FAQs · Honest Answers
Your Shipping Questions Answered
The questions UK-Nigeria customers actually ask before booking — port holds, hidden fees, lost cargo, vehicle restrictions, exchange rates. Direct answers, no fluff, written by people who run this corridor every week.
UK-Nigeria shipping has a reputation for surprises — lost cargo, hidden fees, ships sitting at port for weeks, vehicles refused entry, "extra clearance fees" appearing out of nowhere. Most of these problems are caused by under-resourced operators making promises they cannot keep, or by under-declared shipments hitting Nigerian Customs harder than the customer expected.
Below are the practical questions people ask before booking — what it costs, how collection works, how long it takes — followed by the eight concerns we hear most often. Where there is a real risk, we say so. Where there is a workaround, we explain it. Where another Precebol page covers the topic in depth, we link directly to it. If you have a question not answered here, message us on WhatsApp +44 7772 584753 and we will answer in writing.
FAQ
Prices, Collection & Delivery
A 45–55 gallon barrel is £120 if you supply your own barrel, or £170 if we supply it (£120 shipping plus £50 for the barrel). That is door to door to any of the 36 states, with Nigerian customs clearance included. A Ghana Must Go bag is £70, an Amazon bag is £80, and a size-38 box is £100 if you supply the box. Everything is quoted in pounds sterling and there is nothing further to pay when it arrives.
Yes. Our drivers run regional collection rounds across the UK at least twice a week, and three times a week in most regions, so you are never waiting long. Collection is free within 20 miles of our Camberwell office; beyond that a collection charge applies, and joining a scheduled round is cheaper than a dedicated call-out. Call 07946 272819 and we will tell you when we are next in your area.
Yes, and it is the cheapest option. Drop off at 52 Camberwell Church Street, London SE5 8QZ and you pay no collection fee at all. We are open Monday to Friday 9:30am–6:30pm and Saturday 11:00am–5:30pm. For small air parcels between 10kg and 30kg, dropping off is usually the best value route.
Air freight is 7–10 working days door to door. Sea cargo is 5–6 weeks door to door. Sea is roughly 60–70% cheaper per kilogram, so it is worth the wait for anything heavy or bulky. Both include Nigerian customs clearance and delivery to the recipient’s address in any of the 36 states.
Card, cash or bank transfer. You can pay by card or cash when you drop off at our Camberwell office, or by bank transfer if that suits you better — just ask for the account details when you book. All prices are quoted and charged in pounds sterling.
No. Our quotes are all-in and in pounds sterling — collection, freight, Nigerian customs clearance and door delivery. Nothing is added at the Nigerian end, and we will never contact your recipient asking for extra fees. Our full price list is published openly on our shipping rates page so you can check the figures before you book. The exception is vehicles, where Nigerian import duty is assessed separately by Customs on arrival — we estimate that in writing at quotation.
Yes. Vehicle shipping by RoRo starts from £800 for a standard saloon to Lagos, with pickups from £900, SUVs from £950 and vans from £1,100. That covers the shipping itself. Nigerian import duty is charged separately by Customs on arrival, and cars must be no more than 12 years old from their year of manufacture. Our Nigeria vehicle import duty guide sets out the current 2026 charges in full, including the levy cut that took effect on 1 July 2026 and the new Green Tax on larger engines.
For anything from 10kg up, air freight is £5.80 per kilogram plus a £20 handling fee, with a 10kg minimum — so 10kg costs £78 and 30kg costs £194. Above 100kg the handling fee is waived. If you can drop off at our Camberwell office rather than booking a collection, that keeps it cheapest. For heavier or bulkier items, sea cargo in a bag or barrel works out far less per kilogram.
FAQ
Common Concerns
Every Precebol shipment includes goods-in-transit insurance as standard — your cargo is covered from UK collection until door delivery in Nigeria. If anything is lost or damaged during transit, we open a claim immediately, document the loss, and process compensation under the standard insured value. We have paid claims before; we know the process works. The insured value is declared at booking; for high-value shipments, additional cover can be added on request.
You receive milestone updates by SMS, WhatsApp or email at each major stage — collection, hub receipt, departure, Nigerian arrival, customs cleared, out for delivery. You can also message us at any time on WhatsApp +44 7772 584753 with your booking reference and we will pull up the current status within 2 hours during business hours. For sea cargo, once we share the vessel name you can self-track the ship live on MarineTraffic.com or VesselFinder.com. See our full guide on how to track a UK–Nigeria shipment.
Yes — this is the most common scam pattern in the UK-Nigeria corridor. Fly-by-night shippers quote a low UK-side price and then ask your recipient for "extra clearance fees" of two to three times the original quote to release cargo at the port. Money the original shipper never intended to pay. Our Pricing Promise is the opposite: every Precebol quote is in GBP, all-inclusive of UK collection, freight, Nigerian customs clearance, and door delivery. We will never call your recipient asking for extras. Read our guide on how to spot a trusted cargo company before you book with anyone.
Customs holds happen — usually because of a documentation issue (missing Form M, wrong HS code, undeclared item), a random examination selection, or seasonal congestion at the port. When it happens to a Precebol shipment, our Lagos office and licensed clearing agents work directly with NCS examiners to resolve the issue. You are kept informed throughout; we do not surprise you with sudden fee requests. Most holds clear within 3–7 days. The way to avoid them is honest declaration, correct HS codes, and Form M readiness — all of which we manage on your behalf.
Three big ones. First: Nigeria only permits left-hand drive vehicles for road registration. UK vehicles are right-hand drive — they cannot be legally registered in Nigeria. If you are buying a vehicle to export, it must be LHD. Second: vehicles must be 12 years old or newer (for 2026 imports, that means manufactured 2014 or later). Older vehicles attract prohibitive duties or are refused entry. Third: SONCAP certification applies to certain vehicle imports. We flag all three at quotation. See our automobile shipment service page and the Nigeria vehicle import duty guide for the full breakdown.
If our driver cannot make your booked collection slot — weather, traffic, vehicle issue — we contact you the same day to reschedule, usually within 24–48 hours. We do not charge for a re-booking caused by us. If you need to reschedule, message us at least 24 hours before your slot and we'll move you to the next available date. Our pickup network covers every UK city and town; collection availability is rarely the bottleneck.
Your Precebol quote is in GBP and is locked at booking. Exchange rate movement between booking and shipment does not change what you pay. We absorb that risk on the UK side. The only Naira-denominated charge in any UK→Nigeria shipment is the Nigerian Customs duty on commercial goods or vehicles — and that is paid by you (or by us on your behalf) to the Nigerian Customs Service at the prevailing rate on the day of clearance. We estimate it upfront in writing so you can budget. Read our pricing promise for the full breakdown.
Strictly prohibited items are seized and destroyed regardless of intent: fresh meat and fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh dairy and eggs, plant material and seeds, certain processed meats, used pneumatic tyres, used air conditioners, weapons and counterfeit goods. Restricted items (textiles in commercial quantities, certain electronics, alcohol) require correct documentation or NAFDAC/SONCAP certification. We tell you straight at booking what cannot go and what needs paperwork. See our complete prohibited items guide for the full list and current Nigerian Customs prohibition updates.
More Detailed Reading
🛡️
How to Find a Trusted Cargo Company
7 red flags + 5 verification questions before you pay any UK-Nigeria shipper.
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How to Track a Shipment to Nigeria
What tracking really means for consolidated freight, milestones to expect, and how to get an honest update.
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Prohibited Items List
Complete current list of what Nigerian Customs will refuse or destroy.
Question Not Answered?
WhatsApp our team. We answer in writing within 2 hours on business days. No question is too basic.