Collection
What does collection mean in parcel shipping? Collection refers to the handover of parcels by the driver at the starting point of the shipment. This may, for example, be a company site or warehouse. Collection therefore marks the transition between preparing the consignment and its transport to the recipient.
Collection for business customers and Parcel Shops
Business customers make their parcels available for handover at the agreed collection point. The GLS driver takes over the consignments and transfers them to onward transport. This makes it possible to integrate parcel handover into operational shipping processes. You can manage effective collection administration in the GLS customer portal.
For Parcel Shop operators, collection is also part of the process: the parcels handed in for shipping at the GLS Parcel Shop are collected by the driver. This means that consignments sent by private customers via the Parcel Shop also enter the GLS transport network.
Collection exclusively for business customers The collection of shipping parcels from your own address by the GLS driver is intended exclusively for business customers. Private customers cannot book this service with GLS. For private shipping, parcels can be handed in at a GLS Parcel Shop.
In the private customer area, however, parcel collection refers to collecting a parcel that has already been delivered to a GLS Parcel Shop. Recipients can collect their parcel themselves or give another person written authorisation to collect it. We refer to this as a power of attorney for parcel collection. This allows the authorised person to collect the parcel on behalf of the recipient. To do so, they must present the power of attorney and a valid form of ID.
Arrange GLS parcel collection
If you are a business customer and would like to arrange a GLS parcel collection, you can manage this via the GLS customer portal. Under the "Collections" tab, you can manage collections for your shipping and keep track of the relevant information. This means that organising parcel handover is integrated directly into your digital shipping management.
Prepare your parcels for handover: Pack the goods securely, attach the required shipping labels and have the consignments ready at the agreed collection point.
Collection as part of GLS business customer benefits
Collection helps companies organise their parcel shipping on site. Instead of taking every consignment to a drop-off point yourself, you hand over your parcels to the driver at the agreed location. This makes shipping handling easier, especially when several parcels are sent regularly.
Collections can be managed via the GLS customer portal together with other shipping information. This gives you a central overview of your parcel handovers and shipping status and allows you to coordinate the preparation of your consignments with your operational processes.
Become a GLS business customer
Would you like to integrate collection into your company shipping? Find out about GLS business customer services and agree the right shipping solution with GLS. As a business customer, you can manage your collections via the customer portal and hand over your parcels at the agreed collection point.
