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FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about Nomad Parcels

General

How long will my parcel take to arrive?

From the day of your collection, parcels take the following lengths of time (note: these are working days - weekend days are not included):

Athens: 5-6 working days
Thessaloniki: 5-6 working days
Crete: 5-15 working days (depends on timing of departure of next Nomad vehicle)
Patra: 5-15 working days (depends on timing of departure of next Nomad vehicle)
Greece - Everywhere Else: 7-8 working days
Other European Countries: please see this page - just enter your UK post code and it will show you the transit time via "UPS Standard" overland services to Europe
Rest of World: Please contact us for an estimate

UPS currently has a 94% success rate at meeting the above dates.

How much is VAT?

VAT is 20%

Can I track the progress of my parcels?

Yes, you can track your parcels throughout the journey for all services that are transported via UPS. You will receive an email with tracking numbers, which you can track on this page.

Can I choose a specific time for collection?

No, just a date. Your collection will be between 9am and 5pm.

Can I choose a specific time for delivery?

Unfortunately not.

How will I know when my parcels will be delivered?

You will know approximately from the date ranges above, and then by tracking your parcels you will be able to see exactly when they will be delivered.

If I am not at home on delivery day, can I come to a UPS depot to collect instead?

In certain countries this is possible, but not in Greece. The UPS driver will come back to deliver your parcels again the following working day.

If my parcels are en route already, can I change the delivery date?

Yes, it is possible to delay the delivery date by up to 5 working days. This is not a straightforward procedure so please contact us (Nomad: 01733 311 561) if you need us to arrange this for you. For all other enquiries regarding parcel collections and deliveries it is best to contact UPS on 03457 877 877, but to delay a consignment that is already en route, please contact us and we will endeavour to arrange this for you.

If my parcels are en route already, can I change the delivery address?

No. Please make sure the delivery address is correct and complete at the time of booking.

Can I send suitcases?

Yes you can. You can send other things besides traditional parcels / boxes, but UPS charges an additional fee of £3.25 + VAT for each item which is not encased in cardboard, hence the different prices on our system for "cardboard boxes" and "other" items. If you select "other" instead of "cardboard box" on the pricing calculator, and then enter the weight and dimensions of your suitcase, the price will be calculated for you. Please see below for more detail on other items that you can send.

What happens if I have under-estimated the weight or size of my parcels?

UPS weighs and measures literally every single item that they collect (they do this once the items arrive at their depot, using an automated system). If the items are found to be larger or heavier than stated on the booking, they will charge an additional fee in accordance with the additional weight, plus you will be charged an administration fee of £36.00 + VAT per item. Your delivery will not take place until this is paid. So it is very important to measure the dimensions and weight accurately before booking.

Do you offer express services (air freight / overnight)?

Not currently. We are focusing on offering our customers the lowest prices available, which means using the "UPS Standard" services, which are overland within continental Europe. These services offer the best combination of the lowest prices with regular delivery schedules. In future we may add express services also, but at the moment we only offer one option for each destination.

I need my delivery to be very soon, and the exact delivery date is absolutely critical, should I send it?

No. In most cases UPS will deliver within the times outlined above (94% of cases), but there is no way for them to absolutely guarantee a delivery date. In fact even with express services, delivery is not absolutely guaranteed (some express services simply offer compensation in the event of a late delivery). If you have an absolutely critical delivery date requirement, you should not send the item through a parcel network. If you do send it, you must understand the small risk that it will be late.

On Collection Day

Where is the UPS man? He should have arrived to collect my goods by now.

UPS are our partners for collections and deliveries of parcel consignments, enabling us to provide these services very cost-effectively. They are very efficient, and the vast majority of parcels are collected within the window of time that was booked.

However, occasionally things do go wrong and the UPS driver is late. If the driver has not arrived and collection window you booked has ended, please call UPS on 03457 877 877 and they will assist you. UPS will require your Pickup Request Number (PRN) - this number is in the confirmation email you received when you made the booking.

Can I call the UPS driver to find out where he is? Or can he call me?

