How to Send a Bike by Courier (Complete UK Guide)

Sending a bike doesn't have to be a faff. Whether you're sending a bike to a friend, listing on eBay, moving house or simply getting a spare bike to a family member who needs it, there's an easy way to have your bicycle transported safely and relatively cheaply from A to B.

Bikes are awkward, that's the thing. They're bulky, they have fragile bits hanging off all over the place and couriers generally won't touch them unless they're boxed up properly. It's not rocket science once you know how, but it can feel like it when you first get your hands on a bike box.

Here's how to send a bike by courier, from the big packaging up to choosing the fastest delivery and the cheapest.

Do I Need to Box a Bike Before Courier Collection?

OK, first things first. Newb question: can I give a courier driver a bike that's not in a box? And is there any way round this other than selling it to a specialist courier service?

Sadly no. Every major courier in the UK (and we mean every) requires bikes to be boxed up (or sometimes, box-less if you use a specialist courier service for bikes, more on that later). You can't avoid it. Bikes left "ready to ride" get refused at collection. Couriers do this for good reasons. Open derailleurs and handlebars easily damage other parcels, and your bike, when they're packed together in transit.

The exception to this is if you use a specialist bike transport courier service like Bike Services UK, who will collect ready to ride bikes with no boxing.

However, these services are more expensive and not available everywhere.

In this post we assume you're using a standard courier service. They're cheaper and readily available nationwide, even if you don't live near a city.

How Do I Get a Bike Box?

Right, now you're here it's too late to turn back. You've already sold your bike on eBay. The buyer's paid and you're Googling "bike boxes near me" at 11pm on a Tuesday.

Here's the truth, your options are…

Bike shops

Most bike shops have cardboard boxes left over from deliveries. You can either get them for free or pay around £5-10. It's worth ringing ahead though - nothing worse than rocking up to a shop to find they've just had a cardboard collection on the day before you turn up.

There are also retailers that sell boxes specifically for bike posting. We've seen them at Wiggle and BikeBoxAlan for example. They're sturdy, purpose made boxes and often in sizes more appropriate for sending bikes than standard cardboard boxes. They'll cost around £15-30.

If you work in a big office or know someone that does, some furniture shops (John Lewis is the best known) have massive rolls of cardboard and will happily let you take some off-cuts home.

If you're really handy with cardboard and have access to large sheets of the stuff, you can build your own box.

We said "skip the box" earlier. Most of these specialist courier services that collect ready to ride bikes and don't require boxing are in fact courier delivery services for large items. That's what you're getting if you use them. You'll pay more than a standard courier service, but it saves the hassle of boxing up. Might be worth considering if it's an expensive bike that you don't want to risk boxing yourself.

How Much Does it Cost to Send a Bike?

Costs will vary a fair amount by bike size, distance and how quickly you need it delivered. In the UK we see:

Standard Delivery (3-5 working days):

• Typical adult bike in a box (150cm x 80cm x 25cm or 20kg): £15-25
• Kids' bike (smaller box): £10-18
• Express/E-Bike (large box, heavy weight): £25-40

Next day/Express delivery:

• Typical adult bike (same size): £25-40
• Kids' bike (smaller box): £18-28
• Express/E-Bike (large box, heavy weight): £40-60+

E-Bikes are heavy. Bikes with a battery and electric motor can weigh 25-30kg or more easily. Courier costs for E-bikes can be £30-50 standard or more for next day.

Delivery distance matters less. A bike from London to Manchester costs about the same as London to Edinburgh (though time zones mean it can take a couple of days more to the Scottish Highlands). It's the rural locations which can attract surcharges for delivery to the Scottish Highlands, Orkney, Shetland, the Welsh countryside or anywhere in Northern Ireland. This can be around £10-20 extra.

Breaking a Bike Down to Fit in a Box

OK so it's now Tuesday lunchtime and you finally have a bike box and the bike you need to send.

Unless your box is gargantuan and can fit a fully equipped Giant TCR, you need to partially disassemble the bike. But don't worry - it doesn't need to be a full strip-down.

What you do need to do:

• Remove pedals. These stick out and poke holes in boxes
• Remove the front wheel. Makes things more compact.
• Turn the handlebars so they're sitting flat in the box.
• Remove the saddle and slide the seatpost through the frame if necessary. This is optional, depends how your box is fitting.

Does it sound like you need to be a bike mechanic? Nope. All it takes is a basic set of Allen keys (any bike shop will have some - we like Halfords' for £8), and a 15mm pedal spanner (again, available for £6 from Halfords).

