Pricing Guide Courier · Courier Mode · Door Pickup · Customs Guidance
Excess Baggage vs International Courier from India: Which Actually Costs Less, and When
Almost everyone leaving India with more than they can carry works this out at the airport counter, which is the worst possible place to work it out. The airline's excess baggage desk is the most expensive per-kilo option in the entire system, and it is the only one you cannot negotiate once you are standing in front of it. This page sets out what each route actually costs, where the break-even sits, and the three cases where carrying it still genuinely wins.
Export & Logistics Specialist, ShipHit
Airline counter
USD 10-35/kg
The most expensive per-kilo option, paid under time pressure.
Express courier
~USD 8-12/kg
Door to door in 3-6 days, tracked, with customs handled.
Economy cargo
Lowest per kg
Best for heavy loads; slower, and usually not door to door.
Break-even
~10-15 kg
Above this, shipping separately almost always wins.
What each option actually costs
The three routes price on completely different logic, which is why the gap between them widens as the load grows.
Airline excess is charged per kilo or per extra piece at a flat rate that does not improve with volume — the fiftieth kilo costs the same as the first. Courier and cargo work the opposite way: the per-kilo rate falls as weight rises, because the fixed costs of handling a consignment are spread further. That single difference is what decides the whole question.
| Route | Indicative cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Airline excess at the counter | Roughly USD 10-35 per kg depending on carrier and sector, or a flat fee per extra piece | It travels with you and arrives when you do. No customs paperwork, no tracking, and no recourse if the bag is refused at check-in. |
| Airline excess pre-paid online | Meaningfully cheaper than the counter rate on most carriers | The same service, bought before you are under pressure. If you are going to carry it, always buy it in advance. |
| Express courier | Around USD 8-12 per kg, falling with weight; roughly ₹930-1,300 per kg on published DHL and FedEx cards depending on band | Door to door in about 3-6 days, tracked throughout, with customs documentation prepared for you. |
| Economy courier / consolidated cargo | The lowest per-kilo figure of the four, often a fraction of counter excess | Slower — commonly 7-15 days — and sometimes airport to airport rather than door to door. Best for heavy, non-urgent loads. |
Indicative ranges as of August 2026, not quotes. Rates vary by carrier, sector, season and chargeable weight — ShipHit confirms the actual figure against your dimensions before booking.
The counter is the worst rate you will ever be offered
Every airline prices excess higher at the airport than online, and the counter is where you have no alternatives left. If you decide to carry it, buy the allowance in advance. If you have not decided yet, decide before you get to the airport — that is the entire practical message of this page.
Where the break-even sits
For most travellers it is somewhere around ten to fifteen kilos, and it moves depending on how urgently you need the contents.
Below roughly ten kilos, the fixed costs of a courier consignment — pickup, packing, documentation — are spread across too little weight to beat an airline that is already flying you there. Above it, the airline's flat per-kilo rate keeps climbing while the courier rate falls, and the gap opens quickly. By thirty kilos the difference is usually substantial; by fifty it is rarely close.
One thing that catches people out: courier pricing uses chargeable weight, which is the higher of actual and volumetric weight. A light, bulky box can bill well above what the scale says, so the comparison has to use the right number — we set out how it is calculated in our guide to Actual vs volumetric weight pricing guide with worked examples.
- Under ~10 kg and you need it immediately: carry it, pre-paid online.
- 10-20 kg: genuinely close. Compare the pre-paid airline rate against an express courier quote for your actual box dimensions.
- Over ~20 kg: shipping separately almost always costs less, and the margin widens with every kilo.
- Over ~50 kg, or anything bulky: economy cargo, without much doubt.
- Splitting the load is usually the right answer — carry what you need in the first week, ship the rest.
When carrying it still wins
Cost is not the only variable, and there are cases where the airline is the right answer even though it is dearer per kilo.
A Veena is the clearest example of this: it exceeds standard baggage dimensions on most carriers, travels without crating and without meaningful insurance, and depends on check-in staff accepting it on the day — which is why our Veena international courier guide recommends crated air freight instead.
Restricted items are the other hard limit. Some things you can legally check onto a plane cannot be sent as cargo at all, and the list is worth reading before you split a load — see Items not allowed in guide for the categories that are refused.
- You need it on day one. Nothing shipped arrives faster than the flight you are on.
