Send My Bag is a good way to get a few suitcases or boxes between Australia and Ireland. They collect from your door and deliver to the other end in 2 to 3 working days. It isn’t the cheapest option once the fuel surcharge is added, and on Australia routes you can’t send liquids or anything with a battery. For a whole house, you want a container or a Seven Seas MoveCube instead.
I’ve pointed Irish Around Oz readers to Send My Bag since 2014. Here’s the honest version, priced on its own quote tool on 3 November 2026.
Short version
- Good for: a few bags or boxes, moving home or coming out.
- Australia to Ireland: from AUD 234 for up to 15 kg, but a fuel surcharge added 46% to 52% for a full bag. A full 20 kg box came to AUD 402.34.
- Speed: 2 to 3 working days door to door. Ireland to Australia takes 3 to 6 working days.
- Banned on Australia routes: all liquids, pastes and gels, aerosols, food, medicines and anything with a battery.
- Extra: a EUR 20 customs clearance fee in Ireland, paid to the courier.
- Not for: a whole house. See our container shipping guide or Seven Seas Worldwide.
We earn a small commission if you book through our link, at no extra cost to you. Sign up through it and Send My Bag gives you 5% off your first order.
Who Send My Bag is good for, and who it isn’t
Good fit: you’re moving home with more bags than your flight allows, or coming out on a working holiday and want your winter coat and work boots to follow you. You need it there in days, not months, and you’d rather not haul boxes to the post office.
Look elsewhere: for furniture or a whole house, use a container or a Seven Seas MoveCube. For one box under 20 kg that can wait months, Australia Post Economy Sea is cheaper. And if it’s mostly electronics or toiletries, none of it can go.
How Send My Bag works
- Quote: pick your route, then enter each item’s size and weight. The real price, surcharge included, shows before you sign up.
- Book a collection day: any working day. Send My Bag recommends at least 48 hours’ notice for collections outside the EU.
- Customs paperwork: fill in the packing list and personal effects form in your account. Your labels unlock once that’s done.
- Labels: print them, one outside and a copy inside. No printer? Book a week ahead and they’ll post them for a fee. Free label holders can be added at checkout.
- Collection: between 9am and 6pm, no set time. A neighbour can hand it over, but it must be at the main entrance or ground floor. From Australia, drivers may ask you to open the bag for a security check.
- Tracking and delivery: follow it in your account or the app. Anyone at the address can sign for it.
What you can send, and the size rules
Suitcases, rucksacks, duffles, holdalls, sturdy double-walled boxes and freight-approved hard cases. No single-walled boxes, plastic boxes or plastic bags. Send My Bag only lists its boxes for Ireland, the UK and some European countries, so buy double-walled boxes here.
- Weight: priced per item, in bands up to 15, 20, 25 and 30 kg. Above 30 kg, each extra 5 kg is AUD 63.50 from Australia to Ireland, before the surcharge, up to 70 kg per item.
- Size: each band has a volume limit: 75,000 cm³ for 15 kg, 100,000 for 20 kg, 125,000 for 25 kg, 150,000 for 30 kg.
- Golf clubs: a golf bag under 118 cm is priced like a suitcase. Over 117 cm adds a handling fee (AUD 111.50 from Australia to Ireland). Cover only applies in a freight-approved hard case.
- Bikes: yes, in a bike case or sturdy bike box, never a soft bag. It’s dear: a 140 x 80 x 25 cm box weighing 18 kg came to AUD 1,261.75 with fees and surcharge.
Watch the volume. You’re charged on the real weight or the volumetric weight (length x width x height in cm, divided by 5,000), whichever is bigger. A 60 x 60 x 50 cm box with 25 kg in it counts as 36 kg, so it cost AUD 495 before the surcharge. The same 25 kg in a 60 x 50 x 40 cm box was AUD 319.
