Parcel Force shipping rates for a bike from the UK to the US have gone up drastically.
Consider a bike package with a total weight of 20 KG. Previously, using "economy" service, the price for this was GBP 87.50. Perhaps that seems like a heavy package to you, so you can pick your own weight, but the price generally was in the 70 to 87 GBP range according to the last parcel force schedule I had. The new price for a given weight of package has gone up by about 20%, so a package costing 87.50 would by that same actual weight now cost 104.20. But wait. Here comes the really good part.
They have introduced a new concept: "volumetric weight." I'll resist the impulse to comment on that catchy turn of phrase. If the volumetric weight exceeds the actual weight, you pay the volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is Length times Width times Height (in centimeters) divided by 6,000. Pick your package size; 38 by 28 by 9 inches? Volumetric weight is 26 KG (97 x 71 x 23 = 156,923, divide by 6000 = 26); 41 inches by 31 inches by 9 inches? Quite literally, off the chart, which stops at 30 KG. Cost? 124.55 GBP for the smaller package cited above.
If someone knows something about this or UK shipping alternatives I would appreciate a heads up ASAP.
Jonathan Agnew
Darien, CT