Excess Luggage Co.

Excess Luggage Co.: international unaccompanied baggage shipping from the UK

Excess Luggage Co. is a British company established in 1998 that specialises in shipping unaccompanied baggage: suitcases, travel bags, boxes of personal effects and household items sent on behalf of an individual traveller or a person relocating to another country. The company stresses that it does not operate as a general parcel courier, but rather focuses on this type of shipment, as distinct from commercial freight or standard courier parcels.

Its main service consists of home collection in the UK, preparation of UK export documentation and transport by air or sea to the destination, with door-to-door delivery or airport collection depending on the country. The company states that it operates in 185 countries and maintains established door-to-door services for major destinations, with airport-collection coverage in almost all others.

Shipping services and transport options

The company offers two transport options: air freight, which is faster, for urgent shipments, and sea freight, which is more economical for large volumes of luggage and personal effects. According to the information on the website, air freight to most European destinations takes 3 to 5 working days, subject to space and flight availability with the carriers; to long-haul destinations such as the United States, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa, 5 to 10 working days. Sea freight takes considerably longer, often 8 to 12 weeks depending on the destination, but is more economical for large volumes.

The shipping process includes collection from the customer's home in the UK, transfer to a warehouse at Heathrow, packing, verification and documentation, UK export clearance, air or sea transport, arrival and customs, and delivery or airport collection. The company prepares UK export documentation and a valued, itemised packing list for every shipment.

Destinations and international coverage

The company ships to 185 countries. Featured destinations include the United States (door-to-door, CBP customs clearance), Australia (door-to-door, biosecurity clearance), Dubai (door-to-door delivery), India (airport collection), Canada (airport collection, sea door-to-door option), South Africa (airport collection, sea door-to-door option) and Europe (45 countries, door-to-door subject to destination).

UK collection coverage is nationwide: they collect luggage, boxes and personal effects from homes, universities, hotels and offices across the country. The website mentions detailed collection information for areas such as London, Heathrow, Hounslow, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol and Reading & Slough, among many other locations.

Customer profile

The services are aimed at international students moving to universities in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, Dubai and other destinations; expatriates and families undertaking an international relocation for work; business travellers and long-stay travellers; families and travellers who want to avoid airline excess baggage fees; and people shipping sports equipment such as golf clubs, skis, snowboards and bicycles.

Documentation, customs and limitations

Excess Luggage Co. prepares UK export documentation and a valued, itemised packing list for every shipment. Import declarations and customs clearance in the destination country are the importer's responsibility in all cases. For door-to-door destinations, clearance is generally handled as part of the delivery process; for airport-collection destinations, the customer or an authorised representative must attend in person for clearance.

The company is not a removals company and does not transport furniture for house relocations, although it can offer bespoke packing for smaller items of household furniture, antiques and inherited effects, or arrange full-container sea shipping for larger consignments. Restricted or prohibited items under IATA dangerous goods regulations and destination country customs rules cannot be shipped, such as aerosols, flammable liquids, batteries outside of equipment and some food and animal products.

Structure and customer service

The company has a UK-based team and offers direct telephone support, as well as an instant messaging service. Its headquarters are at MetEx House, 496a Great West Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW5 0TE. The company presents itself as a British company with almost three decades of experience in the sector.

Location and contact

MetEx House, 496a Great West Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW5 0TE