eBay had gone well, and the kite-surf fetched a decent fee. Now to get it from Berkshire to Southend-on-Sea.

• Step 1. Wrap it up. Sarah spent 30 mins wrapping, taping and securing it.
• Step 2. To the PO. 15 mins in the car, find some parking…and pay for it.
• Step 3. Queue. Fewer PO’s mean longer queues. 25 mins.
• Step 4. Oh Dear. “Sorry, we cannot take this….it’s 2cm too long”

Oh dear. Not so good.

• Step 5. Plan B. Call a national parcel delivery company, and join the telephone queue. As a non-account holder, £25, and they’ll pick it up tomorrow, sometime between 10am and 2pm.

            ”But I’m at work at that time!”.

            ”Sorry, that’s when we’re in your area, that’s all we can do”

• Step 6. Take time off work. And Wait. They did arrive, not at 10, or 11….but at 2pm

So, what did all this really cost?

• Time:                             1.5 hours packing, driving, queueing, phoning
• Delivery Service       £25
• Packaging                    £3 (wasted)
• Lost Earning               £60

Total: About 1.5 hours and £88.

With millions of people already driving all over the country, every day, there must be a better way…..

Since stuff2send.com launched, we have had a few people contacting us in regard to where they stand, as an individual, about taking some reward for delivering a package for someone.

The short answer is, as long as you do it in a not-for-profit basis, and any payment is a contribution to your fuel costs, you are ok.

We have taken our advice and lead from the ABI (Association British Insurers) guidance for car / liftsharing, which states that car-sharing won’t affect the insurance of their members so long as a profit isn’t made:

“Giving Lifts – All ABI motor insurers have agreed that if your passengers contribute towards your running costs your insurance cover will not be affected, as long as lifts are given in a vehicle seating eight passengers or less. This agreement does not apply if you make a profit from payments received or if carrying passengers is your business.” (Source: ABI website, 2005)

Drivers with any concerns should check with their insurance company as terms and conditions may vary between insurance providers over time.

Carrying an inert parcel will logically be a lower insurance risk than a person! On the site, for individuals, in both the T&C and FAQ’s we make it clear that any individual taking a payment for delivering a parcel, should do so on a not-for-profit basis, and any payments should be a contribution to fuel costs only.

So, individuals, as long as you adhere to the above, use stuff2send.com with confidence.

Item Details

1. Item Description. Keep it short & clear (limit 250 chars).
2. If you’re uploading from eBay, check the bottom of this box for unnecessary bits of code, text etc and delete them.
3. If you can be flexible with pickup & delivery dates, tick the box.
4. Offers End.  This is the date & time until which you are happy to get offers. To give more carriers the chance to make you offers, make this as many days as you can (we recommend between 2 – 7 days).

Extra Options

1. All carriers. Your item will be available to all carriers to make offers on. Gives you the best chance of getting most offers & choice.
2. Businesses only. Limits your item to registered businesses (eg couriers), so likely fewer offers, but a business level of service.
3. Telephone Offers. If it’s urgent, and you’re happy for carriers to see a contact number, then they can call you direct.

Peace of Mind

1. Your personal details are secure. They are NEVER shown to anyone else.
2. Read the profile & rating of each carrier before deciding to talk to them.
3. Talk to any carriers you want. Ask about their service & details (landline, address, vehicle they drive, how long they been on stuff2send, have they delivered before etc).
4. If you want, call them on both a mobile & a landline number to verify.
5. Choose the carrier you feel will give you the best service.

Choosing your carrier

1. We’ll alert you to every offer by email.
2. See each offer in: My account /Message (or Send) / My Item.
3. Call a carrier anytime to discuss their service & details.
4. Call as many carriers (who’ve made you offers) as you want.
5. You don’t have to wait for your “offers end” time – you can accept an offer whenever you want.

See what others say on our blog & check user guides.