- It is small and light. Under about ten kilos the courier's fixed costs work against you.
- It is irreplaceable and you will not let it out of your sight — documents, jewellery, a single heirloom item.
- It is something a courier cannot accept at all. Aerosols, certain batteries, some liquids and restricted foods can travel in checked baggage where they cannot travel as air cargo.
- You already have unused allowance. Free is free; fill the bags you have paid for before considering anything else.
And when it definitely does not
Anything fragile, awkwardly shaped or genuinely valuable is safer crated and shipped than thrown onto a baggage belt. A musical instrument, a framed painting, glassware or furniture will be handled far more roughly as checked baggage than as a crated consignment — and if it is damaged in the hold, there is effectively no claim worth making.
Splitting the load, and what shipping adds that baggage does not
The best answer for most people moving abroad is not one or the other. It is both, deliberately divided.
Carry the first week — clothes, documents, laptop, anything you cannot function without. Ship everything else. The shipped consignment arrives a few days later at the door of wherever you are actually staying, which is frequently more useful than arriving at the airport with four bags and a taxi that cannot take them.
Students moving for a semester are the clearest case for consolidating rather than carrying, and several sharing one consignment brings the per-person cost down further — we cover that in our guide to Club shipping students save costs guide which explains how the pooling works.
Household loads are the other common case, and kitchen goods in particular are heavier than people expect — our guide to Sending kitchen items home products guide covers what ships and what does not.
Collection is from the door across Tamil Nadu, with most consignments routed through our Send luggage from Chennai and branches in Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Pondicherry and Mayiladuthurai.
- Tracked door-to-door delivery, so it arrives where you are living rather than where you landed.
- Insurance on the declared value, which checked baggage does not meaningfully provide.
- Customs documentation prepared properly, rather than a customs form filled in on a tray table.
- Professional packing, which matters for anything fragile or high-value.
- No weight to move through an airport, onto a train, or up a flight of stairs at the far end.
- The cost falls per kilo as the load grows, so consolidating one large shipment beats several small ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is international courier cheaper than excess baggage from India?
Above roughly ten to fifteen kilos, almost always. Airline excess is charged at a flat rate per kilo that does not improve with volume, while courier and cargo rates fall as weight rises. Below about ten kilos the courier's fixed handling costs work against you and carrying it usually wins — provided you buy the allowance online rather than at the counter.
How much do airlines charge for excess baggage from India?
Broadly USD 10-35 per kilo depending on the carrier and sector, or a flat fee per additional piece. The counter rate is always higher than the pre-paid online rate, so if you have decided to carry it, buy the allowance in advance rather than at the airport.
What is the break-even weight?
Around ten to fifteen kilos for most travellers, though it shifts with urgency and box dimensions. Under ten kilos, carry it. Between ten and twenty, compare the pre-paid airline rate against a courier quote for your actual box size. Over twenty, shipping separately almost always costs less, and over fifty, economy cargo wins comfortably.
Why is my courier quote higher than the weight on my scale?
Because courier charges follow chargeable weight — the higher of actual weight and volumetric weight calculated from the box dimensions. A light, bulky carton can bill well above its scale weight, which is why the comparison against airline excess has to use the chargeable figure rather than the scale figure.
Can I send luggage separately instead of checking it in?
Yes, and for anything over about twenty kilos it is usually both cheaper and more practical. It arrives at the address where you are staying rather than at the airport, it is tracked and insured, and you do not have to move it through an airport or up stairs at the far end.
When is it better to carry it than ship it?
When you need it on day one, when it is under about ten kilos, when it is irreplaceable and you want it with you, when you have unused allowance already paid for, or when it is something a courier cannot legally accept but checked baggage can — certain aerosols, batteries and liquids fall into that last group.
Should I ship fragile or valuable things instead of carrying them?
Almost always ship them, crated. Checked baggage is handled far more roughly than a crated consignment, and there is effectively no meaningful claim for damage to a fragile item in the hold. Instruments, framed art, glassware and furniture all belong in a crate rather than on a baggage belt.
Is it cheaper to combine everything into one shipment?
Yes. Because the per-kilo rate falls as weight rises, one consolidated consignment costs less than several smaller ones sent separately. For students in particular, several people pooling into a single shipment brings the per-person cost down further.
Related shipping guides
More routes and guides not mentioned above.
