Same-day, next-day and international couriers since 2001
Rapid Despatch Logistics Ltd's original branch and registered office, at Unit 2, 424 Portswood Road since 2001. One of four branches in Hampshire and Berkshire, covering Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey, with dedicated same-day vehicles, next-day and timed services, international courier and freight, pallets, specialist movements, and storage and fulfilment on site.
We aim to collect within the hour across Southampton, sometimes in as little as 30 minutes, and never more than 90. That is a window rather than a guarantee: it depends on the postcode, the traffic, site access and the vehicle. Port and terminal jobs work to the cut-off you give us.
On a same-day job we assign a dedicated vehicle and send it straight from the collection address to the delivery point. The consignment doesn't pass through a sorting hub or change vans en route. Our operations team monitors the movement and records proof of delivery when the recipient accepts the goods.
We cover Southampton city centre, Portswood, the port and the commercial areas around them, plus Eastleigh, Romsey, Fareham, Hedge End, Chandler's Ford, Nursling and the wider south Hampshire area. We aim to collect within the hour, sometimes in as little as 30 minutes and never more than 90, though how fast we actually reach you depends on the postcode, traffic, site access and the vehicle.
Southampton packs a major port, airport connections, two universities, large hospitals, city-centre retail, industrial estates and a big professional-services economy into a fairly small area.
The delivery requirements that come out of that are wildly different from each other.
A ship's spare needed before a departure, a document for a solicitor, a component for an engineering business and a box of retail stock are not the same parcel with different labels on.
Tell us the contents, dimensions, weight, ready time, both addresses, the latest acceptable arrival and any loading or security conditions. Then the controller can build the service around the actual risk and the actual deadline.
Use same-day when the consignment needs direct handling, or when waiting until tomorrow creates a real problem. We carry urgent parts, documents, equipment, samples, exhibition material, pallets and larger loads. Dedicated transport limits the transfers and gives us one clear line of accountability. What it doesn't do is remove traffic, port congestion, ferry timetables, security checks or site restrictions.
See how same-day delivery works
Standard next working day, pre-noon, 10.30am and selected weekend options for well-packed goods that can travel through a hub network. Tell us if the delivery must meet a vessel, an installation, a clinic, an event or an engineer. The date alone doesn't express the operational deadline.
View next-day courier options
Southampton is an international gateway, but a courier consignment doesn't automatically travel through the local port. The right route may be express air, European road, air freight or sea freight. Goods typically need an accurate description, commodity code, quantity, value, country of origin and reason for export.
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Small vans through larger Transit and Sprinter-type vehicles, Luton and tail-lift options and larger vehicles up to about 18 tonnes on request. Port, industrial and city-centre sites often have vehicle booking systems, height or weight restrictions, security gates and very little waiting space. A tail lift or pallet truck has to be requested in advance.
Read about pallet and freight services
Storage, pick and pack, stock handling, point-of-sale projects, kitting, returns and onward distribution, combined with same-day, next-day and international courier services. Storage cover is £500 per tonne, and higher cover can usually be arranged in advance. Send product dimensions, stock profile, order volumes, sales channels, packaging requirements, despatch cut-offs, returns needs and seasonal peaks, and we can scope it properly.
Learn about storage and fulfilmentThis is exactly the sort of thing to include with a booking. A shop name and a postcode identify the building, not the correct service road or the approved loading position. Ask the recipient for their delivery-area code, the permitted time, the entrance and a contact number. If the site sits in a pedestrianised or controlled area, check whether access permission is needed.
The city-centre ring road, Above Bar, Westquay, the Cultural Quarter, Central Station and Town Quay each create their own final-mile conditions. A driver can be fifty metres from your door and legally unable to stop at it. One line about the service yard saves the phone calls, the waiting and the failed first approach. Restrictions and construction arrangements change, so use Southampton City Council's current commercial-deliveries information, not a map somebody saved two years ago.
Don't book a job as "ship spares" without saying what's actually in it. Batteries, chemicals, pressurised items and other restricted contents may need special declarations or may be unsuitable for the service you've asked for. The controller needs to know before we accept it, not when the driver gets to the gate.
Cruise-related deliveries are usually time critical, and passenger terminals have security and operational rules of their own. The recipient or the ship's agent should confirm where commercial deliveries are accepted. The A33 is the main approach to the port and waterfront, the M271 links the western side of the city with the M27, and the M3 runs north. All three carry heavy commuter and freight demand, so state a port cut-off as a firm deadline at quotation.
