Long Length Courier - Worktops/Boards 2.5m & Above

[anonymous-user]

Hi all, I am looking to sell wooden sheet materials online (relatively high value plywoods and worktops on eBay). Looking online for a courier who can handle packages from between 2.5 and 3m - weighing in at around the 30-50kg mark is a bit of a nightmare. The only companies I can potentially find are Tuffnells (awful, arrogant attitude, poor payment terms and don't like delivering business to consumer) and DX who seem to get dodgy reviews as far as I can see.

There are a few people offering similar items on eBay with reasonable (around the £15 mark) so somebody must be out there. Given the nature of the product, next day isn't too important, anything up to 5 days would be manageable - any advise please Gents?

Thanks in advance.

[b0rk]

30kg to 50kg is a two man lift and carry legally. I'd suspect that most are using own transport or have an agreement with a traditional haulier/logistics provider. Wincanton, DHD, UKMail and DHL (logistics not express) are obvious providers.

[morrisk1]

Be interested to see outcome of this. We dispatch 3m items quite irregularly, but when we do we end up either doing it ourselves or using a one-man band type courier as items are looked after and you can keep track easily (previously used or through AnyVan). These methods, however, aren't very cost effective.

[droopsnoot]

Charles Patochik said:

There are a few people offering similar items on eBay with reasonable (around the £15 mark) so somebody must be out there.

Buy one off them, see who brings it?

[John Boy 616]

Charles Patochik said:

Hi all, I am looking to sell wooden sheet materials online (relatively high value plywoods and worktops on eBay). Looking online for a courier who can handle packages from between 2.5 and 3m - weighing in at around the 30-50kg mark is a bit of a nightmare. The only companies I can potentially find are Tuffnells (awful, arrogant attitude, poor payment terms and don't like delivering business to consumer) and DX who seem to get dodgy reviews as far as I can see.

There are a few people offering similar items on eBay with reasonable (around the £15 mark) so somebody must be out there. Given the nature of the product, next day isn't too important, anything up to 5 days would be manageable - any advise please Gents?

Thanks in advance.

Hi

Where are you based?

Regards

John

[GuinnessMK]

We used to regularly buy 3 and 4m worktops online. They had a regular delivery route, ordered online during the week, then 1 day the following week a massive man mountain of a Polish dude, always dressed in shorts and flip flops, used to turn up in a wrecked Merc Sprinter and deliver the worktop.

He also collected any returns.

Doubt you'd find a traditional courier who'd handle them.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks for all the replies, I made some headway today - the TNT rep came to see me. Agreed a very cheap rate for parcels up to 3.6m x 1.2 x 1m (from memory I think) and on a sliding scale for weight. This was surprising as it shows the maximum size shown on the website changes from 1m to 1.5m , although he is yet to put this maximum size in writing. Cost's started at £5.75 for (from memory) up to 10kg and then increased right up to rates for pallets. Really pleasing result, as long as what the rep told me was correct then we have a really good option. Prices based on 20 parcels per week. Apparently they can offer integration with eBay and Amazon so this is a bonus.

DX have been an absolute nightmare to get hold of, just get passed from pillar to post and can't actually get to speak to somebody. I've just give up with them.

thanks.

[Nickyboy]

Pretty much your only option courierwise will be DX or Tuffnells, they take the st that nobody else will. I've seen DX delivering tractors tyres, girders, the lot. There is plenty of other options but you're likely be looking at regular shipments to make it worthwhile

[tight fart]

I buy 6m lengths of tube, I think it's night freight who deliver to us.

[northwest monkey]

Charles Patochik said:

Hi all, I am looking to sell wooden sheet materials online (relatively high value plywoods and worktops on eBay). Looking online for a courier who can handle packages from between 2.5 and 3m - weighing in at around the 30-50kg mark is a bit of a nightmare. The only companies I can potentially find are Tuffnells (awful, arrogant attitude, poor payment terms and don't like delivering business to consumer) and DX who seem to get dodgy reviews as far as I can see.

There are a few people offering similar items on eBay with reasonable (around the £15 mark) so somebody must be out there. Given the nature of the product, next day isn't too important, anything up to 5 days would be manageable - any advise please Gents?

Thanks in advance.

There's probably a very good reason why Tuffnells & others won't deal with the end consumer and that's because by and large they're a pain in the arse. You'll have to work out what to do when buzzybee975 orders a worktop off you on Ebay and doesn't provide a contact number, or when misssparklezzzz isn't in on the day it's being delivered and the courier is banging on the door, or when oldjoe1956 decides after a couple of weeks the worktop is scratched or they don't like it any more.

I sell on Ebay & most of my stuff goes through a letterbox but I still have to deal with numpties everyday.

You'll also need to have your selling preferences nailed down tighter than a very tight thing, otherwise you're going to have to work out how to get that worktop to Stornoway or Zennor for the £15...