We would love to be able to offer this service, but with UPS it isn't possible. Please bear in mind that UPS is the largest parcel delivery company in the world, transporting 2.4 million parcels and documents per day. At this scale they are able to operate very efficiently, but they can't offer the personal touch that a small company like Nomad can offer.

If we (Nomad) are conducting your collection or delivery ourselves, of course you can contact us at any time. We will stay in contact with you throughout the whole process, and if you need to call us for anything, you can. We handle all collections and deliveries for household removals ourselves (as well as parcel consignments in Crete and Patra), but for all other parcel consignments, it will be UPS conducting the deliveries and collections. For more information on which company is collecting / delivering your goods (Nomad or UPS), please see the table below.

If your collection window has passed and your driver has not arrived, UPS customer services will be able to chase up what has happened for you and give you an update. Please call UPS on 03457 877 877 and they will assist you.

Will it be Nomad or UPS collecting (or delivering) my parcels?

For household removals (when you are moving home) it will always be Nomad. For parcel collections and deliveries in the UK it will usually be UPS. For parcel collections and deliveries in Greece it will sometimes be Nomad and sometimes UPS, depending on the location. For the rest of the world, parcels will be handled by UPS. Please see the table below for a guide:

From To Company Collecting Company Delivering
UK (from your home) Greece - Parcels to Athens UPS UPS
Greece - Parcels to Thessaloniki UPS UPS
Greece - Parcels to Crete UPS Nomad
Greece - Parcels to Patra UPS Nomad
Greece - Parcels to Any Other Location UPS UPS
Greece - All - Household Removals Nomad Nomad
Italy - Parcels UPS UPS
Italy - Household Removals Nomad Nomad
UK - Parcels UPS UPS
All Other Countries - Parcels UPS UPS
UK (from our warehouse) Greece - Parcels to Athens N/A UPS
Greece - Parcels to Thessaloniki N/A UPS
Greece - Parcels to Crete N/A Nomad
Greece - Parcels to Patra N/A Nomad
Greece - Parcels to Any Other Location N/A UPS
Greece - All - Household Removals N/A Nomad
Italy - Parcels N/A UPS
Italy - Household Removals N/A Nomad
UK - Parcels N/A UPS
All Other Countries - Parcels N/A UPS
Greece - Parcels from Athens UK (to your home) UPS UPS
Greece - Parcels from Thessaloniki UPS UPS
Greece - Parcels from Crete Nomad UPS
Greece - Parcels from Patra Nomad UPS
Greece - Parcels from Any Other Location UPS UPS
Greece - All - Household Removals Nomad Nomad
Italy - Parcels UPS UPS
Italy - Household Removals Nomad Nomad
UK - Parcels UPS UPS
All Other Countries - Parcels UPS UPS
Greece - Parcels from Athens UK (to our warehouse) UPS N/A
Greece - Parcels from Thessaloniki UPS N/A
Greece - Parcels from Crete Nomad N/A
Greece - Parcels from Patra Nomad N/A
Greece - Parcels from Any Other Location UPS N/A
Greece - All - Household Removals Nomad N/A
Italy - Parcels UPS N/A
Italy - Household Removals Nomad N/A
UK - Parcels UPS N/A
All Other Countries - Parcels UPS N/A

Booking Process

How do I send my parcels to another country (eg: Greece)?

Simply enter the dimensions and weights of each item, as well as your collection location and delivery location, and your price will be displayed. When you click the "Book Now" button to go to the next page, you will have the ability to add some additional details like your post code. (The price may change slightly once you've entered your post code, especially if you live in a remote area). Then simply check everything, decide if you want to take insurance or not, confirm your order and pay! You will then receive an instant confirmation by email with your labels and full tracking details.

I live in another country (eg: Greece) and I want to order goods from suppliers / retailers in the UK – how does this work?

This is easy too. Simply order the items from the retailers in the UK and have them delivered to our warehouse. We will then ship them to you via the cheapest method available, whether this is in our trucks (for specific locations in Greece), or via UPS services (for everywhere else in Greece and the rest of the world).

To order, simply tell the retailer to deliver the items to [your name] at [our address]. Then complete the booking form on our UK Shopping page to let us know that you've ordered them. We will contact you once we receive the items, to check your order and confirm the volume of each item and the total cost of shipping. Then we'll take payment and send them to you!

