Christmas Gift Inspiration: DAY #4

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… well, they’re probably not your true love, as today we’re thinking about your office Secret Santa. There is usually a strict spending limit on these, so we’ve split this post into sections for the most common budgets for this game.

£1: £1 might not seem like a lot of money, but the great thing is that you can get really creative. Get your craft head on and scour the house for odds and ends to make something Christmas-themed. Or, if you’re not the most creative person, head to the local pound shop. Here you will find chocolate, mini toiletry sets and novelty gifts.

£5: Here you get a little more leeway. You could get a small box of good quality chocolate, a half price bottle of wine, some nice stationery or even a little gift set for this price. Or how about a couple of miniatures of their favourite spirit?

£10: The higher the spending limit for Secret Santa for people you don’t know well, the trickier it gets to buy something good. With the extra leeway, you need to come up with something great. For this price limit, we say play it safe and go for a bottle of nice wine or a little food selection. Anything too personal is a minefield, and a novelty gift will make them feel cheated out of a good gift at this price.

Remember to use RAND’s parcel quote tool before you send your gifts this Christmas!

Christmas Gift Inspiration: DAY #2

Welcome to the second day of our Christmas gift inspiration posts, and today we’re focusing on the men in your life. Remember to use RAND’s parcel quote checker before you send your Christmas gifts this year for the best rates.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of buying novelty Christmas gear for men. Christmas cufflinks, ties and socks are generally relegated to the back of the wardrobe, never to see the light of day again, so as funny as it might be on Christmas Day, it’s a waste of money. Think instead about something that will actually be used.

You can’t go wrong with practical clothing for a man, and when in doubt play it safe with a good quality shirt or jumper in a colour you know he likes. The same applies to socks: go for something functional and wearable but good quality.

A bottle of his favourite wine or a selection of ales would most likely go down well, and this could be accompanied with a variety of snacks to keep him munching through the next few days.

Or of course, for a little peace and quiet, there’s always a DVD boxset or a shiny new videogame…

Sending Parcels to Europe

There are a lot of courier companies out there, and that means a lot of choice. However, if you want to go with a courier company that is reliable and offers excellent rates on parcel delivery to Europe, RAND should be your first choice. We understand how important it is to you that your parcels arrive on time and without any damage, which is why we strive to offer the best possible service to each and every customer. Whether it’s France, Denmark, Estonia or anywhere else in Europe, we’ve got it covered, so use our quote finder for the best price today.

Sending Large Parcels

There is a golden rule that a surprising amount of people don’t realise when it comes to sending parcels: it’s all about striking the balance between the size and the weight. Just because you’re sending a tiny parcel, it doesn’t mean you will be paying next to nothing to send it if it is very heavy, and equally a large box won’t necessarily mean paying a fortune if you’re only sending pillows.

When you’re thinking about how you will package your items, think about the best way to fit them into as small a space as possible. In a way, it is like Tetris – if you can slot things together and utilise all the space in a box effectively, you can keep costs down. The larger the parcel, the more you will pay for the size. For example, if you are posting two new pairs of shoes, by simply doing away with the shoeboxes you can save a lot of space and fit both pairs into the equivalent space of one box.

If you’re sending multiple items, it may well end up costing less to send your items in separate small boxes, as very large boxes will come with a premium postage cost to match as they are difficult to transport and deliver. Lots of small items may require a massive box to send in one package, but by splitting this into more manageable parcels you might be able to reduce your packaging costs.

Also make sure you’re not using a box too big for what you’re actually sending. This can push the cost up even though you’re not using all the space inside, which is a waste of money. Find a box into which the item fits as well as possible to only spend the money necessary to send the parcel.

We offer competitive rates on sending large parcels at RAND, so use our quote finder today to find out how much it will cost you to send your large package abroad.

Sending Back-To-School Gifts

The start of September is all about the dreaded return to school. As the leaves start to fall from the trees and new pencils are sharpened for the very first time, the glorious summer holidays can seem a long way away. All over the world, children are meeting their new classmates for the first time, getting their new school shoes muddy and waiting to grow into their too-big uniform.

Wherever your young friends and relatives are based around the world, it’s not too late to send them a gift to cheer them up during what can be one of the most nerve-wracking times of year for many children. Maybe a new toy to put a smile back on their face, or some stationery essentials to show off in the classroom. Whatever it is, make sure you send it with RAND.

RAND guarantees competitive rates and a reliable service, meaning your items will get there when we say they will. You can also track your parcels using our handy tracking service to find out where in the world they’ve got to so far. That way, everyone will be happy, and you won’t need to worry about where your gift has gone, so get a quote today, and happy September sending!

Sending Birthday Gifts Internationally

We all love birthdays! As old as we get, we can’t help getting excited when there’s a beautifully wrapped present in front of us with our name on the tag. But, as the old saying goes, it’s better to give than to receive. So what do you do when your friends or relatives move abroad?

Sending a present abroad isn’t as difficult as some people expect. If you send your gifts with RAND, there is no need to worry about finding the right postage or worry about whether or not it will get there in time. We offer a speedy, efficient and very reasonably priced courier service which means you won’t have to worry about your gifts at all while they’re in transit.

Use our quote finder to find out how much it’ll cost you to send your gift anywhere in the world, and we’re sure you’ll be delighted with the rates on offer.

Students Studying Abroad?

Students! Listen up: if you’re off on your year abroad in September, you’re probably looking around your bedroom and wondering how on Earth you’re going to manage with all those suitcases on your own. Even if Mum and Dad are taking a suitcase each, there’s still a lot to take with you for an entire year. Thankfully, RAND is here to help.

A better idea than taking all your luggage yourself is to send it to your new accommodation, wherever in the world that may be, with a courier such as RAND. It means you don’t have to pay over the odds to take extra hold luggage on the plane, you can avoid having to manoeuvre four suitcases at once through a busy airport and it’s one less thing to worry about at the luggage carousel.

We offer excellent rates for packages sent all over the world, so whether you’re off to the US, China, Europe or anywhere else, get a quote today to make the start of your year abroad go without a hitch.