How to Arrange a Parcel Collection Abroad and Have It Delivered to You

You bought a bike from a classifieds seller in Germany. A relative in the UK is sending you a box of things. Or you left half your wardrobe with a flatmate after a year of study abroad. In all three cases the question is the same: how do you get a parcel out of another country when nobody at the other end knows much about shipping? It can all be arranged from your sofa, payment included.

Two ways to get a parcel from another country

A parcel abroad is either handed to a local carrier by the sender, or collected by a courier that you book and pay for yourself. The first way is easier for you, the second for the sender.

• The sender posts it. They go to a post office or parcel shop, pay, and you send them the money. With willing relatives that works. With a classifieds seller, or an online shop that does not ship abroad, you usually hit a wall.
• You book the collection. You enter the collection address abroad and your own address as the destination, pay by card, and a courier calls at the sender’s door. All the sender does is pack the parcel and hand it over.

National posts and most carriers’ consumer services barely offer the second option to private customers, because their products start with a drop-off in your own country. Brokers can do it. Eurosender accepts any address in Europe as the collection point and shows the price straight away. The form asks for four things: from, to, dimensions, weight. The guide on how to ship with Eurosender goes through it step by step.

How to arrange a collection abroad step by step

You arrange a collection abroad by entering the sender’s address as the collection point and your own address as the delivery point. The rest you already know from an ordinary parcel.

1. Ask for exact dimensions and weight. Ideally a photo of the packed parcel on the scales. A guess by eye is not enough, because the difference is charged afterwards. And it is charged to you.
2. Enter the route in reverse. Collection abroad, delivery to you. Fill in the sender’s local phone number: the courier is not going to ring a foreign one.
3. Choose the service by whether the sender has a printer. With Standard the courier brings the label and sticks it on. With Priority and Priority Express the label has to be printed, so email it to the sender.
4. Agree the collection day. Couriers collect on business days and rarely promise an exact hour, so someone has to be at the address for most of the day. A business or a shop with opening hours is easier than a person who goes out to work.
5. Track the shipment. The tracking number arrives by email, and delivery then runs like any other parcel.

According to Eurosender, standard delivery of a parcel up to 30 kg takes 3–4 business days; faster services cost more. On some services a same-day collection can be booked before 12:00. Heavier items up to 70 kg go with the Priority services, and anything above that belongs on a pallet: see parcels over 30 kg and oversized items.

Collections inside the EU: Germany as an example

A parcel collected in one EU country and delivered to another does not go through customs, and neither duty nor import VAT is charged on it. Shipping is the only thing to sort out. Germany is the example here, but it works the same from Austria, Poland, the Netherlands or any other member state.

The usual cases are a German online shop that does not ship abroad, a seller on a popular classifieds site who only offers pickup in person, and belongings left behind after seasonal work or a study stay. With a shop, have the goods delivered to a friend’s address or use a forwarding address in Germany. With a private seller, agree that they will pack the item and hand it to the courier you send. Tell them in advance when the courier is coming and what the parcel should look like. Sellers rarely object when they do not have to go anywhere or pay anything. You just have to spell it out clearly, in German or at least in English.

Prices and delivery times for the opposite direction are on the page about sending a parcel to Germany. Collections from Germany come out in a similar range. Compare offers all the same, because a drop-off at a German counter follows the German price list, and that has nothing to do with the one you know from home.

Collections from the UK into the EU: customs and VAT

Since Brexit, a parcel from the UK into the EU goes through customs as a shipment from a non-EU country. Import VAT is due from the first euro at the destination country’s rate, 17–27% depending on the member state, and it is calculated on the value of the goods including shipping. The duty rules depend on what is coming and from whom:

• Goods from an online shop up to €150: since 1 July 2026, a customs duty of €3 on each item.
• Goods over €150: duty according to the type of product.
• A gift between private individuals up to €45: no duty and no VAT. It has to be an occasional, non-commercial consignment, and the value must be stated truthfully.
• Your own used belongings: on a transfer of residence into the EU they can be exempt, but that needs an application to customs and supporting documents. An ordinary box marked “personal effects” earns no exemption by itself.

On the UK side, an export declaration has to be created for the parcel. The courier handles it, but needs an accurate description of the contents in English and a value for each item. You are the one entering those details in the booking, so get them from the sender beforehand. The carrier usually charges a fee for customs clearance at the destination. The customs calculator works out duty and VAT together, and the forms are explained in the article on the CN22 and CN23 customs declarations.

Details for the opposite direction are on the page about sending a parcel to the United Kingdom and in the guide on sending parcels to the UK after Brexit.

Why collections abroad most often fail

A collection abroad most often fails because the courier does not find the sender in, or because the parcel does not match the booking. One proper message to the sender prevents both.

• Nobody is home. Send the sender the collection date and warn them that couriers rarely phone ahead.
• Poor packing. A courier may refuse a parcel in a plastic bag, in an open box or tied up with string. Send the sender a link to the guide on how to pack a parcel, or at least one line: sturdy box, padding, tape over every seam.
• Different weight and dimensions. The surcharge comes to you, because the booking is in your name.
• No name on the doorbell. Give exactly the name that is on the door, plus the company name and floor if there is one.

That leaves insurance. Basic cover is included in the price, but it only applies when the packing rules are followed. And you do not control the packing. The person at the other end does. For anything of value, book extra cover and ask for photos of the contents and of the sealed box. If the goods are travelling the other way because you are returning them, the article on how to return goods to a foreign online store is the one to read.