We don't take payment in advance for these shipments – we have to receive them first and calculate the total volume. But if you would like to estimate the cost of transport there is a calculator on our UK Shopping page to show you the cost if you estimate the dimensions and weights of the items.

Why is only one price displayed? Shouldn't there be lots of different prices?

We always calculate the cheapest price for you. Instead of providing options for "express" services of various kinds, all of our prices are based on the cheapest option available. For European destinations this means overland services, which are very reliable, frequent and most of all cost-effective. We just calculate the cheapest price, and give you this price.

For two specific destinations in Greece (Crete and Patra) we also have "depot-to-depot" options, so the price is actually separated into three components (depot-to-depot, collection and delivery). If you are sending items to or from Crete or Patra, you will see what we mean.

Why is the price higher if an item is not inside a cardboard box?

This is a UPS requirement. If items are not "encased in cardboard" they charge an additional £3.25 + VAT per item. (However, if you wrap the item – say a suitcase – in corrugated cardboard this will meet the requirements and will avoid the extra charge. In this case you can choose the "Cardboard box" option on the quotation page to avoid the extra charge)

Do I need a printer?

Yes, you do need to be able to print out the labels and attach them to the parcels. You will receive an email with an electronic link to the labels so you do need to print these and attach them to your parcels prior to collection.

Delivery

My delivery is late, what should I do?

UPS achieves a 94% rate of success with delivering parcels within the expected time in Greece, but occasionally they are late.

If this happens, firstly please track the progress of your shipment using the tracking details you received in your confirmation email – this will tell you where the parcels are on their journey.

Then if you need more information, please call UPS on 03457 877 877 and they will assist you. If UPS is carrying your parcel then we at Nomad will not have the information needed to help you, so please call UPS. If you are in Greece the number is +30 210 998 4000. Please have your tracking number to hand so that the UPS representative can help you. They speak both Greek and English.

(If we at Nomad are transporting your parcels (eg: to Crete or Patra), you can contact us of course and we will be happy to help you – but for parcel shipments to any other destinations it will be UPS so we will not be privy to their systems or any of their information, so please call UPS).

Unusual Items (Batteries, Laptops, Mobile Phones, Bikes etc)

Can you take batteries, laptops or mobile phones?

Yes, we can transport these items, but to European countries only, since they will be transported by truck to these destinations. They can be sent within the UK too of course.

Can you take bicycles? How should I pack my bike?

Yes, we can take bikes. This link has some great advice on how to pack bikes. Bikes must be packed into bike boxes in order for them to be suitable for transport – here is another example of a bike box.

What items are prohibited?

Shipments must not contain any of the prohibited articles listed in either the Nomad International or UPS Terms & Conditions (available on this page), including but not limited to:

  • Potentially dangerous, damaging or explosive items, including gas bottles, aerosols, paints, firearms and ammunition
  • Articles of exceptional value (eg: works of art, antiques, precious stones or metals), jewellery, watches, trinkets, money, deeds, securities, stamps, coins, or goods or collections of any similar kind
  • Goods likely to encourage vermin or other pests or to cause infestation or contamination
  • Any items that are hazardous to health, dirty or unhygienic or likely to attract vermin or pests
  • Perishable items and/or those requiring a controlled environment
  • Any animals, birds, fish, reptiles, plants or seeds
  • Furs
  • Ivory and ivory products
  • Goods which require special licence or government permission for export or import
  • Prohibited or stolen goods, drugs or pornographic material

Please note that for shipments from Greece to the UK we have found UPS to be significantly more strict with their definition of “Hazardous” materials, which technically can be anything from this list. In particular, they have banned the transport of bottles of perfume. We have to comply with their requests, so please do not send any of these items in your shipments from Greece to the UK. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask us at [javascript protected email address].

Crete and Patra

What about your "Crete Express" and "Patra Express" services – are they still running?

Yes they are! The process for sending UK purchases to Crete (or Patra) is exactly the same as before, except the booking form is on this page UK Shopping page now. If you have sent Crete Express or Patra Express consignments with us before, the process is exactly the same. Once we receive your items from the retailer at our Peterborough warehouse, we will measure them and then contact you to finalise everything and take payment before transporting them to Crete (or Patra) on our next available vehicle.

