A pro-forma invoice is a document used by the seller prior to the buyer making payment, confirming the price that will be charged for a particular product or service.
All shipments going abroad (not EU) have to pass through customs. Whether a consignment has to pay duty depends on the type of consignment. In simple terms, there are consignments of goods and documents. The sender must provide the relevant documents for each consignment. For shipments to non-EU countries (incl. eBay sales), a proforma invoice or commercial invoice is required in order to record the value of the goods for tax and customs purposes. The proforma invoice is required for all shipments that are not resold and therefore have no commercial value. The commercial invoice, on the other hand, is required for shipments that have a commercial value, i. e. are generally resold. An export declaration would also be required for goods with a value of 1000 € or more. The corresponding templates of the forms can be downloaded here. Our support team will be happy to help you.
Customs declaration is a form that is required by most countries when goods are entering that nation's borders, called import. The purpose of the import form is to declare what goods are being brought into the nation.
The weight of a package calculated according to its dimensions, using the following equation = Length x Width x Height / 6000. If the dimensional weight exceeds the gross weight (actual weight in Kg of the package), then the cost for the dimensional weight will be charged.
Each consignment has a so-called real weight, i. e. the weight that the scales indicate when the consignment is weighed. There is also the dimensional weight. For transport service providers, the dimensional weight is an important value, because it can be used to derive the required transport capacity. One can perhaps imagine that a shoebox filled with screws might weigh more than an oversized balloon in the shape of an elephant. Although the elephant weighs less than the box, it takes up much more space. Under certain circumstances, an additional vehicle may have to be used in order to accommodate the elephant. In the national and international mail order business, the real weight and the additional dimensional weight are therefore determined prior to shipment. The higher weight is used for price calculation. The dimensional weight is calculated according to the following formula:
Length (cm) x width (cm) x height (cm): 6000 = dimensional weight in kg.The divisor (6000) is not used uniformly in the industry. Packator uses 6000.
Packaging is a coordinated system of preparing goods for transport, warehousing, logistics, sale, and end use.
The question of the right packaging arises during every shipment. In a classic courier service, the shipment is usually delivered by the same person who picked it up. There is no transfer of the shipment. This makes the question of packaging less important. All other shipments are usually handled once or several times on the way to the destination. This often means that shipments are transported via large conveyor belt systems. In this case, the consignments may fall from one conveyor belt to another. Transport service providers say that a shipment should be packed in such a way that it can survive a fall from hip height without damage. The original packaging is often assumed to be the best packaging, for technical equipment in particular. However, the original packaging for technical equipment is designed to be transported on pallets. An original packaging should therefore be packaged additionally. Our support will be happy to help you with this.
Packator provides a transportation insurance on your shipments for up to 1000 €.
The amount of space available in a vehicle allowing for the transportation of packages.
We ensure that your animals reach their destination safe and sound.
A same-day courier service within a city, providing you a fast and convenient way to ship your packages.
A city courier provides the classic courier service: the exclusive and direct transport of shipments within a city. Direct and exclusive because the shipments within an order are usually collected and delivered by the same person. The shipment will not be handed over to other persons. Depending on the size of the consignment, various vehicles, from bicycle courier to truck, are used. The largest proportion of city courier orders takes place adhoc. The service is mainly used by companies from all sectors, but increasingly also by private individuals.
Packator works with the best courier services in each city. This means that orders always reach the most relevant courier services at the same time via Packator. This reduces any empty kilometres, saves time and protects the environment.
Typical courier shipments are:
All shipments that cannot be integrated into the automatic processes because they are too heavy, too large or have a special shape are labeled bulky goods and processed manually.
National and international express and parcel shipments are transferred once or several times. This handling of shipments is largely automated with the aid of conveyor belt systems. All shipments that cannot be integrated into the automatic processes because they are too heavy, too large or have a special shape are labeled bulky goods and processed manually. Classic examples are car tires, sports equipment or exhibition stands. The definitions of bulky goods and the effects on the shipping price vary between transportation service providers. In most cases, the so-called girth measurement (longest side in cm + 2 x width in cm + 2 x height in cm) must be determined. The maximum girth is usually 360cm. But don't worry, Packator has started to make shipping easy. Our support team will be happy to help!
Our booking tool allows you to instantly see the (estimated) cost of your order according to the information you have provided.
Same Day Delivery makes use of a network of partner companies to collectively ship packages as far as possible on the same day it was picked up.
Same Day Delivery is being requested more and more, and refers to the shipping on the same day of the pickup. Nothing new for courier services, and actually nothing special at all, because courier services have been doing this for decades. The classic courier trip usually takes place adhoc. The courier travels directly from the sender (without intermediate storage at a hub) to the recipient.
Same Day Delivery, on the other hand, is organised as far as possible via collective deliveries. The difference is also the alignment. While traditional courier services mainly operate in the B2B sector and transport shipments from one office to another, the "new" Same Day Delivery wave mainly links retail (online and offline) with private customers.
The providers of Same Day Delivery are active throughout Germany. As far as possible, the consignments are bundled together using new technologies and delivered collectively in an economically viable way. Customers are, for example, large electronics chains that can now offer their customers the same day delivery service without having to find a regional partner in each individual city. Courier services benefit from the fact that the service behind it is becoming more well-known and is currently booming. Packator is linked in both directions with corresponding partners and forms the bridge between the classic courier business and the Same-Day-Delivery offering. We are therefore the point of contact for all parties involved in transport networks.
An overnight delivery service within Germany, providing you with the option to have your packages arrive the next (working) day.
