🌐 Worldwide luggage shipping • Air & sea • Since 1998

Worldwide luggage shipping from the UK
The freight is the easy part — customs is the variable

We ship from anywhere in the UK to destinations across every inhabited continent, by air from Heathrow and by sea from London and Manchester. What changes from one country to the next is not whether we go there, but how your shipment clears when it arrives.

Get a quote 📞 0800 096 38 39

🌐Every inhabited continent
✈Air from Heathrow, sea from London & Manchester
📍UK-wide collection whatever the destination
📅Shipping worldwide since 1998

Coverage

Where we ship, and how the network works

We ship from anywhere in the UK to destinations across every inhabited continent. What differs between them is not whether we go there — it is how the shipment clears at the far end, and that is where most of the work is.

✈

Air freight from Heathrow. Everything routes through our own facility at MetEx House in Hounslow, two miles from the Heathrow cargo terminals, for onward despatch.

⚓

Sea freight from London and Manchester. Consolidated groupage and full containers, with UK receipt points including Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Newcastle.

📍

Collection is UK-wide regardless of destination. The route out changes; the collection doesn’t.

What changes by region

Customs is the variable, not the freight

🇪🇺

Europe. Post-Brexit customs applies to every shipment. Most EU countries offer transfer-of-residence relief on used household effects if you are genuinely moving home — each with its own evidence requirements. Sea transit is roughly 3 to 6 weeks.

🇺🇸

North America. The USA works on CBP Form 3299 and a used-and-owned test; Canada uses a goods-to-follow list declared at the border that cannot be added to later.

🇦🇺

Australia and New Zealand. Biosecurity is the deciding factor, not duty. Soil on camping gear, boots or garden tools is the classic hold-up.

🇳🇬

Africa, the Caribbean and South Asia. Returning-resident and re-migrant concessions are common and often generous — but they hinge on evidence, timing and, in several countries, being present in person at clearance.

🇦🇪

The Gulf. Used personal effects usually clear duty-free on a valid residence permit; prohibited-item lists are strictly enforced.

Transit

How long a worldwide shipment actually takes

Air freight is measured in working days — a few days to around a fortnight depending on the destination, subject to space and flight availability with the carriers. Sea freight is measured in weeks: roughly 4 to 12 weeks depending on your destination and sailing dates, give or take a week either side.

📋

Clearance time sits on top of transit. The sailing or flight is the predictable part; how quickly it clears at the other end depends on the destination, the paperwork and whether an inspection is called.

✅

Our standard service runs UK door to arrival airport. Import clearance, duties and onward delivery at destination are the receiver’s side — which is why those sit outside our quote. For commercial cargo we can quote on most Incoterms.

Wherever it’s going

What stays the same everywhere

📦

Pack properly. Suitcases, holdalls and double-walled cartons. Number every box and list what is in it.

🔋

The same restricted items. No lithium batteries in a standard shipment including inside devices, no aerosols, no perfume. Batteries can be packed and exported as declared dangerous goods — ask us before you pack. Undeclared dangerous goods are a criminal offence and the duty sits with the sender.

💰

The same pricing basis. Weight or volume, whichever is greater. As long as your bags are what you told us, that’s the price you pay — subject to airline rates at time of booking.

Common questions

Your questions answered

Where do you ship to? +

From anywhere in the UK to destinations across every inhabited continent - Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania and the Caribbean. Air freight routes through our Heathrow-side facility; sea freight loads from London and Manchester.

How long does a worldwide shipment take? +

Air freight is measured in working days - a few days to around a fortnight depending on destination, subject to space and flight availability with the carriers. Sea freight is measured in weeks, roughly 4 to 12 depending on destination and sailing dates.

Does the customs process differ by country? +

Considerably. Europe runs on post-Brexit rules with transfer-of-residence relief; the USA uses CBP Form 3299; Australia and New Zealand are driven by biosecurity rather than duty; and many African, Caribbean and South Asian countries offer returning-resident concessions that depend on evidence and timing.

What does your quote cover? +

Our standard service runs UK door to the destination arrival airport. Import clearance, duty, local taxes and onward delivery at destination are the receiver's responsibility, which is why they sit outside our quote. For commercial cargo we can quote on most Incoterms.

Are the rules on what I can send the same everywhere? +

Broadly yes for the dangerous goods rules - no lithium batteries in a standard shipment, no aerosols or perfume. Prohibited item lists vary by country, so we check your inventory against the destination before anything ships.

👤

Lak Kharod, Director

Excess Luggage Co. • 40 years in the freight industry • MetEx House, Hounslow, next to Heathrow

“The freight is the straightforward bit. What separates a clean delivery from a held shipment is nearly always the customs paperwork at the far end — which is the part we do for you.” Call 0800 096 38 39.

Worldwide luggage shipping from the UKThe freight is the easy part — customs is the variable