Video – What items can I send through the Overnight and International delivery networks?

Discover which items are suitable for next-day and international delivery networks, what should be sent by same-day courier instead, and why effective packaging is so important.

Transcript

What can you send through an overnight delivery network? It is often easier to explain what you cannot, or should not, send through an overnight carrier.

Items of particularly high value, such as works of art, are generally unsuitable for an overnight network. A dedicated same-day courier service is usually a better option for consignments of this kind.

Fast-moving consumer goods are regularly sent through overnight networks. The growth of ecommerce has created substantial demand for residential deliveries throughout the UK, but these networks are not limited to consumer parcels. We also handle many retail and business-to-business deliveries.

Highly hazardous items may not be suitable because they will travel alongside many other shipments. We need to ensure that one consignment will not affect the condition or safe delivery of other items moving through the network.

Packaging is also crucial. Fragile items can travel through an overnight carrier network, but poorly packaged goods may not arrive in one piece. We can advise customers on the type of packaging required to protect their goods during transit.

For example, we work with several drinks businesses. Although glass bottles are fragile, careful packaging allows them to travel through the network without problems.

Understanding how carrier networks operate also helps explain why certain shapes are less suitable. Tubes can be particularly difficult because modern sortation hubs use automated, conveyor-led routing systems.

Large volumes of parcels move along conveyor belts, and cylindrical packages can roll around or fall from the intended route. It is similar to placing a bottle sideways on a supermarket checkout conveyor belt.

The ideal items for overnight and international delivery are therefore securely packaged, relatively compact and contained within flat-edged boxes that can move safely through an automated sortation system.

Contact Diamond Logistics for advice about packaging or whether a particular consignment is suitable for an overnight or international delivery network.