Lots of small businesses are not in the delivery business indeed most don’t even sell a product, but from time to time you may need to get a document or parcel across town or interstate. This guide will look at courier type options you have to get a document, a parcel or even a large machine from A to B.
A Courier company is one which delivers messages, packages and mail and is known for their speed, security, tracking service and specialisation.
A Taxi truck is a truck with a driver that can be hired.
If you are looking for an ongoing logistics solution see our guide on freight solutions– delivering to the customer.
WHY should I use a courier or taxi truck?
Your time can be better spent than doing a one-off delivery. Although freight charges in Australia keep going up it can still be quite inexpensive to have an item delivered.
WHAT are my choices to have something delivered?
First, you need to know two things:
- How urgent is the delivery? Is the delivery time critical like a blood delivery or an important contract? If it is not critical is delivery ok in a couple of days? Put very simply, the faster the service the higher the cost.
- How big and heavy is the item? If you want to move a shoebox-size parcel then you will have lots of easy choices but moving something the size of a car can be a little more complicated. Note that some restricted items like most liquids require specialist transport and if something is highly valuable you may wish to make special arrangements.
Your simplest choice is to visit Australia Post where you can organise a few days or next day delivery for standard items.
In most capital cities in Australia, bicycle couriers are available to deliver documents and small parcels quickly, such as zoom2u.
Your next choice is to use a courier company who will arrange pick up and delivery of items either locally or interstate. The big advantage here is they will come to your premises.
Larger items can be ferried using a taxi-truck business whom will have various sized trucks to move your freight from A to B, such as Allied Express.
Valuables can be moved by a Precious cargo specialist who should also offer full liability, like Armaguard.
International freight can also be done through Australia Post including priority envelopes otherwise talk to an international specialist like DHL.
HOW do I pick a courier company?
Australia Post has a handy postage cost and delivery calculator https://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/calculate-postage-delivery-times/#/. They also sell parcel post and express satchels in 10 packs to save visiting the post office every time.
To compare courier costs, you can visit these comparison sites to get instant quotes
Compare couriers
Parcel 2 courier
HINTS
Couriers charge by both volume (dimensions added up) and weight. If you have a light bulky item you will pay based on the volume. If you have a tiny heavy item you will be charged by the weight.
Parcel tracking is a great way to understand if the receiver has received that urgent package.
SUMMARY – delivery on time
Your time is not well spent delivering a parcel to the other side of town. Delivery costs increase the faster you want something delivered with overnight being a sweet spot between cost and time. Competition means you can get the best price simply by visiting a comparison website.