Buying from a German supplier? We collect, pack for export and ship to your site.
Spare parts, machine components, instruments and trade fair goods from suppliers in northwest Germany. We pack in our own workshop, up to made-to-measure wooden crates, prepare the export documents in-house and ship worldwide, insured if you wish. Your contact in Hannover sends updates before you have to ask.
Fixed rates for regular customers.
After the first quote your rates stay fixed from January to October. November and December are peak season with carrier surcharges, so rates for those months are agreed separately. We agree collection days with your suppliers, you keep one contact for every shipment and receive one invoice per month.
Who uses our export shipping service.
Industries and tasks we handle every day. One contact, several services, less coordination.
Parts & components
Components, assemblies and technical products from German manufacturers, also when it is urgent.
Regular shipments
Finished products, samples and goods from German suppliers to your business.
Agreed processes
Recurring shipments with fixed routines and one fixed contact in Germany.
Storage & fulfilment
Storage, picking, packing and shipping for recurring orders.
Sensitive equipment
Packing for export and shipping of high-value technical equipment.
Typical situations that bring companies to us:
- A plant in Canada urgently needs a spare part from a German manufacturer.
- A buyer abroad needs a crate built for export for a sensitive measuring instrument.
- An exhibitor at a Hannover trade fair needs exhibition goods shipped home.
- A company wants collection, packing and export documents handled in one place in Germany.
Export logistics from Hannover: collection, crating, customs, delivery.
Four services that work together under one roof.
Collection & worldwide delivery
We collect your goods in northwest Germany, from the auction house, the supplier or the seller, and deliver them to your door, worldwide. Express or freight depending on item and destination, tracked the whole way and insured if you wish. For the urgent single shipment as well as for regular orders.
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The whole journey: collection from the seller, auction house or warehouse, handover with a report, transport to our hub, booking the right route and delivery to your door. Your goods change hands once and you get one tracking number.
Express when it has to be fast. Air freight when weight and size call for it. We compare per shipment, not per price list: the item decides the route.
- A clear quote before we start. You know what to expect before we collect anything.
- One contact for the whole journey. The person who writes your quote knows your crate personally.
- Proactive updates. You hear from us where your shipment is before you have to ask.
Custom packing & wooden crates
Every item gets the packing it deserves: from padded special cartons to made-to-measure wooden crates. Built and packed in our own workshop in Hannover, not outsourced. Every package is photo-documented before the journey begins.
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From double-wall cardboard with made-to-measure cushioning to a wooden crate built exactly around your object. Inside, everything is fixed and padded until nothing moves. For export we choose the packing so that customs in the destination country does not stop the crate.
In air freight every centimetre costs money: you pay by volumetric weight. A made-to-measure crate is therefore often cheaper than an oversized standard crate, and it protects better because nothing can shift.
- We pack ourselves, in our own workshop in Hannover.
- Photo documentation as standard. You see the condition and packing before the journey begins.
- Professional packing, documented. In case of damage, professional packing is what counts, and we can prove it.
Customs & export
Export declaration, commercial invoice, customs documents: all from one place. Shipping outside the EU is routine work for us.
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Commercial invoice with a precise description and tariff code, electronic export declaration, export accompanying document: all the paperwork a shipment needs to leave the EU and arrive at its destination without queries.
Most delays in international shipping happen in the paperwork: vague descriptions, wrong tariff codes, missing details. Every customs query costs days. Declared properly, a shipment simply goes through.
- Customs documents are everyday work for us, including exports to demanding destinations outside the EU.
- Paperwork and crate are made in the same place. Whoever packed the goods describes them correctly.
- If customs has a question, the person who made the declaration answers it.
Storage & fulfilment
For companies we store, pick, pack and ship: spare parts, small series and sensitive technical goods. Reliably scheduled and personally managed.
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We store your goods in our hub, pick and pack them and ship directly to your customers, in Europe and worldwide. Your stock is managed digitally: you can see at any time what is in stock and what has gone out.
For companies with a regular flow of goods and no shipping department in Germany: spare parts, small series, trade fair goods, sensitive technical goods. You sell, we store and ship.
- Our own warehouse management system instead of spreadsheets: digital stock records with access for you.
- Short distances in-house: storage, packing and customs under one roof, so export orders never wait for a third party.
- Personal routine: fixed processes, fixed contacts, no hotline.
Four steps. One contact.
Request
Send us the goods, dimensions, weight, supplier address and destination, simply by email.
Quote
You receive an individual quote by email, including packing, documents and transport.
Collection & packing
We collect from your supplier and pack for export in our workshop in Hannover.
Export & delivery
Export documents from our house, tracked shipping to your door, insured if you wish.
Your request in two minutes.
Tell us what goes where. You receive an individual quote by email, usually within one working day. No automatic prices: every shipment is calculated personally.
- What is being shipped, with approximate dimensions and weight
- Pickup location in northwest Germany
- Delivery address: town and country
- Value of the goods, if you would like transport insurance
Northwest Germany is our home turf.
- Hannover is our hub: packing, customs, shipping worldwide.