Send My Bag prices: Australia to Ireland
Express only, 2 to 3 working days. Prices per item on 3 November 2026, with the total including the “Fuel and ESS Surcharge” for a bag at the full weight. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth postcodes all gave the same price.
| Bag or box up to | Price (total with surcharge) |
|---|---|
| 15 kg | AUD 234 (AUD 342.39) |
| 20 kg | AUD 269 (AUD 402.34) |
| 25 kg | AUD 319 (AUD 481.19) |
| 30 kg | AUD 368 (AUD 558.78) |
Add the EUR 20 clearance fee in Ireland. Prices are before the 5% discount and can change, so check your own quote.
Ireland to Australia
Standard takes 5 to 6 working days, two bags or boxes per order (you can place more than one order). Express takes 3 to 4. The surcharge on this route was 26%.
| Bag or box up to | Total with surcharge |
|---|---|
| 15 kg | Standard AUD 239.40, Express AUD 294.84 |
| 20 kg | Standard AUD 287.28, Express AUD 338.94 |
| 25 kg | Standard AUD 335.16, Express AUD 401.94 |
| 30 kg | Standard AUD 383.04, Express AUD 463.68 |
What’s banned on Australia routes
Every shipment is x-rayed. A bag with a banned item is sent back (or in some countries seized) with no refund, plus a GBP 25 fee before it can be collected again. To or from Australia, Send My Bag bans:
- Any device with any battery: phones, laptops, tablets, cameras, even toys with AAs. Something that just takes batteries, like a toy, can go with them taken out. Power banks are out too.
- All liquids, pastes and gels, toothpaste, shampoo and perfume included, and all aerosols.
- Food and drink, including chocolate, protein powder and alcohol.
- Medicines, knives, tobacco and vapes, AirTags, cash, passports and jewellery.
- Into Australia: untreated wood. Into Ireland: single-use plastics such as polystyrene cups.
Low-value electricals without batteries, glass and porcelain can go, at your own risk and with no cover.
Cover and claims
Free cover is included, with paid upgrades at checkout. Send My Bag publishes euro levels (EUR 150 included, up to EUR 1,750 for EUR 28); Australian dollar levels show when you book. The catches: no single item counts for more than GBP 250 in a claim, electricals, glass and delays aren’t covered, and damage must be reported in writing within 7 days of delivery. Without receipts or bank statements, payouts are capped at 50%. Send My Bag itself says to have travel or home insurance in place, so check our travel insurance guide.
Customs at each end
Sending to Ireland
- EUR 20 fee: the courier bills it to whoever receives the bag, for clearing personal effects. Send My Bag doesn’t cover it.
- Moving home: used belongings come in free of duty and VAT under Revenue’s Transfer of Residence relief if you’ve lived outside the EU for 12 months, owned and used the goods for six months, and import them from six months before to 12 months after you move. Send My Bag supplies the form and asks for your passport, flight ticket home, and proof of work and housing abroad and in Ireland. More in our moving back to Ireland guide.
- Gifts: worth EUR 45 or less come in duty free under Revenue’s gift relief. Above that, VAT is charged.
- Packing list: be specific: “5 x cotton dresses”, not “10 x used clothing”.
Sending to Australia
- B534: bags travelling without you are cleared on the B534 Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement, which Send My Bag provides. You’ll need your flight number, arrival port and date. Personal effects come in free of duty and GST if you’re 18 or over and have owned and used them for 12 months.
- Declared value: put the second-hand value, not the replacement cost. Send My Bag says a suitcase of used clothes is likely under AUD 200, and over AUD 1,000 may bring a clearance fee of about AUD 100.
- Biosecurity: about 20 in every 1,000 Send My Bag shipments are pulled for quarantine: up to 10 working days’ hold and a fee of about AUD 120. Clean boots and sports gear, and say what things are made of. The Department of Agriculture warns that not declaring risk items on the B534 can lead to prosecution.
Our guide to shipping from Australia to Ireland has more on customs, post and sea freight.
