Too Much Luggage in London? What to Do Instead of Paying Expensive Airline Baggage Fees
You've had an amazing trip to London.
You bought the clothes you wanted.
Picked up souvenirs.
Bought gifts for family.
Maybe found a few things you absolutely couldn't leave London without.
And then you try to close your suitcase.
It doesn't close.
You sit on it.
Still doesn't close.
Eventually, you somehow get everything packed and drag your suitcase to the airport.
Then comes the sentence every traveller hopes they won't hear:
“Your bag is overweight.”
Suddenly, your carefully planned travel budget has another problem.
The airline wants you to pay for extra baggage.
And depending on your airline, route and ticket, that extra charge can be surprisingly expensive.
But before you simply hand over your card at the check-in desk, there is another option worth knowing about:
You can send some of your belongings home separately.
International luggage-shipping services can collect luggage in London and transport it separately to another country, while Heathrow also has an official baggage-shipping service through Excess Baggage Company. Heathrow says its baggage-shipping service provides unaccompanied baggage shipping and courier delivery from the airport.
That doesn't mean shipping is always cheaper.
It means you have another option.
And sometimes, that option can make much more sense than paying a large excess-baggage charge.
Here's how it works.
First, check what your airline will actually charge
Before arranging anything, find out exactly what your airline is offering.
Your baggage allowance can depend on your:
Airline
Ticket type
Cabin class
Destination
Number of bags
Weight and dimensions
Heathrow itself advises passengers to check their airline's baggage rules before travelling because allowances and restrictions vary.
You might have several possibilities:
Pay for an additional checked bag
Purchase additional baggage allowance
Pay an overweight-bag charge
Redistribute your belongings between bags
Remove some items
The important thing is to get the actual price for your particular flight.
Don't make the decision based on what someone paid on a different airline last year.
So, can you actually send your suitcase home?
Yes.
You can arrange international luggage shipping through specialist luggage-shipping companies, and Heathrow has an airport-based baggage-shipping service.
Heathrow's Excess Baggage Company offers unaccompanied baggage shipping and baggage courier services from Heathrow.
Specialist services such as Send My Bag also offer international luggage shipping, including door-to-door services and support with international customs requirements.
The basic idea is simple:
You: London → airport → flight → home
Your extra luggage: London → courier network → international transport → customs → destination
The two don't have to travel together.
That's the whole point.
When does sending luggage home make sense?
It can be particularly useful if you have a significant amount of extra luggage.
For example, imagine you're leaving London with:
Bag 1: your normal checked luggage
Bag 2: your normal checked luggage
Extra: another suitcase full of clothes, gifts and things you've bought
Instead of automatically checking all three bags, you could compare:
Option A
Pay the airline to carry the additional luggage.
Option B
Ship the extra luggage separately.
Option C
Get rid of things you don't actually need.
The cheapest option depends on your circumstances.
That's why the article isn't:
“Shipping is always cheaper.”
The better advice is:
Compare the two prices before making your decision.
Don't wait until you're standing at the check-in desk
This is probably the biggest practical tip in the entire article.
If you already know you're going to have too much luggage, don't wait until the airport.
Once you reach check-in, you're dealing with a deadline.
Your flight is leaving.
Your luggage is already packed.
And you have limited time to compare alternatives.
Instead, start looking into shipping a few days before your departure, or earlier if you know you're going to have a lot of belongings.
Some luggage-shipping services allow collections from places such as homes, offices, universities and hotels, depending on the route and booking.
That means your extra suitcase can potentially leave your accommodation before you even head to the airport.
What if you've already reached Heathrow?
This is where Heathrow's own baggage-shipping service can be useful.
The Excess Baggage Company operates baggage services at Heathrow, and its baggage-shipping service offers unaccompanied baggage shipping and courier delivery.
So if you arrive at Heathrow and realise you have far more luggage than expected, ask about your available shipping options.
But there is an important difference between:
shipping your luggage internationally
and
having luggage delivered somewhere within the UK.
Heathrow also offers a separate baggage-delivery service that can collect and deliver luggage to hotels, offices or residences.
So make sure you're asking for the service you actually need.
If your goal is:
“I want this suitcase sent to my home country.”
you're looking for international baggage shipping, not simply Heathrow's local baggage-delivery service.
Should you send the whole suitcase?