The whole process of breaking a bike down so it fits in a box takes a beginner 15-20 minutes. You can do it.

In our experience of dismantling hundreds of bikes, the rear wheel almost always stays on. It's more compact with both wheels off but it does leave more loose bits that you have to protect.

Protecting a Bike for Transit

You're almost there. You've got your bike broken down and in pieces. Now just stop it arriving looking like it's just been through a tumble dryer in fast forward.

The main bits to protect:

• Derailleur hanger. This can snap easily so don't drop or knock it.
• Paintwork, particularly on more expensive or nice bikes. Scratches on the frame and mudguard/fender assembly are very common if not padded properly.
• Fork ends and the ends of the rear dropout.
• Handlebars and brake levers and shifters.

Bubble wrap is your friend. Wrap the frame in at least 2 layers of bubble wrap, paying special attention to the derailleur - that's the pointy bit of metal and cogs attached to the rear wheel. If this bends, your bike's going nowhere fast.

Front wheel. Wrap separately then nestle in alongside the frame. Some people put this inside the main triangle of the frame. Either works.

Fill the box with packaging peanuts or screwed up newspaper or old clothes to stop things rattling around. If your box is rattling inside its outer box when it's being moved, it's a good sign things are going to get scratched and damaged.

If you're using a courier service that collects and professionally packs bikes such as those used by marketplaces (we offer these in the UK) then packing is normally part of the price. Might be worth it on an expensive road bike, carbon frame, or anything over £2,000.

Courier Tape Is Your Friend

Now that the bike is safely wrapped, the last step is to seal the box. Sounds simple but people often get this wrong. Don't use Sellotape or the tape that comes on cardboard packaging.

Go to the shops and buy proper parcel tape. White 50mm-wide packing tape. That stuff that makes the satisfying screech noise when you pull it off the roll.

The standard way to do this is:

Run a long strip of tape along the bottom centre seam of the box, then across each of the end seams, forming an H pattern. Do the same with a long strip on the top of the box.

Repeat until the box feels secure.

We've seen some people go over the top and wrap the whole box in tape. Not necessary, but if it makes you feel better, go ahead and do it.

Cut some handles

Finally, use a Stanley knife or sharp blade and cut rectangular handholds on both sides of the box. Not only does this make life easier for the courier driver when they're manhandling boxes around, it also greatly reduces the chance that they'll drop your bike because it's too awkward to pick up and carry.

How to Choose a Courier Service for Sending Bikes

Right, last hurdle. What courier service should you use?

If you've sold your bike on eBay it's almost certainly best to stick with the courier options available through the marketplace. eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree all have a range of courier delivery services for bikes, that you can add to the listing when you create it. These options all offer insurance and have prices that are a similar ball park to one another, so usually the easiest route.

If you're not using a marketplace there's no single courier service for sending bikes which is "best". Prices will depend on your location and the options you have near you. Delivery distance, how quickly you need it and the size of the bike all affect costs and choice of courier.

In the UK Parcelforce, DPD and Evri (all courier delivery services for large items or "bikes") are widely available and fine for most bikes. They all have parcel tracking, provide tracking and won't cost a fortune. The bike specific courier services offered by the likes of Porta Delivery tend to be more reliable than standard couriers because we deal with large, bulky parcels like bikes every day of the week.

For same-day delivery within major cities like London, Birmingham and Manchester specialist large item courier delivery service companies who specialise in large items can collect and deliver your bike within hours. Costs more (£60-150+ is typical), but sometimes you've got to be in a rush.

Bike-specific delivery services and removals companies will charge a premium, but offer the full service - collection, packing, delivery, insurance. These are designed to provide you with less hassle and more peace of mind sending expensive road bikes, carbon frames, or items over £2,000 or more.

Marketplace collection and delivery services that specialise in marketplace courier delivery service (things like those we provide for eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree) make transactions smoother and easier if you're using those sites. They are used to collecting and delivering on "seller in Glasgow, buyer in Southampton" jobs that are very common with bikes.

Insurance - Essential but Boring

Courier services all provide basic insurance of between £50 and £100 as standard. This is enough for a kids' bike or one you've picked up from Halfords for £150 or so. It's not enough for a £3,000 road bike or a vintage racing bike.

When you need extra insurance:

• A bike that's worth over £500
• E-bikes (They're very expensive even when they look knackered)
• Vintage and rare bikes
• Custom builds and anything over £2000

Extra insurance costs about 2-3% of the value. So £40-60 extra for a £2,000 bike.

