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  1. My grandmother will be travelling within England (London, Cambridge, Portsmouth) for the next year.

  2. Her health problems prohibit moving her 3 suitcases herself WITHIN England; each weighs 25 kg and around 55 cm x 35 cm x 25 cm.

  3. My grandmother can live off her wheeled carry-on (that she can move) for 14 days: thus delivery speed does not matter.

  4. The 3 suitcases must be collected between 9 AM - 12 noon.

Are there cheaper solutions than expensive couriers (DHL, FedEx, Purolator, UPS), or even Royal Mail or Parcelforce (they seem to offer only delivery within 48 hours that she does NOT need)?

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  • Why does your grandmother have to handle her luggage herself? EG What assistance will the airport supply? – Peter M Jul 20 '16 at 21:57
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    @PeterM I read the question as "moving around within the UK", not the coming-from-Canada part - going between those three cities will almost certainly be by train or coach, not flying. Train companies will usually provide assistance with getting bags on/off if you ask in advance, but relying on it working with three large suitcases might be risky - the London-Cambridge trains, for example, are very much commuter services and aren't really set up to handle that much baggage. – Andrew Jul 20 '16 at 22:07
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    I use man with a van type services; I've been with the same guy for like 15 years for whatever. – Gayot Fow Jul 20 '16 at 22:07
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    Anyvan.com and Shiply.com are worth a look - both allow transport providers to bid on your shipment. Usually it's van/lorry drivers who are doing that route already and have spare space in the truck. I've used both successfully. – A E Jul 20 '16 at 22:11
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    I suppose it's ok to say he trades out of 'a 2 b removals' though :) – Gayot Fow Jul 20 '16 at 22:16
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There are a number of websites (one is called uShip) that allow you to post details of a big or small removal job, and have removal companies, men with vans etc. bid for them. Because you get a large number of bids, and they are in competition with each other, you can get a very good price. Another advantage is that many will be taking a particular route anyway and are just looking to fill up spare space, so you don't need to pay for an entire van.

http://www.uship.com

https://www.shiply.com

https://www.anyvan.com/

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    That looks like a nice answer, but could you include links, ideally to more than one such website? +1 and welcome to Travel SE! – mts Sep 2 '16 at 15:46

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