There's now a cheaper, easier way to send and receive packages abroad from Czechia

In recent years, sending and receiving packages to and from Czechia from abroad has become increasingly expensive and complicated. On the other hand, more people than ever before are ordering and sending goods online. Anyone familiar with the limitations of the Czech postal service will know the challenges that can arise when sending or receiving mail from abroad, and the language barrier is just scratching the surface.

Enter Zaslat.cz, a logistics platform recently named in Deloitte's Fast 50 for rapidly growing tech companies in Central Europe. The smart platform is carving a space for itself in an industry that's devoid of customer care with its vision of a positive experience involving no visits to a post branch, no queues, and no package slips.

Just a simple online form lets you input your requirements and then sit back as your package is delivered to the recipient's door. 

As well as a cheaper and easier way of sending goods domestically, the company has launched a user-friendly import service for people looking to send or receive goods internationally.

How does it work?

Zaslat.cz is a revolution in Czech and Slovak delivery systems because it allows customers to send parcels without a time-consuming trip to a physical post office. All you have to do is pack your parcel, choose your delivery provider through Zaslat.cz, and wait for the courier to arrive at your door to pick up the package. In most cases you don’t even need to print out a delivery label as the courier will bring this for you.

Zaslat.cz partners with a range of delivery providers, so you’re bound to find one which meets your requirements. Once you’ve booked your pick-up date, you should wait for the courier to arrive. No worries if the pick-up time isn’t convenient for you; it’s fine for a neighbor or friend to hand over the parcel for delivery on your behalf.

"You can easily compare prices in just a few seconds without filling out your exact address, and the whole process of booking a shipment takes only a few minutes. There are just a few restrictions: customs and shipping rules mean some items are prohibited varying from country to country, and we have a package weight limit of 68 kilos," he added.

Why are prices so low?

Zaslat.cz can offer cheap delivery options thanks to the high volume of parcels being sent through the portal. Deliveries within the Czech Republic can be 20-30 percent cheaper compared to traditional postal services, while packages to other European countries can be sent for as much as 50 percent less.

“We have a big volume, so we can offer smaller prices,” said Michalko. “Our aim has always been to bring better prices to everyday customers, and with our partners we can send packages anywhere in the world cheaply; you can even ship parcels to the U.S. for only a few hundred crowns.”

How is it easier?

The ability to send goods with just a few clicks will seem like a dream to anyone who has wrestled with traditional international shipping providers in the Czech Republic. The online process is dummy-proof, with simple fields for pick-up address, delivery address, and parcel weight and dimensions. And having developed its system in-house Zaslat.cz keeps working on it to make it even better, faster and more painless.

The company also makes things easier with top-notch, multilingual customer service.

“Most carriers aren’t that focused on customer care; they take the view that individual customers are more difficult to satisfy than businesses and less profitable. But we’ve honed the entire process, from automation to a really smooth website experience and customer service focused on real solutions, and we’re still evolving,” said Michalko.

What about Brexit?

Brexit has become a byword for bureaucratic headache for Brits living in the Czech Republic and Czechs in the UK, including when it comes to international deliveries. Customs data has to be filled in for letters and parcels containing goods, and changes have also been made to the list of products which you can’t ship to the UK.

The United Kingdom was Zaslat.cz’s number one foreign destination prior to Brexit, so the company has made optimizing post-Brexit deliveries a priority.

“We were determined not to lose such an important market due to the changes,” said Michalko. “There are a lot of Czechs living in the UK, so we ship a lot of large items there. We were the first in the Czech logistics market to come up with a reliable solution to the new complications; many carriers specializing in the EU had no desire to enter into complex customs procedures. But we’re focused on giving our customers support in this post-Brexit world, and we’re now shipping to the UK even more than before Brexit. We also have quality English customer care making the whole experience of shipping to the UK comfortable and easy for our customers.”

Will more options be added?

As one of Central Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies, Zaslat.cz has a bright future. The pandemic provided another boost as more people shipped parcels from home and became more internet-literate. 

“We grew our platform significantly during Covid; the team has increased in size from twelve people to almost 40 today. Our main areas of growth are in development and customer care, helping us refine our processes to make things easier for customers,” said Michalko.

The company was founded by Michalko after a torrid experience sending a couch through the post from Cheb to Brno. 

“I realized that for normal people, there was no possibility other than hiring an expensive moving company when shipping large goods. So I had the idea to start a new platform to help people and small businesses that were being ignored by the major carriers,” he explains.

Recent growth means more delivery options are always being added, and Zaslat.cz is also looking to expand further internationally. The company has operated in Slovakia for over two years now, and it recently entered the South African market. Shipping to non-EU countries is made easy by the simple form developed by the brand after Brexit and the provision of necessary customs documents, making worries about paperwork a thing of the past.