Best postal rates UK to Portugal.

[Lesley Jean]

Hello, does anyone have an idea of the best rates available to send parcels from the UK to Portugal? These are small/med parcels and not really worth sending via Direct Transport or someone like that. I understand that since the Post Office in the UK has changed it's carrier parcels are not always being delivered.

Can anyone help please?

[laserblazer]

We use www.parcelflight.org.uk

[James Faro]

Lesley, for small and medium parcels and if they are under 2kgs,it is best to stay with the Royal Mail and use their 'Small Packet' rates. I send a lot of stuff to Europe and across the world and I always use the Royal Mail. They may have changed their carrier but they still offer the signed-for service, so it does get there. Not one parcel from me has been lost yet and should that happen, the compenation rates are good

If they lose parcels,like using any postal sytem without tracing the item, then it is basically down to trusting UK and overseas staff to look after your item in good faith. On the odd occassion I send stuff by the ordinary airmail service, I ensure that the address is in large BOLD typed print so no chance it could be lost due to the address not being understood and then the parcel just discarded, as may happen time-to-time.

[Lesley Jean]

Thanks both of you for the help, I will probably stick with the Post Office but will look into prices on parcelflight.org too.

Thanks again

[Polli62]

It seems Royal Mail now use GLS Portugal group as their courier for delivering parcels in Portugal and they don't deliver to apartado addresses apparently. Read this on another forum where folks had been having problems getting their parcels delivered, many having to pick them up personally, or not receiving them at all. This is the forum where its being discussed http://www.expatfocus.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=35083/

[Lesley Jean]

yes that is where I also picked up the problem with the Post Office/GLS so wondered what others did...