How to send white goods via courier

What are white goods?

White goods are electrical goods used domestically such as refrigerators and washing machines and can be large and heavy. Generally, they are white in colour, hence the term 'white goods' and with the growth of online marketplaces such as Gumtree and Facebook marketplace, we have seen a steady rise in them being sent via courier. 
 

Choose a suitable white goods courier 

First of all, you need to take measurements of the item you want to get delivered. This means the dimensions and the weight – and that´s including the box and all the packaging. It doesn´t have to be precise, but you can´t be wildly out, either. It isn't always easy to measure such big and bulky items, but you will often find this information on a retailer website who are selling the same item as yours. 

For the best service, choose a courier company that specialises in white goods delivery. They'll be best prepared for handling the awkward items and will be happy to deliver it door to door.

If you use the Parcel Monkey courier comparison quote tool, dependent on the size and weight of your white goods, you will be able to book a large and heavy specialist courier, such as: 

• Parcelforce Large (up to 30kg)
• DX Freight (up to 50kg or 500kg if the item is on a pallet) 
• City Sprint 

 

If you need your item in a hurry, City Sprint offers a same day white goods delivery service and you can choose from a small or large van to deliver your item. This is also the ideal service for those items being sold in your local area through sites such as Gumtree, eBay or Facebook Marketplace that might be too big to fit in the car.

Book a Parcel Monkey local courier service to collect your item if you don't have access to a car or any way of transporting big and heavy white goods. 

Brief packing guidelines for white goods

1. Always make sure fluids have been drained and everything is bone dry
2. Ensure all food and dirt has been removed, inside and out
3. Pack lose parts separately and secure them (along with the power cord) to the unit
4. Use a suitably strong and sturdy box and heavy-duty bubble wrap     

 

For each specific type of goods, there are some more packaging tips below.

 

Fridges and freezers

One of the most popular white goods purchased online, fridges, freezers and fridge freezers can be picked up cheaply on sites such as Gumtree. 

• Make sure you leave plenty of time before collection to defrost the freezer and let it dry out completely. Defrosting can take up to two days, so remember to keep the doors open to speed up the process.
• If there´s an ice maker, make sure all the water is drained and that the supply is unplugged.
• Clean the appliance thoroughly, inside and out. You don´t want to leave bits of food or dirt in there for the duration of its transit, particularly if it´s travelling a long distance.
• Take out all the shelves and other removable parts and wrap them up separately. Then place them back inside, tapping them onto the appliance so they don´t rattle around.
• Tape the power cord to the back of the appliance – there might be somewhere to attach it to as well.
• There should be adjustable feet on the bottom of the machine. If you can, remove them and secured them in the barrel; if you can´t, wind them into the base as far as possible.
• Cover the appliance in a thick blanket, if you have one. Or, if you don´t, use heavy-duty bubble wrap. Pay particular attention to the bottom corners of the unit, which are often sharp.
• If you haven´t got the original box (and let´s face it, who keeps those), the best place to find one big enough is at an electrical goods wholesaler or retailer. You might get it for free. Failing that, you can buy boxes online. Use a soft (and thick) blanket or heavy-duty bubble wrap to pack the unit

Dishwashers

• Before you do anything else, investigate how to disconnect the dishwasher from the water system. It may be as simple as a twist of a tap – but it might not be! So make sure you know exactly what you´re doing first, just to be safe. Also,  disconnect the waste outlet pipe.
• It´s best if you don´t use the dishwasher for a day or two before packing, so it dries out fully once you´ve disconnected the pipes. Yes, get those washing-up gloves out of retirement and do the dishes yourself.
• Clean the inside of the dishwasher by running it on a cycle while empty.
• Find the waste filter (usually at the floor of the washer, in the centre), remove it and give it a good clean. It´ll probably smell a little bit. Leave it to dry out.
• Remove any remaining soap or rinse aid.
• Secure the draws with tape, and do the same with the power cord on the back of the unit.
• Wrap the dishwasher using a soft blanket or copious amounts of bubble wrap, and put it in a purpose-made box sourced from your friendly electrical goods store or the internet.

Washing machines

• As with the dishwasher, make sure you know exactly how to disconnect the machine from the water supply without flooding your kitchen.
• Once you´ve done the above and drained the system fully, leave everything to dry out before packing it.
• Maybe now is the time to wipe away that detergent residue from the draw.
• If there are adjustable feet, either remove them or wind them as far into the base as possible.
• As with the previous appliances, source a suitably large and sturdy box and use heavy-duty bubble wrap, paying attention to the sharp edges and corners at the bottom.
• Washing machines can be heavy - you might need to assist the courier loading and unloading your white goods as generally it will be one driver. 

Ovens

Ovens with glass will be carried at the sender's risk - we can't offer any extended liability on items with glass components such as glass fronted ovens. 

• Even more so than with appliances with a water supply, you need to act with extreme caution when disconnecting a gas stove. Maybe it´s best leaving that bit to a professional…
• Now is the time to give your oven that well overdue clean.
• Be particularly careful when packing up glass cooktops and stove ranges, as they´re particularly fragile. 
• Tape up the draws inside and pack any removable items separately and secure them tightly inside the unit.
• You know the drill by now… sturdy, purpose-made box, lots of heavy-duty packing materials, etc, etc 

Microwaves

• Clean the microwave inside and out.
• Remove the rotating glass plate and pack it up separately, securing it inside using packing tape.
• Tape the plug cord to the back, and make sure the plug pins are covered so they don´t damage the back.
• You should be able to find a box big enough for this, although it must be sturdy. Use plenty of packaging to secure the microwave in place, so it doesn't rattle around.    

Start sending your white goods

So there you have it, some top tips for packaging and shipping white goods. Large items aren't easy to move but by using our discounted large and heavy courier rates you can make a great cost saving on moving your white goods. As we send so many bulky items with the likes of DX, they provide us with low-cost rates which we make readily available for you to book. 

It's not just white goods we help our customers in the UK have delivered, we have provided quotes for furniture, garden equipment, car parts and much, much more, so enter your details into our courier quote engine and see how we can help! 

Related Pages 

Long parcels

Oversize Parcels

15kg Items