Honey buckets - couriers

[Jimmy]

I have a request for a couple of 30lb buckets of honey to be delivered by courier.
The buyer suggested Royal Mail and says that it would be £44.
Any experience with sending buckets of honey? And any advice on how to package the buckets to avoid breakages. The honey is very much set so is not liquid.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have a request for a couple of 30lb buckets of honey to be delivered by courier.
The buyer suggested Royal Mail and says that it would be £44.
Any experience with sending buckets of honey? And any advice on how to package the buckets to avoid breakages. The honey is very much set so is not liquid.

Hermes will take if it is set. Cheaper
Padded in a cardboard box cling wrapped.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Here, UPS requires the bucket of honey be in a cardboard box.

 

[pargyle]

I have a request for a couple of 30lb buckets of honey to be delivered by courier.
The buyer suggested Royal Mail and says that it would be £44.
Any experience with sending buckets of honey? And any advice on how to package the buckets to avoid breakages. The honey is very much set so is not liquid.

I think you will have some difficulty finding a courier - they all consider 'liquids' of any sort as prohibited items ... you might want to have a word with some of the delivery companies you can find on ebay - if you put in 'delivery service' into an ebay search you will find quite a few who offer delivery of bulky or delicate items and they may be more receptive to taking liquids than the national courier services. I've used a couple in the past and they have proved to be quite reliable ... although as they are part load specialists you are unlikely to get a 1/2 day service ...

 

[Apple]

Hermes will take if it is set. Cheaper
Padded in a cardboard box cling wrapped.

Go Hermes....

 

[Swn58]

It's a bit of a minefield out there. I sent honey using Hermes last year, but 'technically' should not have. Yet I received a delivery myself from them of two bottles of turpentine. According to their own rules they ticked at least three boxes, in regard to 'prohibitive goods.' My partner regularly gets various liquid cosmetics delivered by them as well!

 

[Erichalfbee]

A problem with flouting courier prohibited item regs is that if a driver drops your liquids which then escape the container and contaminate the whole van load you are liable. Not a likely scenario but nevertheless one to consider.

 

[pargyle]

A problem with flouting courier prohibited item regs is that if a driver drops your liquids which then escape the container and contaminate the whole van load you are liable. Not a likely scenario but nevertheless one to consider.

Yes...and 30lb of liquid honey will spread a long way ...

I use Hermes quite a lot .. most of the time they are fine but I've had one or two packages, over the years, that have arrived looking like they have been dropped from roof level ! I often send jars of honey (very well protected) and lie about the contents of the box - a jar of honey can probably survive whatever they do with it in transit with enough bubble wrap around it ... I'm not sure that a 30lb tub of honey could be completely protected though ...

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Yes...and 30lb of liquid honey will spread a long way ...

I use Hermes quite a lot .. most of the time they are fine but I've had one or two packages, over the years, that have arrived looking like they have been dropped from roof level ! I often send jars of honey (very well protected) and lie about the contents of the box - a jar of honey can probably survive whatever they do with it in transit with enough bubble wrap around it ... I'm not sure that a 30lb tub of honey could be completely protected though ...

Buckets of liquid honey are vulnerable to mishandling or impact. A couple of years ago I attended a bee equipment auction. One lot was buckets of liquid honey. The holder upper raised a bucket above his head, lowered it to rest on his shoulder rather too quickly and the lid came off. Honey cascaded down his back. Luckily the bees were being sold at a distance from the hall the equipment sale was in

 

[steve1958]

I would wrap the bucket of honey in cling film (quite a lot).
Then place this in a box with padding.
Then place this in another box with padding

However ask yourself at what point of sale will the parcel become the purchasers responsibility.
I am guessing not until successful delivery.
Which means if it does break in transit not only do you lose money on the failed sale including postage,
but you may be liable for damage caused to other items damaged by the honey.

I would have thought that bulk containers of genuine local honey would be easily sold locally as "Buyer collects"

 

[Erichalfbee]

Or shrink wrapped on a pallet?

 

[naxx3]

Well to help you out...

One idea is to keep in mind with vehicles and deliveries they consider any kind of movement the enemy. So you might be able to before you go through this just think about, have you made every bucket sealed up to have the least amount of liquid movement possible. Is there any movement in ways you don't like? And how will it perform when its moving in the back of a truck?

You could rig up a fake bucket with fake (dense) liquid (not real product in it) and then try to sort of purposely abuse it in simulated movements like it would take in a truck, or even in a real drive just to study if your delivery setup is solid enough to protect your business.

Oh! One more thing about the buckets....

Recently a lot of those 5 gallon buckets have been resize to a 70 mil size instead of a 90 mil. It makes them a bit less sturdy than they used to be. (I'm not entirely sure if the 30 lb size is the same one as our 5 gallon buckets over here, since you guys are in another place. But its very likely similar if not the same (I'm guessing its the same but just not filled as tight...lots of places trying to go cheap. I'm guessing most buckets of every size are less sturdy now.) These 70 mil buckets can damage easier, particularly in the ice and snow. I'd seen this when feeding my ducks in winter. (And I hope this won't mess you up, but its good to know about.)

I hope this helps a bit.

 

[naxx3]

It's a bit of a minefield out there. I sent honey using Hermes last year, but 'technically' should not have. Yet I received a delivery myself from them of two bottles of turpentine. According to their own rules they ticked at least three boxes, in regard to 'prohibitive goods.' My partner regularly gets various liquid cosmetics delivered by them as well!

That is a tremendous irony that someone would ban honey deliveries but not turpentine... :O

 

[Erichalfbee]

That is a tremendous irony that someone would ban honey deliveries but not turpentine... :O

Couriers ban liquids. The turpentine got through because nobody was paying attention

 

[Swn58]

Couriers ban liquids. The turpentine got through because nobody was paying attention

Like they don't 'pay attention' to all the liquid cosmetics that they deliver......

 

[peterbees]

I have a request for a couple of 30lb buckets of honey to be delivered by courier.
The buyer suggested Royal Mail and says that it would be £44.
Any experience with sending buckets of honey? And any advice on how to package the buckets to avoid breakages. The honey is very much set so is not liquid.

Use Parcel to Go website to compare prices tinyurl.com/1upe925k
Honey buckets will need very careful packaging to avoid cracking the bucket, which may only become apparent when the bucket is warmed up to melt the honey.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Like they don't 'pay attention' to all the liquid cosmetics that they deliver......

Yes it's stupid....I use Hermes a lot. Have a look at their prohibited items. I'm surprised anything gets shipped
Nevertheless if a prohibited item contaminates a consignment we don't have a leg to stand on