Next day delivery

[callummiles]

Hi Guys!

It's my first post here on the forums and hopefully there will be many more to come, but I would like to say a big hello to all.

I'm looking at setting up a business that will be sending parcels on a daily basis, amounting to roughly 500 per week. I will be sending perishable goods, fruit and vegetables.

I have rang around a few postal providers but getting such a wide range of prices from each one and im trying to find the cheapest.

I am looking to sending parcels that have a weight in the region of 3kg or 6kg or 9kg and all of them for next day delivery. I'm not looking for a signature or anything like that just the cheapest way possible to get them out. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance
Callum

 

[fisicx]

The company that delivers our fresh fruit and veg has their own fleet of vans and charges 99p for delivery.

I wouldn't want to buy from someone who uses a courier/parcel force - their vans and depots get pretty hot and I'l lend up with limp lettuce.

 

[callummiles]

Hi Fisicx

Thanks for the reply. Ideally I would love to be able to have my own fleet and hopefully in the future that could be a possibility but right now the only way I have is the is the standard delivery network.

The reason why I would be wanting only to do next day deliveries is to make sure that the fruit and veg spends the absolute least time in transit as possible to ensure freshness.

Thanks
Callum

 

[fisicx]

I agree with you but put a lettuce in a box and it will be in the back of a truck in the sun for 24 hours.

And the cost of next day delivery will be exorbitant pricing you well out the market. Have you considered doing it locally to start with. That way you can get a van and do your own deliveries. Then as the business expands employ more drivers.

 

[callummiles]

I thought about doing it locally and doing deliveries myself to start with, which is something that might quite possibly happen.

But before I go down that route I thought I would enquire about the delivery network route instead and see how viable it would be.

 

[Shopclicks]

I'd be taking a very close look at how your competition does it, then improve on their methods where you can. I think you would probably learn a lot from doing the local deliveries yourself and finding out what works and what doesn't, before tackling the bigger picture.
Over here most home delivered perishables are delivered in styrofoam boxes on an exchange basis, which helps with the heat in the van issue.

 

[callummiles]

I appreciate everyones advice here but I really am just looking for people to give me some details of the cheapest delivery services they have used.

It may be well that I do end up doing local deliverys but this idea is not your simple fruit and veg box delivery company it has a difference to it and would suit working with a delivery network.

With regards to the food going bad, I'm hoping I can find a service in which I can drop my parcels at the depot as late as possible 6PM or so for example and it is next day delivery, in this time frame I beleive the fruit and veg will remain of fine quality.

 

[callummiles]

anyone?

 

[Paul Norman]

Your basic error is that you are looking for the cheapest. That is a bad idea. You need to look for the best.

Sending fresh produce, of course, is a particular challenge, as it is a bit specialised. I would talk to the usual suspects - DPD - and ask them what they can do.

 

[chalkie99]

Many years ago I contracted to a large parcel company and delivered fish sent from Scotland on a regular basis. It was well packed in polystyrene boxes to keep it as cool as possible.

You would be better using a signed for service and selling on quality rather than low balling on price.

Your idea for dropping off at the depot is a decent one but you will need to find a carrier that has a depot reasonably close to you.

Our nearest, for example, is TNT which is very local and we can take stuff in quite late but other carriers have depots a long way off which makes the trip impractical. The cut off time will also depend whereabouts you are in the UK. If you are somewhere like Cornwall the trunking lorry will be leaving early to reach the national hub in time whereas if you are in the midlands you have several hours more to play with.

Unless you have a specialist product range though which will sell at a premium (like the Scottish fish) the idea sounds like a non-starter.

 

[kacper]

I can't help You with finding the best price, but there is one thing I would like to ask - do You know any competitors who share the same business model (not doing it locally only and not using their own transport)? Do You know how do they do it?

 

[roydmoorian]

If you do go down the overnight delivery route with insulated chill packs then only send out produce Monday to Wednesday so that when the inevitable delay occurs the package does not get stuck in a depot over a weekend. If you must send out on a Thursday then use an AM service so that a delay can be discovered by 13:00 on Friday and the delivery amended to a Sat AM.

Also be aware of Bank Holiday delivery schedules i.e. No delivery on Good Friday so Tuesday should be your dispatch deadline that week etc..

 

[Gaz Walker]

Consider doing what Musclefood (meat and other fresh produce online) do - send a standard box with a insulated lining, and dry ice. Packing will cost more but you can use a standard courier (they use Parcelforce and have an exemption on the box that requires drivers to leave the box in a safe place and NOT return it to the depot).

 

[SamStones]

Give DPD a try, for that size and weight of box they should be pretty competitive. I think dry ice may get expensive, but maybe you could use a cheap ice block in the packaging to help keep the temperature down? Just a thought... no idea how long they would last, but you then have a freebie giveaway item that you could even have your own brand on?

 

[japancool]

I use DHL via @ParcelBright . Their rates are good, but their website and booking process leaves a LOT to be desired. You may have fun trying to book nearly 100 parcels a day.They also don't send tracking notifications via email to the recipient, just the sender, which is ridiculous. But for price, with a premium carrier, they're decent, in my experience.

However, if you are sending that many, you may be better off approaching the carriers directly and seeing what they offer.

BTW, I order from a place that sends food packed alongside a sealed plastic bottle/bottles of ice alongside some insulating paper. Obviously, the ice has mostly melted by the time it reaches us but there's still enough coldness left to keep the goods reasonably fresh.

 

[callummiles]

Thanks for all your replies guys. Also Japancool very good idea you mentioned about the plastic bottle filled with ice as that would work out alot cheaper than dry ice or ice packs. I will be going for something like Gaz Walker mentioned and how Musclefood currently deliver. I have got a few qoutes from couriers ranging from £4.20+ VAT to £4.70+VAT for next day delivery up to 25kg.

 

[thecanty]

Lots of on-line butchers send produce via 3rd party couriers - try placing an order with one and see how they do it.

There are a couple of nationwide veg box schemes - try ordering from them.

Cheers,

John
marumarket.co.uk

 

[RichardFT]

£4.70+VAT for next day delivery and up to 25kg? That is very cheap, I am impressed, well done sir.