ShipLowCost.com

ShipLowCost.com is a shipping portal for people who buy things online and need them in Malta, or who want to send parcels out of the islands. Many UK and European shops will not deliver to Malta, or charge heavily when they do. The service solves this by giving you a hub address in a European country, so you can order from the shop as if you lived there and let ShipLowCost carry the goods on by trailer and ferry.

The Malta side is run from the Hal Far Groupage Complex in Birżebbuġa, on the south-east coast. On VisitMalta.co.uk the service sits in the courier services directory for Malta. It is aimed at private shoppers and business users alike, and quotes can be requested at any time of day.

Who is behind the service

ShipLowCost is part of Express Group, an international transport organisation headquartered in Malta whose history goes back to the 1950s. The group is involved in almost every stage of the logistics chain, and ShipLowCost is its newest product, designed for the online shopper.

The idea was to give individuals and companies a portal that quotes a freight price on demand and guides them through the booking. Door-to-door collection from a supplier and vehicle transport are not part of this product, and customers who want those are directed to the group's trailer arm, Express Trailers.

Shipping to Malta from the UK and Europe

Hubs operate in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Sicily, Spain, the Netherlands and Austria. After you register, your profile shows your hub address and a personal ShipLowCost ID. That ID must appear on every parcel, because it is how the hub staff recognise your goods and match them to your booking. You then give the hub address to the seller, get a quote on the website using the packed dimensions and weight, and pay online by card.

If you cannot get the size and weight from the seller, a measure-my-parcel option lets you book anyway. The goods are measured on arrival in Malta and any extra cost is billed afterwards. Each delivery from a different supplier needs its own booking, because the service does not combine separate consignments. Orders from Amazon are accepted, with a booking for each tracking number.

UK shoppers should note a recent change. Because of a hub relocation, from 28 September 2026 goods for the UK hub go to Twinwheel Logistics Ltd at The Cargo Centre, 726 London Road, Grays, Essex RM20 3LH. Since the UK left the EU, UK parcels need export clearance in Britain and import clearance in Malta, so a supplier's invoice is essential at booking. For consignments worth more than GBP 900 the invoice should show EORI numbers, a description of the goods, the HS code and the country of origin. Under that figure it needs VAT or EORI details, a description and the seller's address. Our guide to Malta tax for UK nationals gives wider background on how VAT and duty work for UK residents on the island.

Transit times and delivery

Trailers from the UK leave every Wednesday and reach Malta the following Tuesday, with customs clearance starting on arrival. Trailers from Austria, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Spain leave on Thursday and Italian trailers on Friday, all arriving the following Tuesday. Sicily loads on Wednesdays and Saturdays, arriving the next day and on Monday respectively. These are targets, and unforeseen circumstances can change them. Local deliveries happen in the week of arrival, and the tracking status changes to In Delivery on the day. If you miss the driver, a note is left and a second attempt follows that week.

Delivery to the kerbside is free unless a package exceeds 300kg or 1 cubic metre, in which case a local charge applies and is shown before you pay. Items are limited to 3.5 metres in length, 2.4 metres in width, 2.7 metres in height and 1,500kg on the website, and larger consignments can be discussed with customer care. Basic cover is limited to €50 for loss or damage unless you buy insurance at booking. Because the service is run from the south of the island, you might combine a day exploring with our best beaches in Malta guide or the Blue Grotto in the same area.

Exporting from Malta and packing advice

Export works in reverse. You pick Malta as the starting country, add the destination and postcode, enter the packed sizes and weights (or upload a spreadsheet for mixed loads), and choose collection or drop-off. Collection is from the kerbside, and the service sends goods to any country. Label printing by the team costs €2.00, otherwise you print your own. Standard and Economy parcels must be ready by 10am on Friday for the same trailer, while expedited consignments depart daily if received by 1pm.

Rules apply: export orders of more than seven items must go on a pallet, luggage and sports bags must be boxed, and personal effects need pallets. Unpacked parcels, boats, motor vehicles, farm machinery and goods that cannot be palletised are not accepted, and neither are dangerous goods under ADR. A packaging shop on the website sells boxes, bubble wrap, pallets and shrink-wrap. For people planning a move abroad or back, our relocation guide for Malta is a helpful companion, and independent workers will find our digital nomad guide relevant for shipping equipment.

Business users and restrictions

Business customers can add an export certificate for €9.50 as proof that goods leave a hub for Malta, and can tick a business-user box at checkout. Companies setting up on the island often need a partner for the paperwork, and our featured partner CLA Malta covers company and tax matters. Restricted items include valuables, firearms, live animals and alcohol, tobacco and fuel from the UK hub. Goods worth more than €10,000 should be reported to customer care before shipping.

Customs duties on parcels from outside the EU are the customer's to pay, and the service is clear that its own prices can be shown with and without VAT. If you want to know more about the island before you ship, our introduction to Malta and our Valletta guide are good places to start.

Practical tips before you book

Hubs refuse parcels that are unmarked, incomplete or damaged. If you expect two boxes, each one must be marked as one of two and two of two, and every box needs your name or ShipLowCost ID. A parcel that arrives without a name is normally refused, and if it is accepted it waits in storage at €2.80 per package per week or €6.95 per pallet per week until proof of delivery identifies the owner.

You can change your delivery address before the goods reach Malta by updating your profile and telling customer care. A full refund applies only if you cancel before the parcel reaches an overseas hub, and not once the shipment has left. For eBay purchases the booking needs the seller's invoice and address, with VAT or EORI details if the seller is a company.

VAT is payable when goods arrive in Malta unless an exemption applies, so ask a UK seller to remove UK VAT on an export sale and keep the customs paperwork to show it left Britain. Certain categories, including drinks, cosmetics, tiles and tobacco, are also subject to excise tax on arrival. Treat these points as background, and check duty and tax with the Maltese customs authorities for your own case.

Getting in touch

The trailer operations and warehouse are at the Hal Far Groupage Complex in Birżebbuġa. At the time of writing the Malta hub is closed to collections and drop-offs, so you book online and track from your profile. Delivery windows at the overseas hubs run Monday to Friday.

If you have a question about a parcel, a restricted item or an unusual shipment, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to ShipLowCost.com, who will reply to you directly.