about insurance being invalid if the parcel isn't inadequately packed etc.

So, where would I get the packaging materials - eBay, I guess??

Am going to have a quick look at some of Fergoose's links now ... if I have time before I'm a Celebrity but I'll have a closer look in the morning. Will list it now anyway for pickup only, I can always revise. Third time lucky?!

I used parcelmonkey to send a double buggy recently, was about £8.

Ooooh Fergoose!!! Paisley Freight - the first one I tried from your link. I put in 16kg and big dimensions and it came up with £13.20!! Do you think they're reliable? Shall have to check insurance - tomorrow!

Thank you!!!

Oh, should I add something on for packaging and materials? I usually add between 7p and 30p (!) but that seems not quite enough for this. Any suggestions?

I don't think it would be unreasonable to add couple quid on for packaging and tape, printing labels.

As long as the courier gives online trackable delivery I reckon they are all pretty much the same.

Thank you everyone - I will check Parcelmonkey out too!

Does this sound reasonable ... The courier is £13.30, insurance per Paisley Freight website is £10 plus £3 packaging = £26.30? Shall I run with that and should I mention that the price includes insurance cover up to £250?

Thanks guys!