DHL® Luggage Shipping

Yes. DHL will carry a suitcase, but it travels as an international parcel rather than as luggage. That means packing the bag inside a box for its contents to be covered, pricing worked out from weight and dimensions, a fuel surcharge that is adjusted monthly, and customs documentation you complete yourself.

Luggage Forward partners with DHL so you get their worldwide network without any of that. Your case ships as it is, on one all-inclusive rate, and we prepare every customs form on your behalf. Get an instant quote.

An international suitcase sent with DHL commonly lands between $200 and $400 as a base rate, depending on route and weight — a small 5 lb parcel from New York to London starts near $187, and a packed 50 lb case scales up quickly from there. DHL's fuel surcharge is reset every month, and residential and handling fees are added separately.

Luggage Forward quotes one all-inclusive price up front. A carry-on-sized bag starts at $194 internationally and a standard 50 lb checked case runs $354 to $679 depending on the destination region, with nothing added at delivery. Compare the full picture on our cost to ship luggage page.

Yes — international shipping is DHL's core strength, and it reaches virtually every country. What DHL does not do for you is the traveler side of an international bag: the box, the declaration forms, the classification of your belongings, and the follow-up if the destination country queries the paperwork.

Luggage Forward ships to more than 200 countries and territories and manages all of it, with door-to-door tracking and an on-time guarantee. Read our guide to shipping luggage internationally.

To have the bag and its contents covered, yes. An unboxed suitcase can be accepted, but it is handled as an irregular item, which removes coverage and adds a handling charge. Boxing a hard-sided case also pushes up the dimensional weight the price is calculated from.

Luggage Forward needs no box at all. Pack your case as you would for a flight, attach the luggage tag we mail you, and every shipment carries $500 of value protection as standard. See our packing guide.

Booking directly, you do. You classify the contents, complete the commercial invoice and declaration, and answer any query from the destination country's customs authority. Brokerage and duty handling may also be billed separately on arrival.

Luggage Forward's international specialists identify, complete and submit all required country-specific documentation for you, and ship your bag under the personal-effects classification that applies to traveler-owned luggage. Customs duties and VAT are still set by the destination country, though used personal belongings are typically exempt for travelers.

Yes, the UK is one of DHL's busiest lanes, and a boxed suitcase can be sent on a commercial rate with customs paperwork completed by you. Post-Brexit declarations catch a lot of travelers out, and an incomplete form is the usual reason a bag sits at the border.

Luggage Forward delivers to homes, hotels, golf courses and cruise terminals across the UK in about seven business days on standard service, with the customs paperwork prepared for you and on-time delivery guaranteed. Quote your route in about two minutes.

Our pricing starts at $99/bag. Pricing is available online or by calling +1 617-482-1100.

Luggage Forward uses baggage categories similar to what you would find with airlines; combining both weight and size to create simple categories, making it easy to generate pricing on our website without the exact weight or dimensions of your luggage.

Our all-inclusive pricing is more predictable and typically less expensive than a per-pound rate because we do not have any additional fees or surcharges.

Pricing is determined based on the following three factors:

1. Origin and destination
2. Luggage category
3. Delivery speed

You can get instant pricing for your specific trip online.

No, your luggage does not have to be boxed. You can pack your luggage as you normally would for airline travel, no additional packaging is necessary.

One of the advantages of using Luggage Forward is that your soft and hard sided luggage can be shipped as is. However, sporting equipment should have adequate padding around any fragile or precision parts to ensure that they are protected during transit.

For more on preparing and packing your order, see our guide to what you can and cannot ship.

Our complimentary value protection covers your luggage for up to $500 in the rare event that there is damage beyond normal wear and tear. You may increase your value protection up until midnight the day of your pick up.

After your booking is placed, Luggage Forward will mail you a Forwarding Packet up to one week prior to your pickup. The Forwarding Packet contains your itinerary, luggage tags, and relevant instructions for packing and preparing your luggage for shipment with Luggage Forward. If you placed a last-minute booking then the Forwarding Packet can either be emailed to you or it can be printed at luggageforward.com by logging into your account.

For more on preparing and packing your order, see our packing guide.

You can pack your luggage as you normally would for airline travel, no additional packaging is necessary.

One of the advantages of using Luggage Forward is that your soft and hard sided luggage can be shipped as is. However, sporting equipment and other non-luggage should have adequate padding around any fragile or precision parts to ensure that they are protected during transit.

After your booking is placed, Luggage Forward will mail you a forwarding packet up to one week prior to your pickup. The forwarding packet contains your itinerary, luggage tags, and relevant instructions for packing and preparing your luggage for shipment with Luggage Forward. If you placed a last-minute booking then the forwarding packet can either be emailed to you or it can be printed at luggageforward.com by logging into your account.

For more on preparing and packing your order, see our packing guide.

Any hazardous or dangerous commodities are prohibited from all Luggage Forward shipments.

For shipments traveling between two countries, there are additional items restricted by customs.

You can not ship:

• Medication, OTC, prescription, or vitamins
• Food (Includes coffee beans and spices)
• Alcohol (including perfume and hand sanitizer)
• Tobacco
• Pressurized containers (includes sunscreen)
• Valuables or currency
• Electronics (excludes cables and converters)
• Lithium based, or Alkaline batteries (includes tracking devices and range finders)

Upon booking, you will be provided with a list of common items that are disallowed. If you have specific questions, please contact one of our forwarding specialists or see our Terms of Service.

For additional items that cannot be shipped, please visit https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/.

Violators of the Federal Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR parts 100—185) may be subject to civil penalties of up to $75,000 for each violation ($175,000 if the violation results in severe injury or substantial destruction to property).

We offer same day bookings in many areas and if it is available on our website, we can do it.

If you like to plan ahead, we accept bookings up to 180 days prior to pickup.

Last minute booking?

We will ship customized luggage tags to your pickup location when time allows. Should you make a last minute booking, please bear in mind you will most likely need to print out the labels and documents to maintain the scheduled collection.

Domestic Shipments

Bags traveling within a single country must be locked. Failure to lock items will void your right to file a claim for lost or missing contents.

International Shipments

Bags shipped between two countries must be unlocked as they may have to be opened as a normal part of the customs screening process. If bags are locked, including TSA approved locks, and customs cannot open an item then the lock or seal may have to be broken.

Locking any item traveling internationally can cause extended delays and will void Luggage Forward's industry leading on-time guarantee.