Collection or Drop-Off

You can either have your box collected from you or drop it off at a depot or collection point.

Collection is usually £2-5 more but spares you trying to fit a bike box in your car or on the bus. Unless you've got a van you're already using, collection is by far the sensible option for a bike. It's a nightmare trying to get a bike box on the tube.

Drop-off saves a few quid but you have to find transport. If you've got a car, fine. Less fine if the depot's a mile away and you have to try and carry a 20kg box half a mile to a Yodel collection point.

For same-day delivery, collection from your door is basically your only option unless you drop off direct at a courier depot before 9am.

Sending E-Bikes

E-bikes are more complex to send because of the lithium battery. It's not great for the environment but most couriers won't touch them, and airlines definitely won't.

Battery Removal

You need to remove the battery before sending. However, a small number of specialist couriers who work specifically with bikes will collect the whole bike including the battery, but you'll pay a premium.

Make sure the box is clearly marked and labelled "E-bike frame - no battery" if you're only sending the frame.

Weight

The bike will still be heavy. Frame, motor, larger wheels, battery trays and racks all add to the weight. Check the quoted price covers the weight and make sure it's 100% correct on your box. Couriers often charge more if the actual parcel is heavier than you declared.

Sending Bikes to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

If you're sending a bike to the Scottish Highlands, Orkney, Shetland, the Welsh countryside or anywhere in Northern Ireland it generally means extra charges and slower delivery.

Highland Surcharges

Expect £10-20 more if you're sending to "remote" postcodes (some UK courier delivery service prices for bikes may be higher). This is for any Scottish postcodes classed as IV (Inverness-shire), KW (Caithness), HS (Outer Hebrides) or Welsh postcodes like PA (Argyll) and PH (Perthshire - partially). Similar applies to Northern Ireland and outlying areas of England.

Delivery Times

The couriers may say next-day delivery to remote areas of the UK but this usually means next-day delivery to the local depot, then a further day or two to the final address. Standard delivery can be 5-7 working days rather than the 3-5 days they provide for other parts of the UK.

Northern Ireland tends to add 1-2 days and a £5-15 delivery surcharge. Some couriers don't deliver there at all, so always check before booking.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Declaring a box the wrong size

Measure the dimensions of your box properly (length x width x height) in centimetres. Couriers charge more if your parcel is bigger than you declared. Couriers either check every box or audit a random sample - if they suspect fraud it's down to your home insurance to sort out.

Forgetting to deflate the tyres

Tyres that are pumped-up will add a couple of kilograms and are more likely to burst in transit, particularly if you end up with a parcel that's going by plane at any point in its journey. Give them a few good pumps with a bike floor pump and let all the air out. Takes 30 seconds.

Forgetting to take photos

Photograph your bike before you pack it. Detailed close-ups of the serial number, existing damage, general condition, mileage (if applicable). Photos are the best evidence to provide when things go wrong with delivery.

Packaging too lightly

Bubble wrap is cheap. One layer is nowhere near enough to protect a bike that will inevitably shift during transport and get stacked up under and on top of other parcels in transit. It looks like overkill until you get your bike back and it's arrived with a bent hanger and scratched paintwork.

Booking at the last minute

Most couriers need at least 24-48 hours notice for a collection and same-day collection services are available but charge massively more. Book ahead where possible.

Sending a Bike by Courier: The Bottom Line

Sending a bike via a courier service is straightforward when you know how. Once you're familiar with the process, boxes aren't that expensive or hard to come by. Simple packaging and delivery times that are "can't be beat" rather than "guaranteed" are the key.

For most people, it's easier and in many cases cheaper than DIY transport. Yes, you can get your mate with a van to drive it to your mate with a van and pretend it's free, but the chances are you end up owing them petrol money, a curry and six months unpaid help moving house in return.

Couriers cost £15-40 for most UK mainland bike deliveries, collect from your door, provide tracking, include basic insurance and deliver to the recipient's door. It's hard to beat that unless you have a specific reason to avoid them.

For eBay sales, marketplace collection and delivery services like those we provide for eBay listings give you the best combination of cost, convenience and reliability for sending a bike. The big difference between these and a regular courier service that isn't bike specific is the packing. If you're using a marketplace collection and delivery service through eBay or Facebook Marketplace, packing is normally included and done by the courier.

Just remember, proper packaging is the secret. If you follow that and have realistic delivery expectations you should find that sending a bike using a courier is straightforward. Even if you've never done it before.