Overnight shipping refers to the dispatch of shipments during the night. The advantage is that the packages are collected from the sender. Agile transport structures enable a high degree of flexibility in pick-up and delivery times. We collect the consignment(s) from the sender until late in the evening and deliver them early the next day via our network of partners. Overnight shipping is ideal for shipments that need to arrive quickly and safely at their destination throughout Germany and Europe.
For a client presentation, employees of an advertising agency travelled to Hamburg. On the eve after dinner, they realize that important documents were left in the Berlin office. The documents are sent by overnight delivery to the hotel and can be delivered before breakfast.
For companies, overnight shipping has long since become indispensable. Not only because a collection of the shipments saves valuable resources, but also because the normal parcel delivery is often not fast enough. More and more private individuals are also recognizing the benefit of this service for themselves.
Various timeframes are available for pick-ups and deliveries. Shipment processing in an overnight service is very agile. This means that late pick-ups and early deliveries the next day are possible. In large cities, we collect the consignments from the sender within 60 minutes and deliver them the next day from 08:00 onwards.
The commercial activity of transporting goods to customers
Often waiting or loading times apply at pickup or delivery. We don't keep our eye on the clock, but unexpected long waiting or loading times can incur an extra cost.
Especially among city couriers, loading or waiting times can occur. This can happen due to several reasons. A courier may have to go to the fifth floor several times (without the elevator) when delivering their goods, the recipient at a company is difficult to locate, or the loading of an entire exhibition stand takes longer than expected. Since most courier drivers are self-employed entrepreneurs, the principle which applies is that time is money. Unfortunately, the events are usually not known beforehand to the client or the courier service. As a result, there are price changes that are common in the industry, but are not appreciated by many customers in terms of price transparency. Packator wants to change that and establishes a pricing system which ensures that the price originally requested or displayed on the online portal is the same on the invoice. We promise!
Loading assistance consists of help provided by one or more people to load or unload your shipments.
City couriers usually travel alone. For some transports, such as furniture, you just need two people. In such cases, loading assistance is required. Couriers are informed about these orders and, depending on the order, come briefly to help get (for example) a cupboard into the transporter. At the point of delivery, a different loading assistant is usually included. Loading assistants are versatile. For example, they can help bring files from the office to the cellar, or they can be used to support the setting up of scenery or exhibition stands!
Packator has a network of courier partners that allow us to ship all over the world.
Packators order creation system which allows you to book an order according to your needs and requirements.
The cancelling of an order due to various possible reasons. Under certain circumstances, costs might still apply.
Stands for Courier, Express and Parcel
The girth measurement is used to determine the actual size of the shipment to optimise the shipping process, and is calculated using the following formula: Width (cm) + Height (cm) x 2 + Length (cm) = girth measurement (cm)
In the transport industry, most processes are automated. For this reason, it is important to record the size of the consignment in advance of shipment in order not to endanger the workflow. For this purpose, the girth measurement is determined. One can imagine a belt being put around the shipment (the two short sides) for this purpose. This means that the width and depth of the belt are doubled. Afterwards, the long side is added and the belt dimension is obtained. The formula for calculating the girth measurement is therefore: Width (cm) + Height (cm) x 2 + Length (cm) = girth measurement (cm). The maximum belt size is between 300cm and 360cm, depending on the transport service provider.
Packator provides a luggage shipping service, where we ship your luggage to its destination so you do not need to worry about carrying it around.
There are many reasons to send suitcases or pieces of luggage. Maybe travelling with luggage is not possible because the boot of your car is too small, or you are travelling by bike. Maybe you want to surprise your partner and send the luggage unobtrusively to the hotel in advance. Or you want to make the journey easier for your customers and have their luggage picked up so that they spend less time at the airport. Many tour operators handle luggage transport for travellers during the trip or in the event of baggage loss after the trip. Packator has the best partners for shipping suitcases and luggage. As a rule, the baggage is transported as bulky goods and transferred once or several times. Therefore, additional protective packaging is essential. If no large cardboard box is at hand, the luggage should at least be wrapped in bubble wrap.
Hazardous goods are materials or items with hazardous properties which, if not properly transported, present a potential hazard to human health and safety, infrastructure and/ or their means of transport.
Meeting your packaging and shipment requirements according to your business needs.
The term Fulfillment implies all activities related to online retail that take place after a customer has placed an order. Fullfilment is also known as all-round carefree logistics. As a fullfilment provider, Packator and its partners take over all logistic processes that belong to an online shop: the storage of the articles and the commissioning, packing and dispatching of the goods, the handling of returns, and invoicing and collection.
Bicycle messengers are people who work for courier companies carrying and delivering items by bicycle
Bicycle couriers are on the road in almost every city in the world. A bicycle courier is not a postman or parcel carrier. Such orders exist, but are not the norm. A bicycle courier transports shipments within the city from point A to point B. The shipments can be, for example, important laboratory samples, tax documents or new business cards. Once you have hired a courier, whether professionally or privately, you will do so again and again. Packator works with the best bike couriers in each city. Often the shipments are picked up within a few minutes. Bicycle couriers are characterised by their large and often striking courier bags. Everyone swears by their favorite manufacturer. However, what they all have in common is that all are waterproof and transport the consignments safely to their destination without damages.
A service focused on speedy worldwide delivery.
A courier service for speedy national deliveries, taking your package directly to its destination.
A direct delivery is a courier trip that goes beyond the city limits and must be delivered directly. Often the main concern is not the possibility of the fastest delivery, but rather that the consignment does not get passed among other parties. A courier picks up the shipment and drives directly to the recipient. Europe-wide. And if you want to go even further, we also have ON-Board couriers who personally accompany the consignments all over the world to the recipient.