Not necessarily.
You can potentially send:
A suitcase
A box
Several pieces of luggage
depending on the shipping company and route.
Some specialist luggage-shipping services are designed specifically for suitcases and personal belongings.
For example, if you've bought a lot of clothes and gifts, you could separate your luggage into:
Taking on the plane
Passport and documents
Electronics
Medication
Essential clothes
Valuables
Things you'll need immediately
Sending separately
Extra clothes
Books
Shoes
Non-essential gifts
Other personal belongings
The exact items you can ship depend on the carrier and destination.
What should you NOT put in the shipped luggage?
This is where you need to be careful.
Do not assume that because something can go in your airline luggage, it can automatically go into an international courier shipment.
Shipping companies have their own prohibited and restricted-item rules.
For example, specialist luggage-shipping guidance warns against items such as aerosols, flammable liquids and alcohol in luggage shipments.
Other potentially restricted categories can include:
Batteries
Certain liquids
Food
Plants
Animal products
Medicines
Flammable materials
Dangerous goods
Other restricted items
The exact rules vary according to the shipping company, transport method and destination country.
UK government guidance also notes that import/export prohibitions and restrictions apply to different categories of goods and that the published list is not exhaustive.
So before you pack your suitcase for shipping:
Check the carrier's prohibited-items list.
And then check the destination country's rules too.
What about clothes and souvenirs?
This is where the idea becomes particularly useful for London visitors.
Maybe you've bought:
London T-shirts
Jackets
Shoes
Books
Gifts
Small souvenirs
Collectables
Other personal belongings
Instead of trying to squeeze everything into your flight luggage, you can investigate whether those items are suitable for international shipping.
But don't assume that every souvenir is automatically safe to ship.
Food, plants, animal products, liquids and other regulated goods can be subject to restrictions.
For example, current UK government guidance shows that food and plant products can be subject to restrictions depending on the circumstances.
And your destination country may have its own, completely different rules.
Customs: the part you really shouldn't ignore
This is one of the biggest differences between:
checking a suitcase onto a flight and shipping a suitcase internationally.
A courier shipment may need customs documentation.
For routes requiring customs clearance, luggage-shipping providers can require a packing list describing the contents, along with additional customs forms where applicable.
You should therefore be prepared to provide accurate information about what's inside your luggage.
Don't simply write:
“Personal stuff.”
If the shipping company asks for a description and value, give accurate information.
Customs authorities in the destination country may also assess the shipment according to their own rules.
And this is important:
Shipping your belongings does not automatically make them tax-free.
The country you're sending them to may apply:
Import duty
VAT/GST or similar taxes
Customs fees
Other charges
The rules can differ dramatically from one country to another.
For example, Send My Bag's current guidance for shipping to India specifically tells customers to understand Indian customs rules, including duties and which items are permitted, restricted or prohibited.
So if you're sending your London shopping to India, the US, Canada, Australia or anywhere else:
Check that country's current customs rules before booking.
How long will your luggage take to arrive?
This is another reason you shouldn't treat shipping like airline baggage.
Your suitcase isn't necessarily going to arrive when you do.
International luggage shipping involves:
Collection → transport → customs → delivery
and the timeline depends on the destination and service you choose.
Some services offer different delivery speeds, but you should rely on the live estimated delivery time given for your specific route when you book, rather than assuming a fixed number of days.
This is particularly important if you're travelling immediately after returning home.
If your suitcase contains winter clothes and you're arriving home tomorrow, don't assume you'll have it tomorrow.
Keep your essentials with you
If you decide to ship a suitcase, think carefully about what you're putting inside.
Your shipped luggage should not contain something you absolutely need immediately after landing.
Keep the following with you as appropriate:
Passport
Travel documents
Wallet
Phone
Laptop
Essential medication
Chargers
Important valuables
A change of clothes
Anything you need immediately after arrival
Think of the shipped suitcase as:
“Things I can live without for a while.”
Not:
“Everything I own except my passport.”
What if you're only 2kg overweight?
This is where shipping may not be worth the hassle.
If your airline says your bag is slightly over the limit, compare the cost of:
paying the airline
versus
arranging a courier shipment.
For a very small amount of extra luggage, the airline may be much simpler.
Shipping makes more sense when you're dealing with a substantial amount of extra luggage.
