Updated May 2014.
With SendMyBag prices starting from twenty five pounds within Europe, more holiday makers than ever before are choosing to send luggage ahead this summer. We’ve compiled the below top tips to help ensure your SendMyBag holiday experience is a great one!
1- Attach Your Shipping & Backup Labels Securely
Shipping labels become available 7 days before a collection is due to take place, please print and attach the label to your suitcase with the barcode visible.
We recommend attaching your label with our tried and tested, safe and secure, SendMyBag label holders, better still we give them away for FREE; click here to claim yours.
Please remember if you are travelling for longer than 7 days your return journey label will generate whilst you’re away. Please ask your hotel to print the return label for you and then simply replace the old label in your SendMyBag label holder.
2 - Be Mindful Of Your Destination Location & Transit Times.
95% of standard services and 99% of express services arrive on the estimated date. If you’re staying offshore or outside of a major city standard services may take 1-2 days extra and express services 1 day extra.
You can request a postcode to postcode delivery estimate by contacting us.
We recommend you time your luggage to arrive at least 1 day ahead of you.
Addresses should be standard locations such as a Hotel which receives mail / courier services to the door on a regular basis, if your address is not a standard postal address unfortunately we won’t be able to reach you. Contact us for help if you are unsure.
In some resorts, whilst some individual seasonal villas or apartments may not be a standard address you will often find there is a local resort office or other building which holiday makers and staff use to have mail and baggage delivered to.
If your address is known for being hard to find please let us know at least 48hrs before the delivery and again before the collection date. Drivers do not carry mobiles if they are unable to find your address they cannot call you.
Please remember our standard service is great value due to our high volume, as such drivers have a few minutes for each collection, if your address is inaccessible in any way you should leave a note for the driver at the main point of access. In the case of holiday apartment blocks and hotels luggage will be delivered to reception.
Use our advanced tracking system to monitor your bag every step of the way.
3 - Collection & Deliveries Take Place Throughout The Day
We cannot provide a time for collection or delivery, SendMyBag can transport bags around the world for under thirty pounds because we send a high volume of items extremely efficiently, routes are planned on the day and drivers prioritise throughout the day based on a number of factors. If you are not available throughout the day why not have your bag collected from work, leave it with a neighbour or ask the hotel concierge to take care of it.
If you do miss a collection or delivery don’t worry we’ll come back again the following day, just let us know.
If you’re sending to or from a hotel please make the front desk aware that your bag will be arriving before you. When leaving please ensure they know to hand your bag to our driver when they arrive.
4 - Don’t Plan a Collection For The Day You Are Leaving The Country
SendMyBag standard services are great value because of the number of collections we perform every day, as such if your address is inaccessible, no one is home, or if the driver cannot reach you on your chosen day for any other reason such as traffic, your collection may need to take place the following day.
You should always have at least one day buffer and have a backup plan, for example a neighbour or hotel concierge who can hand over your bag a following day.
5 - Track Your Bag
We provide tracking at the click of a button in the customer area of the website,via our IOS app , android app, and mobile site (reading this on a mobile? When you’re done head over to our optimised mobile website). You should track your bag regularly throughout its journey, this is especially important if someone else is handing over or receiving the bag on your behalf.
Please ensure your hotel hands over all your items and that they are the correct items.
Using our easy tracking system to check your bag is collected and watch it tracking all the way to the destination. On the day your bag is out for delivery, the tracking will show “out for delivery”.
Our standard service delivery dates are estimates, always double check your bag is tracking as out for delivery before waiting in.
6 - Supply a Full and Accurate Delivery Address & Local Phone Number.
Ensure the address you have provided clearly includes a building name / number, street address and local phone number. If the route manager of the destination recognises a problem with your address he can arrange for a local number to be called, international route managers cannot call a UK mobile.
If you don’t have a local number and your collection fails contact SendMyBag and we will contact the collecting depot on your behalf.
7 - Know What You Can Send
SendMyBag handles more holiday baggage than any other excess baggage company worldwide, we ship everything from clothes to skis to golf clubs.
We prohibit the sending of: Aerosols (or any pressurized container), Perfume, Nail Varnish (or any other flammable liquid), Cosmetics, Illegal & Restricted Items, Toner Cartridges, Tobacco, Alcohol, Money & Medication on any SendMyBag service. If you include these items your bag will fail x-ray check and be returned.
Small quantities of liquids, pastes & gels (excluding those listed above) such as body lotion, shower gel and toothpaste can be sent on our European Standard and Domestic Standard services.
Liquid, pastes & gels of any sort are entirely prohibited on all Express services. This includes all services outside of the EU and Domestic and EU Express.
More information is available in our “What Can I Send” FAQ and preparing your bag video.
Electricals such as hairdryers are welcome but items such as laptops are not covered by our complimentary cover. Please ensure you have suitable insurance in place for your needs.
If your suitcase has an extendable handle or other protruding parts please seal these in place, your item will travel on automated belts and SendMyBag cannot compensate for scuffs or damage to protruding parts.
We recommend securing your bag with a cable tie rather than a lock.
8 - Customs (Only applies when sending outside the EU)
If you are sending outside of the EU your item will be liable for customs clearance across international borders. SendMyBag provides a facility to create a packing list and provides the destination country’s customs clearance documents for many popular countries. However in the way an airline cannot check your visa, SendMyBag cannot be liable for your compliance with the customs regulations of your destination country. Please ensure you check with the destination and are clear on how what you are sending and your own personal circumstances (holiday, returning citizen, temporary visa etc.) may affect the clearance of your goods.
Most countries worldwide provide allowances for returning citizens and holiday baggage. When the correct documentation is attached to your suitcase SendMyBag’s priority systems ensure most items clear customs the same day in which they arrive in the destination country. If your item’s tracking shows it is stopped by customs contact us for assistance, whilst customs clearance is between the destination country and the shipper SendMyBag can provide support and advice.
9 - We’re Here to Answer Your Questions
You should book in advance and contact us with any questions. We provide phone, email and online chat support 7 days a week, with extended opening hours until 8pm Sunday – Friday.
If you have a problem after your bag has been collected also contact us directly, SendMyBag works with priority teams within our partner delivery networks, if you call the delivery network directly you will be speaking with standard customer services rather than the priority teams. We provide local numbers for several worldwide destinations including a Freephone US number, you can also request a free call back.
10 - Watch our video on preparing your bag.
Have a great trip!
PS. Sendmybag now offers EU - EU and USA - World services.