News overview

Tips for parcel shipping

Parcel senders can help to protect the health of all concerned as well as possible even during the coronavirus pandemic.

As most shops have closed during the crisis, many items are only available online. Both the sender and the recipient therefore raise the question of whether parcels can be infected with the coronavirus. The World Health Organization (WHO) gives the all clear in this regard: transmission is by droplet infection from person to person. According to the WHO, other transmission routes are very unlikely.

Nevertheless, online shops can do a lot to make parcel shipping as low-risk as possible: Commercial senders can help by informing their customers about contactless delivery: At present, the recipient can issue a signature release authorisation for parcels sent with GLS (in writing and in advance) or - via the FlexDeliveryService or the notification card - simply online for individual parcels. The parcels are then deposited contactless in a previously determined, secure location, such as the stairwell or garden. If shops offer the ShopDeliveryService, recipients can send the parcels also directly to a Cubee ParcelLocker for contactless delivery.

The closure of many businesses means that the support of the sender is also necessary for B2B shipments. Senders should ensure as proactively as possible that the locations of delivery are open and parcels can be accepted.

Additionally, companies and shops can post a notice on the entrance door indicating where parcels can be delivered.

Signature release authorisation

GLS recommends contactless delivery

For the best possible protection of the recipients’ and delivery drivers’ health, GLS recommends contactless delivery.

In order to avoid a direct physical encounter with the delivery driver, parcel recipients can give GLS a written permission for contactless delivery – the so-called signature release authorisation.
The driver leaves the parcel at a location that is precisely defined by the recipient and accessible to him.
The release authorisation can be downloaded here .
Recipients can chose between a one-off or a general signature release authorisation.

In addition, recipients can also issue permission for contactless delivery for individual parcels online via the FlexDeliveryService or via redirection after they have received the notification card. Simply enter the package number or Track ID, select delivery options and specify a location in the appropriate box.

If there is no release authorisation and the recipient doesn’t want to sign off, the delivery driver exceptionally documents with his own signature – and the full name of the addressee – that the recipient has been encountered and the shipment has been handed over correctly. In the current situation, this is regarded as proper proof of delivery.

Everyone who sends their parcels directly to one of the 170 Cubee Parcellockers via the FlexDeliveryService or the ShopDeliveryService always benefits from contactless delivery.

GLS Belgium has detected increased phishing activities. Criminals are trying to obtain confidential information like bank account details through a fake GLS website.

Recent fraud attempts involve scammers posing as customers on online trading platforms like 2dehands.be. They usually offer sellers more than the initial asking price.The imposters then suggest to pay through an alleged GLS account, redirecting the victim to the fake website where they are asked for bank details.

Please be alert of the following warning signals:

• a very quick response to your ad coming from a newly created account.
• there is no specific reference to your ad.
• the person contacting you claims to be temporarily abroad or on holiday.
• the message is written in poor Dutch or French.
• you are asked to contact the seller via an email adress that is not linked to their account.
• they offer you a higher amount than your asking price or want to pay extra in order to reserve the product for them.
• they want to book an additional insurance for the shipment. This is usually done through a fake website.

Please consider also: GLS will never ask for your bank account password or your PIN. If you have received a suspicious message, please report it immediately and do not click on attached links or provide any sensitive data.

Safety Advice

The GLS Group has expanded its commitment on the American continent with a new partnership. From June 2019, Estafeta will deliver GLS consignments in Mexico and, in a second step, will feed parcels for Europe and North America into the GLS network.

Estafeta is the second-largest logistics, courier and parcel service provider in Mexico and covers the fifth-largest country in the Americas with an extensive network and over 6,500 employees. The company’s infrastructure includes three hubs and 57 depots. Six airplanes and 3,600 vehicles are deployed for transportation and delivery.

GLS customers in Europe and North America will benefit from the connection to the modern and high-performance network in Mexico, that complements the existing operation in the US and Canada. With North America and Europe, GLS connects the world’s biggest trade regions.

GLS Belgium and GLS Luxembourg are now certified for the non-temperature-controlled transport of medicinal products for human use. The ISO certificates for quality and environmental management systems have been renewed.

The Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification is binding for the transport of medicinal products within the EU. GLS has adapted its operational and support processes and trained its employees, transport partners and their delivery drivers to meet the guideline’s requirements. All sites in Belgium and Luxembourg comply with the necessary high standards of quality, safety and hygiene. The right to deliver pharmaceutical products opens up new service options for clients and their recipients.

DQS, one of the largest international providers of management system certification, has also confirmed the parcel service provider’s ISO 14001:2015 and 9001:2015 seals regarding its quality and environmental management systems.