Choosing a good courier service in Malaysia
March 10, 2014
Oh Doraemon, where fort art thou?
If only this lovable robotic cat exists, all of our courier woes will diminish into thin air!
A quick rumble inside his magical pocket and you could find exactly what you need to deliver a package to the other side of the world in five quick minutes.
Unfortunately fellow readers, we are stuck in reality and those urgent packages will not deliver themselves.
Fear not chums, our team has dug out information from every reliable source in hopes that you would find them useful.
Whether it is a business consignment or a box full of kicap manis (soy sauce) and Maggi noodles to your friends who are dying of bland food overseas, choosing the right courier service is essential.
In this article, we highlight some pointers to help you go about choosing one that will not disappoint.
When should you use a courier service?
For most of us, the first instinct when a person says “send a parcel” is to drive to the nearest Post office and ship them off. However, bless the internet! Now, we can Google and research other more economical or safer ways to send parcels or documents to a person on the other side of the country / world. So, before walking to the nearest post office, get these questions sorted.
Are you sending something heavy?
For documents, Pos Malaysia is generally better; they are cheaper than courier companies and charge RM0.60 to RM5.50 per delivery. However, heavy parcels (2 or 3 kg and above) are a different story. Have a browse before resorting to one courier and find the best deal for you.
Does the parcel/document need to reach its destination fast?
Courier services are speedy, and many offer same-day collection if you book early enough. So for urgent deliveries, couriers may be the most economical option.
Tips on choosing the best courier service for you
Price
Cost savvy folks will surely nod their heads at this point. However, there are several factors that you should consider before choosing the cheapest service, such as the delivery period, safety, and the materials in your parcel (Adabi curry paste for a special someone in Australia, perhaps?). Therefore, before choosing an obscure delivery service offered by a random person you met while jogging, get your sleuths on and research, research, research.
Safety
‘Safety of goods’ is also an important concern that a good courier service should address. Not only do you want your parcel to reach on time, but it should be in one piece! You could get in touch with the courier company and find out what type of goods they handle, from heavy to fragile. They would probably also be able to advise you on how to wrap your parcel or whether they would take care of that aspect for you.
Customer support
Finally, look into the customer support offered by them with regards to tracking options and insurance. The ability to track your parcel in transit is always a welcome advantage because it helps you keep track of the progress of the delivery and saves you the stress of guessing whether it has reached its destination. Insurance is seldom required, but is beneficial when sending an expensive item and would cover the cost incurred in case of damage during transit.
Courier service providers in Malaysia
Now that you are armed with knowledgeable tips, let us list down and review some of the popular courier companies available in Malaysia for both domestic and international delivery. Malaysians are never short of choices, and this applies to courier service providers as well. Which one will win your heart (and money)?
Local Courier Company (for local delivery)
Believe it or not, there are other local courier companies aside from Pos Laju that could deliver your packages!
Note: Information below are gathered from the respective companies’ website. Additional charges may apply.
International Delivery
How much does it cost to send a a document and parcel to another country? We’ve chosen Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, US, Indonesia, and UK as our price guinea pigs for these popular courier companies:
Note: Prices as at March 2014. The prices shown are the cheapest delivery option for each company.
Signed, sealed, delivered – Packing tips for your parcel
For those who need to send a parcel, treat it like a precious gem and pack it the right way! Poor packing may void postal insurance and compensation claims, so package goods properly. Plus, you never know how much they’ll be thrown around in transit, so take the following precautions:
Measurements
Be sure to measure and weigh your parcel accurately when getting a quote. If the package is bigger or heavier than stated, you may have to pay a surcharge. Plus if it exceeds size restrictions, it may not fit in the courier company’s sorting machines and could be damaged, or even returned to you. Some courier companies sometimes calculate cost based on ‘volumetric weight’. To work out the volumetric weight of your package, the calculations are usually length times height, times width (all in centimetres), divided by 5,000. This gives you the volumetric weight in kilograms.
Banned items
Couriers generally have a list of ‘forbidden’ items that they won’t deliver, so they may inspect your items on collection. Because of this, it’s sensible to leave the top of your packing box open until it’s been inspected.
Pack right!
“Packing” does not mean shoving everything into a box to be sealed and shipped. For example, wrap delicate items tightly in bubble wrap. Also, don’t use wet or flimsy boxes, or there might be some trouble. As for liquids, ensure the item is not prohibited or hazardous – wrap bottles individually, surround with resilient cushioning material and place in a well-sealed polyethylene bag.
Balkish Rosly is an Investigative Journalist of SaveMoney.my, an online consumer advice portal which aims to help Malaysians save money through smart (and most of the time painless) savings in their daily banking, technology, and lifestyle spending habits.
