A suitcase, a boxed suitcase or a box: what each costs in chargeable weight, which protects your things better, and when each one makes sense.
For most people sending clothes, a suitcase sent as it is costs less than the same suitcase put inside a box. The box adds size, and size counts towards the price. A box is the better choice for heavy, dense things such as books and kitchenware, for fragile items, and when you want the case itself to arrive unmarked.
Advice online pulls both ways. Some say never box a case; others say always do. Both sides are protecting against something real. Here are the numbers and the trade-offs, so you can decide for your own things.
Most door-to-door services charge on the higher of two figures: the real weight, or the size-based weight, which is length x width x height in centimetres divided by 5,000. The higher one, rounded up to the next 0.5 kg, is the chargeable weight, and that is what the price is built on. Our guide to size-based weight explains it in full.
A box that fits around a suitcase has to be a few centimetres bigger on every side, and those centimetres multiply. Here is a large suitcase with 23 kg of clothes in it, sent three ways:
| Option | Outside size (cm) | Size-based weight | Real weight | Chargeable weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large suitcase, sent as it is | 78 x 52 x 31 | 25.15 kg | 23 kg | 25.5 kg |
| The same suitcase inside a box | 84 x 58 x 37 | 36.05 kg | 23 kg plus the box | 36.5 kg |
| The clothes packed straight into a large box | 65 x 50 x 45 | 29.25 kg | Under 23 kg (no case) | 29.5 kg |
The box in the second row allows 3 cm on every side of the case, which is a normal fit with a little padding. It turns 25.5 kg into 36.5 kg: 11 kg more to pay for, with nothing extra inside. Taking the clothes out and packing them straight into a large box is still 4 kg more than the case on its own, because a large box takes up more space than the case does.
Size-based weight only bites when things are light for their size. Dense things are charged on their real weight whatever you put them in. For them, the container makes little difference to the price but a big difference to how they travel.
A small box of 45 x 35 x 30 cm has a size-based weight of 9.45 kg. Fill it with books and it will weigh more than that, so you pay for the books, not for empty space. Put the same books in a suitcase and you are asking the zip, the wheels and the handle to carry a load they were not built for.
Packed properly, the contents usually arrive fine either way. The difference is the container. A well-packed box often arrives dented but has done its job. An unboxed case often arrives with marks, and now and then with a damaged wheel or handle. If your case is new, expensive or sentimental, box it or leave it at home and use boxes. If it is an older case you would not mind scuffing, send it as it is.
The price page asks whether each item is packed in a box. Answer it the way you will really send it, because some services price boxed and unboxed items differently. Anything a service adds for an unboxed case is included in the all-in price the page shows, and you can open "What is in this price" to see each part. That makes it easy to compare the same case boxed and unboxed before you decide.
Cover is the other half of the decision. Loss or damage is covered only up to the limits our transport partner gives us on that route, and on some routes there is no cover beyond your price back if we fail to take reasonable care. The booking page shows what applies before you book. Some services also treat the outside of an unboxed case as its packaging, so scuffs and broken wheels may not count as damage. If the case matters to you, box it.
We do not sell, arrange or recommend insurance, but you can buy it directly from an insurer. Our guide to insuring belongings you ship explains what to look for.
Soft bags have straps, buckles and loops that catch on rollers and on other parcels. Tuck everything in, buckle or tape long straps flat against the bag, or pack the bag inside a box. A rucksack's frame and hip belt add size, so measure it packed, with the straps tucked away. A holdall of 70 x 35 x 35 cm weighing 15 kg is charged as 17.5 kg. Our guide to measuring and weighing luggage shows how to measure soft shapes.
| If you are sending | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Clothes and shoes you will use when you arrive | Suitcase as it is | Lowest chargeable weight, and you have a case to live out of |
| A new, expensive or much-loved case | Suitcase in a box, or leave the case behind | Protects the case, but costs more because of the extra size |
| Books, kitchenware or tools | Small or medium boxes | Dense, so charged on real weight, and it spares a case |
| Fragile items | A box with padding on every side | Easier to cushion all round, and nothing sticks out |
| Duvets, pillows and soft toys | The smallest case or box they fit in | Light and bulky, so size sets the price |
| An old case with a weak zip or wheel | A box | A failing case can split open on the way |
Yes. Suitcases and bags can be sent as they are. The price page asks whether each item is boxed and shows the options available for it. Pack it with care, because it will travel alone: our guide to packing a suitcase for shipping covers the handle, the zips, the straps and the labels.
Almost always, because the box is bigger than the case. The only exception is a case so heavy for its size that its real weight is still higher than the boxed size-based weight. For the large case above, that would mean more than 36 kg inside, which is unusual for clothes and above what many services take per item.
Use a strong double-wall box in good condition, with old labels and barcodes taken off. Avoid supermarket and fruit boxes. They are weak, and for Australia the Department of Agriculture advises against reusing boxes that have carried fruit, vegetables, meat or eggs (Department of Agriculture, checked on 3 October 2026).
Put both versions into the price page, the case as it is and the case boxed, and compare the prices side by side. Whichever you choose, measure the item as you will send it, outside size included.
Which boxes to use, how to load and tape them, how heavy to make them, and why a box that fits its contents costs less to send.
Your case travels on its own, stacked and handled many times. How to choose it, pack it, close it and label it so it arrives the way it left.
Long, light kit is charged on its size. How to pack bikes, golf clubs and skis safely, and how to shrink the size you pay for.