Send My Bag vs excess baggage vs Australia Post
| Option | Best for |
|---|---|
| Send My Bag | A few bags or boxes up to 30 kg each, door to door in days |
| Airline excess baggage | A kilo or two at most: USD 50 a kilo at the Emirates desk, USD 60 at Qatar Airways |
| Australia Post Economy Sea | One box up to 20 kg that can take two to three months |
| Australia Post Standard (air) | One box up to 20 kg in 7 to 12 business days |
| Seven Seas MoveCube | A room or flat’s worth, by sea in about 141 days |
| Shipping container | A whole house |
For one 20 kg box it’s close. On 29 October 2026, Australia Post charged AUD 275 by sea and AUD 399.45 by air. Send My Bag’s AUD 402.34 plus EUR 20 buys door collection and a faster trip. Over 20 kg, or longer than 105 cm, Australia Post can’t take it as one parcel. An extra 20 kg on Emirates is USD 1,000 at the airport.
Tips to save money and hassle
- Weigh and measure at home, wheels and handles included. Extra weight or size found later is charged at 150% of your rate.
- One full bag beats two half ones: a 30 kg bag was AUD 558.78 all in, two 15 kg bags AUD 684.78. Check the handles can take it.
- Heavy things in small boxes. Skip vacuum bags: Send My Bag won’t pay out on them.
- Book ahead: at least 48 hours, or a week if you want labels posted.
- Carry-on: phone, laptop, chargers, medicines, documents, jewellery and anything with a battery.
- Wrap suitcases, tape the pull handle down, and use a cable tie, not a lock.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Door to door in 2 to 3 working days
- Up to 30 kg per item at standard rates
- Exact price, surcharge included, before you pay
- Same price across the big Australian cities
- Tracking app and customs forms provided
- Rated 4.7 out of 5 from 113,528 reviews on its site
Cons
- The surcharge adds about half again from Australia
- EUR 20 clearance fee in Ireland
- No liquids or battery devices to or from Australia
- Big, light boxes are charged by volume
- Limited free cover, no set collection time
Is Send My Bag worth it?
For a few bags you need in Ireland within the week, yes. It beats airline excess baggage easily and is about level with Australia Post air at 20 kg, while taking heavier bags. Price it with the surcharge, budget for the EUR 20 fee, and leave the toiletries and gadgets out. Moving more? See our leaving Australia checklist.
Packing up? Ask in your local Irish group. Someone’s always offloading boxes, a luggage scale or a spare suitcase.
FAQ
Is Send My Bag legit?
Yes. Our readers have used it since 2014, its site shows 4.7 out of 5 from 113,528 reviews, and I once sent a bag home from Nicaragua with them and it turned up.
How much does Send My Bag cost from Australia to Ireland?
AUD 234 to AUD 368 per item before the surcharge. With it, a full bag was AUD 342.39 to AUD 558.78 on 3 November 2026, plus EUR 20 in Ireland.
How long does Send My Bag take from Australia to Ireland?
2 to 3 working days. Ireland to Australia is 3 to 4 (Express) or 5 to 6 (Standard), longer if quarantine holds it.
Can I send my laptop or phone?
Not to or from Australia. Anything with a battery is banned, so carry it.
Can I send toiletries?
No. All liquids, pastes, gels and aerosols are banned on these routes.
Is there a fuel surcharge?
Yes, shown once you enter size and weight. From Australia it was AUD 108.39 on a 15 kg bag to AUD 190.78 on 30 kg.
Will I pay customs in Ireland?
The courier’s EUR 20 fee, yes. If you qualify for Transfer of Residence relief there’s no duty or VAT on your used belongings.
Is Send My Bag cheaper than excess baggage?
By a mile. An extra 20 kg is USD 1,000 at the Emirates desk; Send My Bag’s 20 kg total was AUD 402.34.
Safe travels, whichever way you’re going.
Stephen Palmer
