Every June and every December, tens of thousands of international students face the same problem: a year of accumulated belongings, an airline allowance of one or two bags, and a flight home. Excess Luggage Co. has been solving this since 1998, shipping student belongings from every UK university city to families worldwide.
This guide covers everything: when to book, what to ship versus store versus sell, how student shipments clear customs at home, and how to avoid the classic end-of-term mistakes.
Ship home: clothing, books and course materials, personal items, gifts, items of sentimental value, and anything you will genuinely use at home. Air freight for things you need within 2 weeks; sea freight for things that can wait 4-12 weeks at a much lower price. These sea transit times are approximate — the actual time depends on when your LCL container finishes loading and consolidating, the vessel’s sailing date and route, any transhipment hub before the final destination, and customs clearance, so please allow a week or two either side.
Store in the UK: only worth it if you are returning to the same city within months. Storage costs mount: 9 months of storage often exceeds the cost of shipping home and back. Do the arithmetic before choosing storage.
Sell or donate: kitchen equipment, bedding, desk lamps, hangers, and bulky low-value items. The rule of thumb: if replacing it at home costs less than shipping it, sell it. A 15 pound kettle never justifies freight costs.
Book 2-3 weeks before your collection date in normal months. Collections need 48-72 hours notice at minimum, but slots fill.
June is the busiest month in student shipping. Every university finishes within the same three-week window, and collection slots in university cities book out fast. Book in early May for a June collection. The same applies to December and the winter break, at slightly lower intensity.
Halls deadlines are hard deadlines. University accommodation requires rooms cleared by a fixed date. Book your collection at least 3-4 days before your halls deadline so a missed collection can be recovered without crisis.
Used personal belongings returning home with a returning student attract low or zero duty in most countries. Your packing list should make the student context clear: used clothing, used books, personal effects of a returning student.
New items and gifts are different. A new laptop or sealed gifts in your shipment are imports in the eyes of your home customs authority and may attract duty on their value. Declare honestly: undervaluation causes holds, inspections and penalties.
India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ghana, Kenya and China — our highest-volume student routes — each have specific rules on returning-student shipments. We advise route-specific requirements at booking. See our student shipping hub for your route.