It all started when I needed to send a 9Kg parcel to Germany. At first glance it seemed a fairly simple exercise - except when it came to the cost of expediting the package.

I first checked with our own Royal Mail via their website at www.royalmail.com

Using Royal Mail's International Standard Delivery (3-5 Days), which is their least expensive option, the total cost (inc. VAT) to deliver my 9Kg parcel to Germany is £34.50 (51.46 Euros). This cost on a 9Kg parcel also applies to most other European countries.

I then checked with the well known carrier DHL on their website at www.dhl.co.uk. Their parcel service is on a pick-up from customer basis and the item is sent via Air Express, and they claim a 'next day' delivery, barring any technical difficulties. The cost to send a 9Kg parcel to Germany is a whacking £98.89 including VAT - which includes their extraordinary 5.5% fuel surcharge!

I have a friend in Germany who could never understand why we in the UK pay so much to send a simple parcel across Europe, so I already had an idea about the lower cost of sending an identical item weighing 9Kg from Germany to the UK. I decided to check out the German postal prices and headed for the equivalent of our Royal Mail in Germany which is Deutsche Post at www.deutschepost.de

Interesting, Deutsche Post utilise DHL Germany to deliver all their customers packages and large parcels throughout Europe, including of course the UK, using a service named 'PostPaket'. Click here to see view their prices.

To send a 9Kg parcel from anywhere in Germany to the UK using the 'PostPaket' service costs just £13.74 (20.50 Euros). I've received delivery within three working days.

Like DHL in the UK who automatically provide a pick-up service, by simply paying an extra 4 Euros on top of the normal 20.50 Euros, 'PostPaket' will actually pick-up the item from the senders address. Click here to view the details.

If you pay an extra 9 Euros for their 'PostPaket' International Fast Delivery service, DHL Germany will normally deliver the item next day to the UK. Click here to view the details.

Although consideration must be given to both time and delivery differentials between DHL UK and DHL Germany, on a simple cost basis of delivering a 9Kg parcel across Europe (Zone 1), it can be up to staggering SEVEN times more expensive to send a package or parcel from the UK to Germany, than sending it from Germany to the UK!!

Royal Mail is undoubtedly the 'cheapest' option for delivering International parcels and packages, but overall, compared with our European partners it's evident the cost of our postal and delivery service in the UK is a complete and utter Rip-Off. Surely, this is making the UK uncompetitive, especially for small businesses and individuals needing to send their small items across Europe. Especially for those using Ebay!

If you've had experience with the high cost of simply mailing or sending a package or parcel to Europe, or around the World, please let me know the details by emailing me at: editor@rip-off.co.uk If you have information about the cost of sending packages and parcels from other European countries to the UK - I'd like to hear from you!

Hi, Have you tried sending a parcel to the USA (via Parcel force), who is supposed to be our good friend. Just try and get a good price for a 9Kg parcel to the USA. It cost me about £55.00. BUT, ...you will be very very lucky if it gets there within 30 days! and you will not be able to track it until the person on the other side tells you, "I GOT IT" 7th April 2004 - Sent in by SJ

Hi, Please check out GLS-Germany.com Smallest parcel which can be tracked online and which is covered by full insurance costs 16,50 Euro. (See the website for more details, www.gls-germany.com/en/shop/preisklassen.php3 they charge by size, not weight). This means a huge 20kg parcel will costs you 25 Euro. One more thing: Your article has an error here: "If you pay an extra 9 Euros for their 'PostPaket' International Fast Delivery service, DHL Germany will normally deliver the item next day to the UK". This is wrong. Although this is the fast option, delivery time is between 2-3 business days (London takes sometimes 24h). And you must get the fast option if your items are worth more than 100 Euro. It's recommended because of the insurance. 9th April 2004 - Nice webiste, I'll keep an eye on it. Michael

I agree with everything you say. I came across your site precisely because I'm looking to send between 10-20Kg at reasonable cost to Germany as a result of an eBay transaction. I thought surely I must be able to get a better deal than ParcelForce. I'm fairly consistently getting the reaction 'HOW MUCH???' when I quote for postage worldwide. I have had transactions where the shipping destination has had to be changed because of this. Also - getting the best deal on postage from Royal Mail/Parcel Force is a black art. I've been to the main post office in Reading and been quoted one thing - only to go to my local sub-post office and told the quote was wrong. I think this was with regard to the items being printed matter or books or something. Also - for example - it's cheaper to send 2 lots of 2Kg than a single 4Kg package. The only way I deal with the bizzare nature of costings is by asking my local sub-post office. They seem pretty clued up to how to get the best deal. It's almost more obscure than a tax return sometimes. For what I want to do, it would almost be cheaper to book a cheap seat on Easyjet etc. and hand carry the stuff! 14th April 2004 - Sent in by John G

Hello and thank you for the information on your web site, very useful. I have just sent a parcel to Germany using www.parcelflight.co.uk . The parcel weighed 12.6 kg, and the charge for guaranteed delivery within 4 days with tracking was £32.30. Still a lot more than the equivalent service form Deutsche Post but much less than ParcelForce that would have charged £59.50 (delivery from 3 days with tracking). Hope this helps,29th Aug 2006 Regards, Paul C