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negotiating special rates with couriers?

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Mattk1983

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May 16, 2006
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[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]how do you go about doing this?

say negotiating a set fee for anything under a certain weight?

has anyone found some companies to be cheaper than others? or some companies to be more flexible in their pricing than others?[/FONT]
 
I think you wil find it difficult to negotiate rates with couriers, unless you have a high volume of parcels

We use www.interparcel.com - this gives you options and to give you an example of cost savings, for a box of mags weighing upto 9kg, a major courier (If I remember it was parcelforce) quoted us £30 per box. Through Interparcel.com we pay £8.99 per box + VAT - we have just this week sent 28 boxes via courier so look at the savings we have made here. They were picked up Monday 2pm and I had an email from one client today thanking me for her copies - excellent service.

interparcel have buying power with a lot of the couriers and so can acheive bigger discounts - you pay by credit/debit card and they email you the documents.

It's basically 'no-frills' courier service and we have in the past through this service, had UPS & Parcelforce collecting and delivering the boxes

Hope this helps
 
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ANC are pretty cheap - I think I pay about £6 for the first 10kgs. Interlink are more expensive but a bit more reliable (though they're cheaper on weights over 20-30 kgs or so). Not much to choose between the two.
 
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Only way to find out the rates is to ring around and ask. Everyone's needs are different so you need to have an estimate of the number of parcels, weights etc.

Things to watch out for:

- if you are sending to private addresses rather than businesses, some companies are much better than others. Also check the charges for failed deliveries etc.

- if you send lots off the UK mainland (northern Ireland etc) or to remote areas, check the surcharges. Parcelforce surcharge for much of the Highlands whereas CityLink only if you go across water.

Hope this helps.

Alison
 
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I may be preaching to the converted here but...

...if you are going to send 24 emails either send them separately, or if the same email is being sent to many recipients, use blind carbon copy.

Recently I received a request for some commercial print work (estimated value of work about £90.00), and I was one of 47 print suppliers asked to quote. I didn't even bother replying.

Generally if I get a polite price request for something I'm not suited to, I'll try and point them in the right direction. The point being that you shouldn't really need to send quite that many - if the courier isn't suited they'll likely give you some idea of who to talk to, "Sorry, we only carry pallets, try XYZ company".

There are plenty to choose from though: Interlink, ANC, Parcelforce, Business Link, Tuffnells, TNT, DHL, Apex and are there plenty more besides. There's not really a huge amount to choose in terms of service though.
 
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We have couriers ringing up on a regular basis trying to get our business-Some couriers will give a rate to hook you in - but if your volume of useage is low ( or below a certain level of monthly invoice ) they will put the rates up - TNT did this and the rates DOUBLED!!!

Another area to watch is the value of the goods and insurance - some only pay by weight. They say cover up to £15K but when we tried to pin them down they admited it was for weight- though this is not clear.

In the end we got our own in "transit" insurance from Norwich Union ( about £300 a year ) and went back to our original courier - who had actually been very good ( insurance apart ) on price and pick up & deliveries.
 
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If you are sending in bulk then I suggest Fastway. You buy in advance of 20 bookings or more. Local deliveries cost just £2.95 and most areas in the UK cost from £4.95. I have just started using them and they are great! You phone your local driver direct and tell them you have a parcel. They come and collect and also take one of your prepaid stickers off you. When you run out of stickers you buy some more. By buying in advance this is saving me around 40% on my courier costs. You even get £500 compensation cover on each one whereas interparcel only give you £50 standard.
Wish I was on commission for them lol.
 
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that sounds really good. unfortunately i would be needed the courier to collect from around the UK and deliver to me...

do they do this as well?
 
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Are you sure they are nationwide, i looked on there website and they didnt seem to do cornwall or devon.
Jon
 
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Try Business Post they have depots all over the UK, i worked over 10 years for them before setting up on my own.

Norman
1st Choice Couriers
0800 849 7474
 
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Try local independant couriers and not your 'overnights'.
We all tend to specialise in different areas. (eg with ourselves its furniture)
We can collect/deliver at anytime of day/night. With us, I have a van passing each area of the country at least once a week, and can guarantee no lost parcels/ or breakages.
I used to sub-contract for a large national, and 've seen first hand how your parcels are handled. The worst case was a pile of parcels, dumped on a wet concrete floor, which then got partially squashed by a passing fork lift.

Ste
SW Courier Services
East Lancashire based Transport Solutions
 
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