Shipping from Nigeria to the UK
The questions we are actually asked, in the order they usually come up. If yours is not here, message us — we would rather answer it than have you guess.
Describe the items instead. Nearly everyone does: two bags of garri, a carton of dried fish, a suitcase of clothes. That is enough for us to estimate, and we weigh it properly before anything ships.
No. We only ship from Nigeria to the United Kingdom. Running one corridor is deliberate — it means we know the UK import rules that apply to what our customers actually send.
Most Nigerian food, yes. Dried fish and crayfish are allowed up to 20kg per person. Garri, palm oil, packaged egusi and ogbono are fine. Meat and dairy are banned outright, and most fresh produce needs a plant health certificate.
Yes. Pack them so they cannot move inside the box, and tell us they are in there so the contents are declared correctly. Anything irreplaceable is better carried than shipped.
Cargo that is light but bulky is charged on the space it takes up rather than what it weighs. A large box of clothing or foam can be priced above its actual weight. It matters most for bedding, plastics and anything padded.
The shipping price is, once we have weighed the cargo. What nobody can include is whatever UK customs charges on arrival, because that is decided at the border and is outside our control.
Prince Place Event and Bar, 124 Sagamu Road, Ikorodu, Lagos State — opposite Model Nursery and Primary School, beside GB Supermarket. Drop-off there is free.
Yes, in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, for an additional charge that depends on the city. Cargo collected in Abuja or Port Harcourt travels to Ikorodu to be consolidated before it flies.
Yes. Ask them to bring your name and phone number so the shipment is logged against you, and make sure whoever packed it has told you what is inside.
In the Thames Gateway area, yes. Cargo can be collected from GSR Self Storage on Chequers Lane in Dagenham, by appointment. It is a storage unit rather than a staffed office, so the time has to be arranged in advance.
It depends on the method. Across this route, consolidated air cargo generally runs about a week to ten days, a courier two to five days, and sea freight four to six weeks port to port or six to eight weeks door to door. Ask us for our own current timings — they move with flight availability and how quickly a consignment fills.
Because your shipment waits for a consignment to fill before it flies. That wait is exactly what makes it roughly half the price — the cost of the flight is shared across everyone on it.
No, and no honest company will promise otherwise. Transit estimates cover the journey. Time held at the border is decided by Border Force, not by us.
The recipient, on arrival, before the goods are released. Duty and VAT depend on what the goods are and what they are worth. Personal gifts and personal belongings are treated differently from commercial stock.
Possibly not, but you have to claim relief before your goods ship. People moving their home use Transfer of Residence relief. Students coming for full-time study use a different route and do not need that form.
They can be, at either end. Nigerian authorities inspect outbound cargo and Border Force inspects arrivals. Labelling what is in each bag makes an inspection quicker and much less destructive.
We tell you before it travels and before you pay for it. If an item is not allowed into the UK, carrying it would risk your whole shipment and everyone else's in the same consignment.
Most enquiries are a list of items and a question about whether we can carry them. That is quicker in a message than on a call.
Tell us what you are sending. We will weigh it and confirm the price before anything moves.
