This is one of the most common questions on Reddit, expat forums and Mumsnet before someone books their first luggage shipment. The answer: yes — if you use an established specialist. Here is what people actually find when they try it.
This is the question people type into Google and Reddit before booking. The honest answer from 28 years in the business: yes, when you use an established specialist. The horror stories on forums are almost all from people who used parcel couriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS) to ship luggage rather than a specialist luggage freight service.
The distinction matters. A parcel courier optimises for small boxes. Luggage — suitcases, barrels, oversized bags — is not their core business. A specialist luggage shipper like Excess Luggage Co. uses air freight and sea freight routes where luggage is the primary cargo type. The handling, documentation and customs process is entirely different.
“Used a parcel courier to send my bags to Nigeria — three of them went missing for two weeks and one arrived damaged. Switched to a specialist company the next time and it was completely different. Bags collected from door, proper documentation, arrived in 8 days.” This pattern appears repeatedly in discussions on r/expats, r/Nigeria and moving-abroad communities.
When people ask “has anyone used X company” on forums, these are the factors that determine whether the answer is positive or negative.
Years in operation. Excess Luggage Co. has been shipping personal effects since 1998 — 28 years. Companies that have been operating for decades have proven customs relationships, established freight routes and documented processes. New entrants in the market often do not.
Proximity to Heathrow. MetEx House, our operations centre, is 2 miles from Heathrow cargo terminals. For UK-origin shipments, proximity to Heathrow is a genuine operational advantage — it means our freight moves onto outbound aircraft faster than companies operating from further afield.
Customs documentation support. The difference between a shipment that clears smoothly and one that sits in a customs hold is almost always documentation. A reliable specialist helps you prepare the right documentation at booking stage, not after the hold has been flagged.
Confirmed pricing. Reliable companies confirm the quote before they collect. Unreliable ones quote a base rate and add surcharges after collection when you have no leverage.
A phone number that is answered. Call us: 0800 096 38 39. We answer. You speak to someone who knows the route and can give you an immediate quote and realistic timeline.
over 28 years. Established 1998 near Heathrow. These are the numbers that matter when people are deciding whether to trust a company with their belongings.
The routes we handle most are the ones where reliability matters most: Nigeria, India, Pakistan, UAE, Australia, the Caribbean. These are not easy routes. NAHCO/SAHCOL in Lagos, NCS customs, DAFF biosecurity in Australia, FBR in Pakistan. We have handled all of these thousands of times. When something goes wrong — and occasionally things do — we know how to resolve it because we have done it before.
“Will my stuff actually arrive, and will someone actually help me if it does not?” Call us on 0800 096 38 39. That call will give you a better sense of whether we are the right company for your shipment than any review site. If we are not the right fit, we will tell you.
Tell us your postcode, destination, bags and collection date. Clear quote. No guesswork.