- Our centres: Celle, Hamburg, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Stuhr, Braunschweig.
- Collection across the whole northwest: from suppliers, auction houses and private addresses.
- Other regions on request.
What professionals know about international shipping.
Answers from daily practice at our packing bench and customs desk.
W·01Volumetric weight: why dimensions decide the price.
Volumetric weight is the billing weight in air shipping: you pay for space in the aircraft, not for kilograms on the scale.
That is why all carriers calculate volumetric weight: length × width × height in centimetres, divided by 5,000. A lamp of 80 × 60 × 60 cm may weigh 4 kg, but its volumetric weight is 57.6 kg, and that higher weight is what you pay for.
Hence the most important saving rule in international shipping: every centimetre of packaging saved is money saved. A made-to-measure crate is therefore often cheaper than an oversized standard crate, even though it costs more to build.
Our quote shows both values: actual and chargeable weight. So you can see what the calculation is based on.
W·02Export from the EU: which documents your shipment needs.
As soon as a shipment leaves the EU, a parcel becomes an export with its own rules.
The basic set consists of three documents: the commercial invoice (or pro forma invoice) with a precise description, value and tariff code, the electronic export declaration with German customs, mandatory from a value of 1,000 euros, and the resulting export accompanying document, which travels with the goods to the EU border.
The most common mistakes we see in other people's shipments:
- Descriptions like "gift" or "parts": customs wants to know exactly what is in the box
- Wrong or missing tariff codes that lead to wrong duties at destination
- Undervalued goods: saves import duty in the short term, costs the insured sum in case of damage
We prepare these documents in-house. Many German auction houses and suppliers also need this proof of export before they refund or waive German VAT for buyers outside the EU.
W·03Customs at destination: who pays what on import?
The basic rule in international shipping: import duties and taxes at destination are paid by the recipient unless agreed otherwise.
This is called delivery DAP (Delivered At Place, duties unpaid): we bring the shipment to your door, and the customs authority in your country settles duties and import taxes directly with you as the recipient. No surprises on our invoice, but you should expect possible charges on arrival.
How much they are depends on the destination country, the type and the value of the goods, and it changes constantly. That is why we do not quote flat rates from a brochure but check your specific shipment: type of goods plus tariff code plus destination gives a reliable answer, everything else is guesswork.
Good to know: antiques and art enjoy reduced rates or exemptions in many countries. We check that before shipping, not after.
Frequently asked questions.
How does shipping from Germany with BFF Logistics work?
BFF Logistics handles the whole journey: you tell us the item, dimensions, pickup location and delivery address. We collect, pack to measure, handle customs and export, and deliver with tracking to your door, worldwide, insured if you wish. Throughout, you have one contact in Hannover.
Can you collect directly from my German supplier?
Yes, within northwest Germany. Our centres in Hannover, Celle, Hamburg, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Stuhr and Braunschweig collect locally, across Lower Saxony we collect ourselves. Collection from other regions is possible in individual cases on request, for a surcharge.
Do you handle the export documents?
Yes. Export declaration, commercial invoice and customs documents are prepared in-house. For shipments leaving the EU, an electronic export declaration is mandatory from a value of 1,000 euros, and we take care of it. Some German suppliers sell ex works and only invoice without German VAT once they have proof of export. You receive the customs exit confirmation (Ausgangsvermerk) from us and pass it to your supplier; any VAT question is settled between you and your supplier.
Who pays import duties in my country?
Usually you as the recipient, unless agreed otherwise (DAP). We check in advance what applies to your goods and destination, so you know what to expect on arrival.
What does shipping cost?
Every shipment is calculated individually, depending on dimensions, weight, packing and destination. Use the shipping request above: you receive an individual quote by email.
Do you also handle regular shipments?
Yes. For businesses we handle regular export shipments, spare parts and sensitive technical goods, including export documents, storage and order fulfilment.
Who are you?
BFF Logistics is the international shipping service of BFF Business Services GmbH (HRB 209217, Amtsgericht Hannover). We run Mail Boxes Etc. centre 0051 at Günther-Wagner-Allee 13-17 in Hannover, which is why our email address ends in @mbe.de.
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Practical answers for companies buying in Hannover and northwest Germany: spare parts, suppliers who do not export, packing, customs, trade fairs, industrial auctions.
Shipping from Germany to
Import duties, VAT, thresholds and transit times for the countries we ship to most, checked October 2026.
One shipment or regular orders?
Tell us what needs shipping, where it is now and where it is going. A photo or a catalogue link helps. You receive a personal quote by email from the person who will handle your shipment.
Thank you, we have your request.
We will reply by email within one working day.
Or message us directly on Telegram:
BFF Logistics is the international shipping service of BFF Business Services GmbH (HRB 209217, Amtsgericht Hannover). We run Mail Boxes Etc. centre 0051 in Hannover, which is why our email address ends in @mbe.de.
Your contact: Michael Leikine, Managing Director. We reply within one working day, in your language: write to us in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese or Arabic.
Günther-Wagner-Allee 13-17, 30177 Hannover, Germany.