Delivery
All about Delivery
It is the responsibility of the seller to consider the question of delivery when they upload an item for sale. There are various options from which to choose. If the item is small enough to be bagged or boxed, it can be sent by Royal Mail or a courier. The seller organises this, ticking the relevant box and includes the cost of posting, including the relevant insurance, on the form.
If the item is too large to put in a box or too fragile the best way to send it is by courier. There are several options, you may have a favoured courier company, if not, we can suggest:
For large items or heavy items p4d also offer a pallet service. A quote can be obtained on their website.
Please note: there may be a situation when the price quoted for delivery may not be adequate for the journey required, for example, if an item is to be delivered to a central London address or the Outer Hebrides. When this happens you will be informed of the additional cost and will have the option of making an alternative arrangement to collect the item or arrange your own courier. In this case your courier cost will be refunded. If you have any questions please ask.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ALLOW ADEQUATE INSURANCE TO COVER LOSS OR DAMAMGE TO YOUR ITEM DURING TRANSIT
Delivery in more detail...
Wrapping for transit:
Remember to wrap your item very well. If sent by national courier it is likely to be handled on and off a van or a lorry several times during its journey. Corners are paricularly vulnerable and it would be best to protect these with thick, heavy weight cardboard or thin plywood. If your item has a surface which can be marked or dented make sure it has an extra thick covering layer of blanket or packing felt - just bubblewrap is not enough as it can easily be caught and torn by sharp objects.
About pallet delivery:
The price for carrying large objects is worked out by the number of pallet spaces it will take up on the lorry. For example, a sofa 200cm long and 90cm deep will take up two pallet lengths (a pallet being 120cm x 100cm). The height is worked out to include the height of the pallet (allow 10cm). For example, using the same sofa, if its height is 110cm overall, including the pallet and packing, it might use a half pallet space in height, (There will only be one pallet but two pallet spaces.)
Heights are worked out as follows:
Up to 0.8m high and 250kg = quarter pallet
Up to 1.1m high and 500kg = half pallet
Up to 2m high and 1000kg = full pallet
Pallets are obtained from a supplier local to you, There is normally no charge for them as they are part of a national flowing system of pallets, although they may charge to deliver one to your door. Once your pallet arrives, if your item is longer than the pallet, you may need to make an additional platform on which to place your item. For example, the pallet would sit under the centre of the sofa and without an additional platform the sofa's legs would hang below the bottom of the pallet; when at the same level as the top of the pallet they will be a lot safer!
Obviously, it is very important to make sure your item (and extra platform) is secured to the pallet with strong straps. The pallet will be lifted by a fork lift truck and moved from one vehicle to another so to protect your item the two pieces - item plus pallet - must move as one.
About insuraance:
Make sure you allow enough insurance to cover repair or replacement of your item if damaged in transit. It will be the seller/sender who will pay for any damage if not adequately insured. Courier companies allow a certain amount of cover automatically, but as your item is probably much more valuable than that, be sure to book the extra insurance cover on their website. A rough calculation for insurance value is 2% of the value of your item.
As you work in the interior's market, you may prefer to use your local, tried and tested courier. In ny case, all this should be straight forward... but if you have any questions, please ask!