Can I ship food?
Yes, for most things. Tinned, dried and packaged food travels perfectly well, and supermarket orders from Tesco, Asda, Ocado and the rest are welcome. Frozen food, raw meat and fish cannot be shipped at all. Chilled and fresh items can be sent at your own risk, and plenty are.
What travels well
Anything ambient and sealed. Biscuits, crisps, chocolate, tea, coffee, sauces, tins, packets, baby formula, cereals and store cupboard staples all make the journey without trouble. This is what most people are really after, the food you cannot buy where you live.
What cannot be sent
- Frozen food.
- Raw meat and fish.
- Alcohol, for some destinations. It can travel where the destination allows it, but several countries do not permit alcohol imports at all. That is set by your country's customs authority, not by us, so check their rules before ordering.
Chilled and fresh items can be sent, and plenty are. They travel at your own risk, so it comes down to how well the retailer has packed it and how long the journey takes, but people send them regularly and they usually arrive perfectly well.
Ordering a supermarket delivery
Supermarket shops are one of the most popular things we handle, so it is worth explaining exactly how they work rather than leaving you to guess.
Order as you normally would and have it delivered to your Bringbox address. Nothing about the ordering changes, and you can use any supermarket that delivers in the UK.
The delivery slot we recommend
Where you can, book the slot for 9am to 11am, Monday to Friday, UK time. That is not a restriction, and deliveries can arrive at any time we are open. It is simply the window that gives your order the best chance of being processed the same working day, because it lands at the start of a shift rather than the end of one.
To be honest, that works best in quieter periods. During busy spells, sale weeks and the run up to holidays, even a 9am delivery may be processed the following working day.
If you need it shipped the same day
Tell us. We prioritise grocery orders because food cannot wait the way clothes can, and if you need something moved quickly we will do our absolute best to make it happen.
What we will not do is promise it. Same day processing and same day dispatch are never guaranteed, whatever time your delivery lands. How busy the warehouse is, when the courier collects and what else is in your box all affect it. If we can, we will. If we cannot, you will know rather than be left wondering.
Customs and food
Food is the category customs authorities look at hardest, and the rules vary more here than for almost anything else. What sails into one country is refused by the next.
Australia and New Zealand are the strictest by some distance, with tight controls on meat, dairy, honey, seeds, nuts, fresh produce and anything containing them, and penalties for undeclared items. Other destinations have their own lists, and several restrict particular ingredients rather than whole categories, which is easy to miss.
Quantity matters as well as type. A few packets reads as personal shopping. A case of the same thing reads as a commercial import, and is treated as one.
Knowing your own rules is your responsibility
We have to be direct about this. Checking what food can legally be imported into your country is your responsibility, not ours. We are not able to know or advise on the rules for every destination, and they change without notice.
If something is refused at the border, it is usually destroyed rather than returned, and the cost falls to you. A few minutes on your own country's customs or agriculture website before you order is worth far more than a guess afterwards.
Good to know.
Can I ship supermarket food from the UK?
Yes. Tinned, dried and packaged food is fine, and supermarket deliveries from Tesco, Asda, Ocado and others are welcome.
Can I ship frozen or chilled food?
Frozen food, raw meat and fish cannot be shipped at all. Chilled and fresh items can be sent and often are, at your own risk, since it depends on how it is packed and how long the journey takes.
When should I book a supermarket delivery?
Where you can, book the slot for 9am to 11am, Monday to Friday, UK time. Deliveries can arrive at any time we are open, but that window gives your order the best chance of being processed the same working day. In busy periods even an early delivery may be processed the next working day.
Can you ship my grocery order the same day?
Tell us and we will do our best. We prioritise grocery orders, but same day processing and dispatch are never guaranteed, and depend on how busy the warehouse is and when the courier collects.
Whose responsibility is it to check food import rules?
Yours. We cannot know or advise on the food import rules for every destination, and they change without notice. Check your own country customs or agriculture website before ordering, because refused food is usually destroyed rather than returned.
Can I ship alcohol?
It depends on the destination. Alcohol can travel where the destination permits it, but some countries do not allow alcohol imports at all. That is set by your country's customs authority, so check their rules before you order.
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