March 10, 2014
Here are some pointers to help you go about choosing one that will not disappoint.
By Balkish Rosly
If only this lovable robotic cat exists, all of our courier woes will diminish into thin air!
A quick rumble inside his magical pocket and you could find exactly what you need to deliver a package to the other side of the world in five quick minutes.
Unfortunately fellow readers, we are stuck in reality and those urgent packages will not deliver themselves.
Fear not chums, our team has dug out information from every reliable source in hopes that you would find them useful.
Whether it is a business consignment or a box full of kicap manis (soy sauce) and Maggi noodles to your friends who are dying of bland food overseas, choosing the right courier service is essential.
In this article, we highlight some pointers to help you go about choosing one that will not disappoint.
When should you use a courier service?
For most of us, the first instinct when a person says “send a parcel” is to drive to the nearest Post office and ship them off. However, bless the internet! Now, we can Google and research other more economical or safer ways to send parcels or documents to a person on the other side of the country / world. So, before walking to the nearest post office, get these questions sorted.
Are you sending something heavy?
For documents, Pos Malaysia is generally better; they are cheaper than courier companies and charge RM0.60 to RM5.50 per delivery. However, heavy parcels (2 or 3 kg and above) are a different story. Have a browse before resorting to one courier and find the best deal for you.
Does the parcel/document need to reach its destination fast?
Courier services are speedy, and many offer same-day collection if you book early enough. So for urgent deliveries, couriers may be the most economical option.
Tips on choosing the best courier service for you
Price
Cost savvy folks will surely nod their heads at this point. However, there are several factors that you should consider before choosing the cheapest service, such as the delivery period, safety, and the materials in your parcel (Adabi curry paste for a special someone in Australia, perhaps?). Therefore, before choosing an obscure delivery service offered by a random person you met while jogging, get your sleuths on and research, research, research.
Safety
‘Safety of goods’ is also an important concern that a good courier service should address. Not only do you want your parcel to reach on time, but it should be in one piece! You could get in touch with the courier company and find out what type of goods they handle, from heavy to fragile. They would probably also be able to advise you on how to wrap your parcel or whether they would take care of that aspect for you.
Customer support
Finally, look into the customer support offered by them with regards to tracking options and insurance. The ability to track your parcel in transit is always a welcome advantage because it helps you keep track of the progress of the delivery and saves you the stress of guessing whether it has reached its destination. Insurance is seldom required, but is beneficial when sending an expensive item and would cover the cost incurred in case of damage during transit.
Courier service providers in Malaysia
Now that you are armed with knowledgeable tips, let us list down and review some of the popular courier companies available in Malaysia for both domestic and international delivery. Malaysians are never short of choices, and this applies to courier service providers as well. Which one will win your heart (and money)?
Local Courier Company (for local delivery)
Believe it or not, there are other local courier companies aside from Pos Laju that could deliver your packages!
Note: Information below are gathered from the respective companies’ website. Additional charges may apply.
International Delivery
How much does it cost to send a a document and parcel to another country? We’ve chosen Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, US, Indonesia, and UK as our price guinea pigs for these popular courier companies:
Note: Prices as at March 2014. The prices shown are the cheapest delivery option for each company.
Signed, sealed, delivered – Packing tips for your parcel
For those who need to send a parcel, treat it like a precious gem and pack it the right way! Poor packing may void postal insurance and compensation claims, so package goods properly. Plus, you never know how much they’ll be thrown around in transit, so take the following precautions:
Measurements
Be sure to measure and weigh your parcel accurately when getting a quote. If the package is bigger or heavier than stated, you may have to pay a surcharge. Plus if it exceeds size restrictions, it may not fit in the courier company’s sorting machines and could be damaged, or even returned to you. Some courier companies sometimes calculate cost based on ‘volumetric weight’. To work out the volumetric weight of your package, the calculations are usually length times height, times width (all in centimetres), divided by 5,000. This gives you the volumetric weight in kilograms.
Banned items
Couriers generally have a list of ‘forbidden’ items that they won’t deliver, so they may inspect your items on collection. Because of this, it’s sensible to leave the top of your packing box open until it’s been inspected.
Pack right!
“Packing” does not mean shoving everything into a box to be sealed and shipped. For example, wrap delicate items tightly in bubble wrap. Also, don’t use wet or flimsy boxes, or there might be some trouble. As for liquids, ensure the item is not prohibited or hazardous – wrap bottles individually, surround with resilient cushioning material and place in a well-sealed polyethylene bag.
Balkish Rosly is an Investigative Journalist of SaveMoney.my, an online consumer advice portal which aims to help Malaysians save money through smart (and most of the time painless) savings in their daily banking, technology, and lifestyle spending habits.
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