There is one change: if you are sending a parcel/s door-to-door from the UK to Crete (or UK to Patra), you can now book this directly on our Home page. Just insert the weights and dimensions of the parcels, and you can book this and pay for it online through our Nomad Parcels website. The price shown on the Home page will be the "depot-to-depot" price. If you would like to drop the parcels in to our warehouse yourself (and collect them from our depot on the other side), then choose this option. If you would like to add a collection or delivery these prices will be shown on the next page, and you can select them. You can then confirm everything on the final page and pay for the transport all on this website. This process works exactly the same in reverse.

For parcels to or from Crete and Patra, Nomad conducts the international transport ourselves using our own vehicles. We only use UPS for the UK leg of the journey (the collection from your home, if required, or delivery to your home for services in reverse).

Remember, you can book parcel shipments to Crete on our Home page, and you can book deliveries of items that you are purchasing from UK suppliers on our UK Shopping page. We cannot take payment online for the UK Shopping orders – we have to receive them first, measure them up and contact you to take payment. But you can book and pay for parcels you are sending from your home, directly through this website. You will have the options to choose "depot-to-depot", or add collection or delivery, all before payment.

What is the "Crete Express" service?

This is what we started calling our "depot-to-depot" service to Crete many years ago. If you are sending a parcel or a few items to Crete, we calculated that the cheapest way for you to do this would be to bring the items into our UK warehouse, and we would bring them to Crete for you without having to collect them from you. If you could then collect them from our depot in Crete, this would also eliminate the delivery cost. Hence this became a "depot-to-depot" system.

Some of our customers asked us to find a cheap way to collect the consignments from their homes in the UK to save them bringing the parcels up to our warehouse. For household removals we send our own teams and vehicles door-to-door of course, but for small collections of only a parcel or a few items this would not be cost-effective. So we partnered with UPS for this. UPS collect the items from our UK customers' homes and bring them to our warehouse, for a small fee. We then bring them all the way to Crete, and if our customers want us to, we also deliver them in Crete. Our customers have the option of choosing a "depot-to-depot" service, a "door-to-door" service, or a combination such as a "door-to-depot" service, for example. This process works exactly the same way in reverse. We now take bookings for this service on our Nomad Parcels website, on the Home page.

We expanded this service to include "UK Shopping" services. This means that our customers in Crete could order from any UK-based retailer or supplier, and have the goods delivered to our warehouse. We would then receive the goods and bring them to Crete for our customers. This service has been immensely popular. We now take bookings for this service on our Nomad Parcels website, on the UK Shopping page.

What is the "Patra Express" service?

When we expanded our Crete Express service to the city of Patra in Greece, we called it our "Patra Express" service. It operates exactly the same as the Crete Express service, as described above. It is for customers who only have small consignments to send, and want to do it in the most cost effective way. It is also for customers based in or near Patra who like to purchase things from UK retailers and have Nomad bring them to Patra for them.

You can book parcel shipments to Patra on our Home page, and you can book deliveries of items that you are purchasing from UK suppliers on our UK Shopping page. We cannot take payment online for the UK Shopping orders – we have to receive them first, measure them up and contact you to take payment. But you can book and pay for transport of the parcels you are sending from your home, directly through this website. You will have the options to choose "depot-to-depot", or add collection or delivery, all before payment.

Insurance

Is insurance included?

Insurance is optional, and is charged at 2.24% of the value of the goods. You do not have to take out insurance with us. However, we always recommend taking out proper insurance, either through us or through your own insurer, if you are concerned about your goods in transit. For more information please see our Insurance page.

Do I have to take out extra insurance?

No, you don't, it isn't compulsory.

I would like to take out insurance – how do I do this?

The final step of the booking process asks you if you would like to take out insurance for your shipment through Nomad Parcels. Simply tell us the total value of everything you are sending in your consignment and we will calculate the insurance price and add this to your grand total prior to taking payment. You will receive a confirmation email containing a valuation form and the particulars of the insurance (you can also see these our Insurance page). Please complete the valuation form - ensuring that the total valuation matches the valuation you entered – and email this back to us prior to the collection of your parcels.