There is no magic weight at which shipping automatically becomes cheaper.
It depends on your route and the prices you're actually quoted.
What if you're moving home after living in London?
This is where the idea becomes much more useful.
Imagine you've spent:
Six months studying in London
A year working here
Several years living here
Now you're going home.
Suddenly your belongings aren't just:
one suitcase + one carry-on.
They're:
clothes + shoes + books + personal items + memories + everything you've accumulated.
Trying to fit all of that into your airline allowance can become expensive.
International luggage shipping can therefore be worth investigating alongside specialist international-removal or freight services.
The bigger your move, the more important it becomes to compare several options rather than assuming luggage shipping is automatically the best solution.
What if you want to send luggage to another city, not your home?
You don't necessarily have to send it to your permanent home.
Depending on the shipping service and route, luggage can potentially be sent to another suitable address, such as accommodation or another secure delivery address.
But check the service's exact delivery requirements before booking.
You need to make sure:
Someone can actually receive it.
There's no point sending your suitcase to a hotel you're leaving tomorrow.
Don't forget to measure your suitcase
When getting a shipping quote, don't just say:
“It's about 20kg.”
The shipping company may need both weight and dimensions.
So before booking:
Weigh the suitcase.
Measure its dimensions.
Record the collection address.
Record the destination address.
Choose how quickly you need it.
Get the actual quote.
Then compare it with your airline's baggage cost.
That gives you a much more meaningful comparison.
What about insurance and valuable belongings?
This is another thing worth checking before booking.
Don't assume that your shipping service automatically provides the same protection you would have with airline baggage.
Check:
What compensation is included
Whether additional cover is available
Which items are excluded
What happens if an item is damaged
What happens if a shipment is delayed
What happens if customs holds it
And for irreplaceable valuables?
Don't ship them unless you're completely comfortable with the carrier's terms.
Your passport, jewellery, important documents and irreplaceable personal items are better kept with you.
Should you ship from London or from Heathrow?
It depends on your situation.
Shipping before the airport
Usually the more comfortable approach.
You can arrange collection from your accommodation and travel to Heathrow with less luggage.
Shipping at Heathrow
Useful if you've already arrived at the airport and need another option.
Heathrow confirms that its Excess Baggage Company provides baggage-shipping services from the airport.
But if you're planning ahead, don't deliberately wait until check-in to investigate your options.
You have more time and flexibility when you arrange it earlier.
A checklist before sending your luggage
Before you hand over your suitcase, check:
☐ What will the airline charge?
☐ What will the shipping company charge?
☐ How long will delivery take?
☐ What customs documents are required?
☐ What items are prohibited?
☐ What items are restricted?
☐ Could the destination country charge tax or duty?
☐ Is someone available to receive the shipment?
☐ Have you kept essential items with you?
☐ Have you photographed the contents?
☐ Have you kept your tracking information?
This takes a few minutes.
It can save you a lot of trouble later.
So, is shipping your luggage actually worth it?
Sometimes.
And that's the honest answer.
It isn't automatically cheaper than airline baggage.
It isn't automatically faster.
And it isn't automatically easier.
But if you're dealing with a large amount of extra luggage, it can be a very useful alternative.
Especially if:
You've been living in London
You're moving home
You've bought a lot of things
You're carrying several suitcases
Your airline's additional baggage cost is high
You don't need those belongings immediately
The key is to compare the real costs and the practicalities before making the decision.
The smartest way to leave London with too much luggage
If you know you're going to have too much luggage, don't wait until Heathrow.
A few days before your flight:
1. Weigh everything.
2. Separate what you need for the journey.
3. Check your airline's baggage allowance.
4. Find out the airline's actual additional-baggage cost.
5. Get a live shipping quote.
6. Check the destination's customs rules.
7. Check the courier's prohibited-item list.
8. Decide which option makes the most financial and practical sense.
Then, if shipping wins, arrange the collection and keep your tracking details.
You arrive home with the luggage you actually need.
Your extra belongings follow separately.
And you avoid standing at the airport check-in desk wondering whether that extra suitcase of London shopping is worth the price the airline just quoted you.
Because sometimes the easiest way to take a little more of London home...
is not to take it on the plane at all.
Discover more London travel tips, practical guides and things you need to know before your trip on LondonYaar.com.
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