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How much does international shipping cost?
International shipping can cost anywhere from £5-6 all the way up in the £100s. It all depends on what you’re sending and where you’re sending it to.
For example, if you were to send a book from the UK to Ireland, it would only cost you a couple of pounds more than a standard UK delivery.
On the other hand, if you were to send a piano from the UK to Japan, it’s likely to cost quite a bit more.
Why is international shipping so expensive?
International shipping tends to cost more than domestic delivery because of the extra steps the parcel needs to take before arriving at its destination.
Deliveries that stay within the UK generally get taken by road to a depot, where parcels are sorted by destination. Then, another driver takes the parcels from the depot to a specific city and delivers them.
International deliveries, on the other hand, involve a lot of extra work. Parcels go through a depot, before being taken to an airport to be loaded onto a cargo plane. The plane then takes all the parcels to the country in question, where each parcel has to go through customs to be inspected. Once the parcels are cleared, the parcel is passed on to the next courier to complete the last leg of the journey.
Naturally, all this extra work needs to be factored into the prices that a courier will quote. Plus, it’s worth considering the extra charges that could be incurred on customs duties if you send outside of the European Union.
But perhaps the biggest reason that senders find themselves facing surprisingly expensive charges is that they've not chosen the ideal courier for them. More than anything else, who you send your parcel with will impact the overall cost.
Which couriers are cheaper for international shipping?
To get cheaper international shipping, you should compare a variety of couriers and see what prices you’ll get on your delivery.
Using a courier comparison site like Parcel2Go.com is the easiest way to compare. Plus, we get exclusive deals by working closely with reliable international brands like DPD, UPS and Parcelforce, so you’ll save money in the process.
We offer some of the cheapest international shipping in the UK. You can send to Ireland for as little as £5.81 excluding VAT, or to the USA for just £9.99 including VAT.
Learn More About Our International Shipping Prices
