collection & cut of times

Collection availability and cut off times are area and courier specific. This means that you will need to find out what these are for your area. Some couriers in certain areas will not even collect the same day, so it is important to find out.

When using our system these will appear when requesting a quote. If you are unsure, we are always here to help!! Our online portal gives you the best cut-off times available in your area.

Most collections happen between 9am-5pm when booking in advance. Be aware that if you have booked a collection slot between 3pm-6pm that courier may collect up to 6pm. If the courier fails to collect because your business is closed or no-one is there, there may be a surcharge for a failed collection.

TIP: If you have a lot of goods going out (more than a standard courier van can carry) then it is best to book in advance and tell the courier. They will then make two collections or just send a bigger vehicle for your collection.

Collection Times

Collections are not guaranteed especially around busy times such as Christmas. This can be slightly annoying. If the worst happens, it is a good idea to find out where your local depot is for specific couriers and what the latest drop off time is; so that extremely urgent packages can be dropped off if the courier has failed to collect.

If a there has been a failed collection it will not automatically be rebooked for the following day, so please remember to rebook or drop off at a depot.

Any collection that has an item or several items over 70kg will need to be book 24 hours in advance. As a rule of thumb, if an item need to be collected on Tuesday it needs to be booked in before 12 noon on Monday.

If you ship items every day with a courier, the most reliable collection method is to have a daily collection. If you have an amicable driver it may be possible to arrange a specific time that they collect every day. Some may even give you their telephone number so they can keep you up-to-date. Try and cultivate a friendship with the driver.

Here is an overview of what to expect from each courier:

UPS: depending on whether it a busy time of year, you can arranged a 3 or 5 hour window for collection between 12 and 5pm (i.e. 1:30pm-4:30pm)

FEDEX: can be between 2 and 5 hour window

TNT: can be between 2 and 5 hour window

DHL: can be between 2 and 5 hour window

Cut Off Times

Cut-off times are the times up until which you can book your shipments for collection today. These again are area and courier specific. They can change whether you are sending inland UK (Domestic) or exporting.

TIP: If you have two packages going with UPS, one of which is inland UK and other is being exported. Book the inland UK first and don’t book the pick-up. Then you have until later on to book in the exported parcel and book the collection. They should collect both even if you only booked collection for one.

UPS Domestic: for same day collection you must book before 12am

UPS Export: for same day collection you can book your collections anywhere up until 3pm

FEDEX: for same day collection you can book anywhere up until 4pm

TNT Domestic & Export: for same day collection you can book anywhere up until 5pm

DHL Domestic & Export: for same day collection you can book anywhere up until 4:30pm

These cut-off times are based on a specific London postcode (ours) and are the best available and this is not necessarily reflected all across London. You will need to check with the couriers to find out your local cut-off time. As mentioned earlier, some area are considered remote and couriers will not collect same day.

Pallets

Pallets require certain vehicles to collect so as a rule of thumb they need 24 hours notice. If a pallet needs to be collected on a Tuesday it needs to be booked in before 12 noon on Monday. This includes importing, exporting and domestic.

It also good to bear in mind that if you do not have a forklift truck on site you will need to request a collection vehicle with a tail lift.

TIP: Our system gives you the best cut-off times available, allows you to see these when getting a quick quote as well as offering the ability to book daily collections

We are here to help with anything including any question about collection times and cut-off times!!