Southampton Airport sits near the M27 and M3 interchange, by Southampton Airport Parkway. A delivery to an airline, a maintenance provider or an airport tenant needs a specific landside address, unit, contact and security instruction. "Southampton Airport" is not a delivery point.
The University of Southampton has multiple campuses and buildings, including Highfield and the National Oceanography Centre down at the waterfront. Give us the campus, building, department, room or stores point, and someone who can actually take receipt. Hospital sites need the correct department and the approved delivery route. And please don't use a patient's name in place of a department contact.
Commercial collections also come from Nursling and the M271, Millbrook, Northam, Woolston, the Itchen corridor, Hedge End and Segensworth. Estate names, unit numbers and gate details matter because one postcode can cover several entrances.
We cover Eastleigh, Chandler's Ford, Hedge End, Botley, Romsey, Totton, Nursling, Fareham and other nearby areas from this branch. They're service locations, not separate offices. The nearest available driver changes through the day, so we quote against the full postcode and what's actually happening at the time.
For onward delivery to Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Winchester, London or anywhere else in Britain, we plan the direct movement from your actual collection point. Ferries and islands need separate confirmation, because the schedule and the carrier's rules decide what's achievable.
Goods in transit insurance is provided. On a dedicated vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes anywhere in the UK, account holders are covered to a maximum of £25,000. On other services, liability is limited to the value of the goods, the cost of repairing them, or £1,000 per tonne on gross weight, whichever is lowest. Cover applies in the UK and Europe and does not extend to consequential loss. Higher cover can usually be arranged before collection at an additional charge, so declare the value when you book rather than afterwards.
“Smooth and seamless. Highly recommend!”
“Friendly helpful staff, excellent service, have and would recommend.”
“We have been using Rapid Despatch for many years now, the service we receive is second to none. Always pleasant on the phone, with vans readily available. I would definitely recommend using Rapid. Simon Gregory Regional Sales Manager CMS PLC Cable Management Supplies”
Yes. It is our original branch, open since 2001, at Unit 2, 424 Portswood Road, SO17 3SD, and it is also the company's registered office. The direct line is 023 8055 3322.
We aim to collect within the hour, sometimes in as little as 30 minutes, and never more than 90. It depends on the address, the traffic, site access and the vehicle required. Ring the branch for the current position before you commit to your recipient.
That depends on what you are moving. Rapid Despatch has run its Southampton branch on Portswood Road since 2001, is rated 4.6 on Google from 18 reviews, and sends a dedicated vehicle straight from your collection address rather than routing the consignment through a parcel hub. For port, cruise-terminal and waterfront work we already hold the terminal, agent and clearance detail that decides whether a delivery lands. If your job is a single small parcel with no deadline, a network service will be cheaper, and we will tell you so.
Yes, for acceptable goods and where we have the terminal, agent, security and handover details. The port or the operator controls access, so send us their instructions before the driver arrives.
Yes, along with other south Hampshire locations. Use the exact postcode and the access details for an accurate collection estimate.
Yes, as onward destinations from Southampton rather than from a local branch. We plan the run direct from your collection point, and our Bournemouth page covers what that means in practice.
Yes. We can scope storage, pick and pack and distribution alongside same-day, next-day and international services, built around your stock and order profile.
The urgent same-day phone line runs 24/7. Vehicle availability, price and the achievable delivery time get confirmed for the individual job. Same-day work is not tracked online; ring the branch and the controller has the driver's position. Every consignment carries a unique docket number.
Send the dimensions, weight, packaging and loading arrangements and we'll recommend one, including whether you need a tail lift, a pallet truck or something larger.
It comes down to the collection and delivery locations, the vehicle, the timing and the access. A port or terminal delivery with booking slots and security prices differently from a straight city run. Same-day work is priced per job on distance, vehicle and timing; account customers are quoted against agreed rates. You get a fixed price before you commit, and we do not add anything to it afterwards. To see how a quote is built, read our guide to same-day courier pricing.
For urgent same-day work, call the branch on 023 8055 3322, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00. Out of hours, existing customers can call 0345 8333 833, answered 24 hours a day. For planned courier, freight, international or fulfilment requirements, use the quote form and include the access, terminal and deadline information. We'll answer the job you've actually got.
