A barrel is the cheapest way to send clothes, food and gifts to family in the Bahamas. We connect you with one vetted partner who supplies the barrel, ships it and clears it at Nassau or Freeport. It's free to ask.
✅ The quick answer — Tell us what you're sending and we connect you with one vetted partner. Free.
📦 What fits — Clothes, non-perishable food, toiletries, gifts; plastic or fibre barrels.
💰 Cost — From around £80 a barrel, a little more with door delivery.
⏱️ How long — Roughly 4 to 6 weeks, usually transhipped through a US or regional hub.
⚓ Where it clears — Nassau or Freeport, then on to your island.
For generations, the barrel has been how families overseas send a little of home back to the islands, clothes, tinned and dried food, toiletries, school supplies and Christmas gifts, all packed tight into a sturdy drum. It's by far the cheapest way to ship to the Bahamas, and your vetted partner can supply the barrel, drop it to you, and collect it when it's full. You pack, they ship and clear.
Most people use a standard plastic barrel of around 55 gallons, though smaller fibre barrels and boxes work too. Prices start from around £80, a little more if you want it collected and delivered to the door at the other end.
Pack heavy items low and pad the gaps so nothing shifts at sea. Keep a simple packing list, an inventory of what's inside, because customs may ask for it and it speeds clearance. For shop-bought goods, keep receipts; a commercial invoice or proof of value helps the broker work out any duty. Avoid anything restricted, fresh food, plants, meat and dairy need agricultural clearance, and your partner will flag anything that can't go.
Barrels to the capital, cleared on Arawak Cay.
Sending more? A shared or full container may suit.
How barrels, containers and cars are priced.
Every island and service for the Bahamas.
A broker files the entry in Click2Clear, the Bahamas customs system. The contents may attract import duty, which varies by item, plus VAT at 10%, a 1% customs processing fee and an environmental levy on the landed value. If you're a returning resident bringing used effects home, those can come in within the duty-free limit. Your partner and the broker handle the paperwork and tell you what, if anything, is due before the barrel is released.
Sending a barrel often goes hand in hand with sending money. The Bahamian dollar is held on par with the US dollar. For years we've connected customers with trusted partners who handle any currency, so the money side is simple and fair. It's offered through our partners, with no hidden fees.
We connect you with one partner who supplies the barrel, ships it and clears it, not a call centre. We work hand in hand with established overseas removal companies and international movers, the moving companies in our network, and a local broker clears your barrel at Nassau or Freeport.
International Removals Companies isn't a shipper itself; we pass your enquiry to one vetted partner who does the work, free since November 2010, with more than 850,000 enquiries connected since. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743, Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Tell us what you're sending and which island it's going to, and one vetted partner comes back with a price and the next steps. No cost, no obligation.
Get my free quoteYour partner confirms every price, transit time, insurance and customs point before you book.
International Removals Companies is the official enquiry service for three FIDI FAIM and BAR Overseas certified international moving companies in AGM Group, members of IAM, EUROMOVERS and FEDEMAC. It works hand in hand with established overseas removal companies and international movers, and it's a free route-matching service that connects you with them, not a removal company itself, a man with a van or a house clearance service.
Use this page to send your Bahamas removal enquiry, then speak directly with the partner mover we connect you with before booking.