How much does insurance cost with Nomad Parcels?

Insurance is charged at 2.24% of the total valuation amount (there is no VAT on insurance).

I only want to insure one item out of the box of items I am sending, can I do this?

Unfortunately not. The insurance company prohibits this – they insist on everything being declared and insured, or nothing at all.

How do I value the goods I am sending for insurance purposes?

In the unlikely event of a claim the insurance company will calculate the valuation of the goods based on their value at the date of the claim. If they are brand new items then their value will be their purchase price. But if they are not brand new, they will have depreciated in value since they were purchased. Use this price, not their original price, for the valuation. For example, a flat-screen TV purchased 5 years ago for £500 might only be worth £250 today. Use the figure of £250 for the TV when you are calculating the total valuation of your shipment. Remember to include everything you are sending, not just certain items, or the insurance won't be valid.

Payment

What types of payment do you accept?

We accept UK debit cards as well as Visa and Mastercard credit cards from the UK and Eurozone.

Packaging

Do you sell packaging?

Not yet, but we will in future. In the meantime here are some links to relatively inexpensive boxes, bubble wrap, packing paper and tape. If you only need one or two boxes you can normally buy them individually from local self-storage centres.

Is it important to pack the items well?

Yes, it is very important, in fact it is the most important factor in ensuring that nothing gets damaged in transit. Please follow our advice regarding packing (see below) prior to transport.

How should I pack my items?

Please see our videos on export packing on our Removals website for advice on how to pack fragile items into boxes (scroll down to the first 3 videos). Always use strong, double-walled cardboard boxes (not plastic boxes), and make sure the cartons are completely filled (using packing materials to fill any gaps). As a general rule use at least 2 inches of packing material between the contents and the outer box, as well as packing in between the contents. If in doubt, use more packaging material rather than less. Finally, seal all the edges of the box using tape. UPS also has some detailed advice on packing on their website here.

Does everything have to be packed inside cardboard boxes?

No, we can transport other items too, like suitcases and bags, but there is an additional charge for each item in these cases (£3.25 + VAT, imposed by UPS), so it is better to pack everything into cardboard boxes if possible.

Can you pack the items for me?

Only if you bring them into our Peterborough warehouse (which some of our customers do, especially for Crete and Patra deliveries). Please arrange a time with us in advance, and we would be happy to help. We charge £2.00 + VAT per cubic foot with a minimum charge of £4.00 + VAT for packing, including the cost of the materials.

Can you pack the items for me when you collect them from my home?

No. Our parcel collections are done via UPS and they cannot wrap and pack the goods for you, the items must already be completely packed, labelled and ready to go before the UPS man arrives.

Can I wrap my suitcase in corrugated cardboard in order to avoid the £3.25 + VAT fee?

Yes – technically an item only has to be "encased in cardboard" to avoid this fee, so placing it into a cardboard box or completely wrapping it in corrugated cardboard (and sealing it well) would suffice.

I'm buying from a retailer in the UK and the goods are being delivered to your warehouse, for onward transport to Greece. What happens with packaging in this case?

In most cases, retailers and sellers in the UK do package their goods appropriately for transport. Brand new goods have often already travelled a long distance before reaching the retailer's warehouse, so they are well-packed already. When we receive them we inspect the outside of the packaging to make sure there is no obvious visible damage, and if there is, we contact you to ask if you would like us to open the package and inspect further. We can also inspect goods for you on request even if there aren't any visible signs of damage to the packaging. At this point, if there is no damage but we deem that more packaging is required to protect the items properly, we can do this for you and re-seal the boxes before transport. Our charge for additional packaging is £2.00 + VAT per cubic foot with a minimum charge of £4.00 + VAT.

I'm buying several items from retailers in the UK and the goods are being delivered to your warehouse, for onward transport to Greece. Can you pack one box inside another for me to reduce the transport costs?

Yes we can. If there is sufficient space inside one box for other boxes to go inside (safely), we can re-pack them for you. The charge for this service is £4.00 + VAT, and we only charge this if the price saving on transport is more than the £4.00 + VAT.