Heron Games - Post and Packing

Bear in mind that it is not just the cost of your games that needs to be considered. Packaging costs money and also adds to the weight of the parcel, thereby contributing to the total shipping cost.

UK Orders

UK orders are sent using the cheapest service to keep the costs down. For parcels below 1kg this will usually be second class post via Royal Mail, which will be £3.00 or £4.00, depending on whether it needs a jiffy bag or a box. For parcels between 1kg and 5kg this will usually be a tracked courier delivery, costing between £6 and £8 (the size of the parcel determines which service can be used). Parcels above 5kg will be sent via the cheapest Royal Mail or tracked courier service, and is capped at £9.

One of the courier services I use for smaller parcels works by allowing me to drop the parcel off at a collection point, which in my case is usually the local food store. The courier collects from there and handles the delivery. This means I don't always have to stay in waiting for the parcels to be collected.

International Orders

International orders are usually sent airmail using the best (i.e. cheapest) rate. Any additional costs such as customs charges are outside my control and not something I can be responsible for. The International Signed For service is available to provide additional insurance cover, at a basic cost of £5.50 per parcel, or £8.00 for larger parcels. Let me know if you want me to use this service - but be aware that it provides no tracking options once the parcel leaves the UK.

Surface mail is available for destinations outside Europe, although delivery times are far in excess of airmail times. Although not common, I have found that surface mail parcels can suffer damage more often than airmail items. This is still a rare occurrence, but I believe the increased damage is because more heavy items are sent surface mail, so any mis-handling in transit increases the risk of damage. Short of packing games in wooden boxes and making even surface mail prohibitively expensive, there is little that can be done to avoid this risk.

International customers should be aware that if a parcel is more than 2kg in weight, the cost increases sharply. For this reason I will aim to send orders for multiple items in more than one package if by doing so I can keep each package below 2kg. Sometimes this is not possible because an individual game is too heavy.

Packaging

Small items are packed in padded bags, with larger items in posting boxes to protect the contents. Void spaces are filled to restrict movement within the parcel.