Ship Your Personal Effects to Nigeria — Boxes, Barrels, and Everything In Between.

Sending things home shouldn’t be complicated. Whether you are shipping a few boxes to family in Lagos, sending a barrel of food and clothing to your parents in Enugu, moving your household back to Nigeria after years in the UK, or sending a parcel to a child at university in Abuja — Precebol Logistics handles personal effects shipments every week. We know the Nigerian customs process for personal goods, and we make it straightforward from collection to delivery.

Pricing. Sea cargo personal effects start from £18 per cubic foot for LCL shipments. Barrels (45–55 gallon) are priced per barrel — call for current rates. Air freight starts from £35 for packages under 5kg. All pricing is quoted upfront and includes UK export documentation and Nigerian customs clearance. No commercial invoice is required for personal effects — just a contents declaration, which we help you complete.

What counts as personal effects. Personal effects are items intended for personal or household use — not for resale. This includes: clothing and shoes, food items and foodstuffs (dried goods, tinned items, seasonings, grains — subject to restrictions on certain categories), kitchen utensils and cookware, toiletries and cosmetics, children’s toys and baby items, books and educational materials, bedding and soft furnishings, small electronics for personal use (laptops, phones, tablets), and household appliances. Commercial quantities of any item — even if for personal use — may attract duty, so call us if you are unsure about your specific contents.

Barrel shipping to Nigeria. Barrel shipping is one of the most popular methods on the UK-Nigeria route. A standard plastic barrel (45–55 gallon) consolidates food, clothing, toiletries, and household items into a single unit that travels efficiently by sea cargo. Precebol accepts pre-packed barrels for both sea and air freight. We advise on what can and cannot go inside a barrel — certain liquid categories and food items have specific rules at Nigerian customs — and we help you maximise what you can send without creating clearance problems. Sea cargo barrels take 5–6 weeks door-to-door.

Air or sea — which is right for your personal effects? Air freight delivers in 7–10 working days and is right for: time-sensitive items, small packages, documents mixed with goods, items needed before a specific event, or anything that cannot wait 5–6 weeks. Sea cargo is right for: heavy or bulky items, barrels, multiple boxes, furniture, appliances, and anything where speed is secondary to cost. Sea cargo costs significantly less per kilogram than air for the same contents. We advise which option suits your specific shipment when you call.

Nigerian customs for personal effects. Personal effects sent to family for personal use are treated differently from commercial goods by Nigerian customs — they do not require a Form M or commercial invoice. However, items that appear new, are in bulk quantities, or include categories that attract scrutiny (electronics, appliances, alcohol) may be assessed for duty on arrival. Our team advises on declaration best practices to help your shipment clear without unexpected charges. We have handled thousands of personal effects shipments and understand where the pitfalls are.