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Shiply’s Spookiest Halloween Deliveries

Posted on by Louis Watton

Halloween is over, which means it’s another year-long wait for lovers of the spooky season! The fun doesn’t have to end here, however – we facilitate thousands of deliveries per year, for all sorts of occasions, and Halloween often provides some of our most unusual, ghoulish, and downright creepy delivery requests. For your entertainment, we have gathered our favourites below.

First up is a lifesize coffin going from Bedford to Southend. Now, it’s worth noting that the word ‘Halloween’ doesn’t actually appear in this listing title, which begs the question… this is for Halloween, right? 

Life size halloween coffin

You’d have to assume so! If my family is reading, please DO NOT bury me in a novelty coffin. Thanks.

Next, we have my creepiest choice, a set of eight absolutely terrifying animated figures. The description doesn’t mention what exactly the animations are, but to be honest, I am fine not knowing, just look at them. Pure nightmare fuel.

I don’t know about you, but dolls are without a doubt one of the most terrifying scary tropes, and this lot does not fail to disappoint. Imagine the scene from The Shining, but with triplets instead of twins…Happy Halloween! Hope your kids can sleep for the next month!

The Americans do it bigger, or so we are told. Well, if Halloween decorations are anything to go by then I’d argue that the above 12-foot-tall skeleton with LCD eyes proves it… travelling from Salem (shouldn’t it be going there at this time of year?), our bony friend needed quite a large vehicle, hardly a surprise!

Finally, we have the ‘life-sized electric chair’ going from Huddersfield to Wisbech, and I thought we had gotten rid of capital punishment years ago!

Again, no mention of Halloween on this one, just the date of delivery that leaves me to pray this was for someone’s decorations…

Whether you need Halloween decorations, Christmas trees, or Easter eggs delivered, Shiply is here for all your seasonal needs (and for anything else you need to move in between).

The Best Ways To Save Fuel

Posted on by Louis Watton

The cost of living crisis is well and truly upon us with prices shooting up in almost every aspect of life. Fuel is one of the commodities that was hit hardest – prices have shot from 145 pence per litre of petrol at the start of the year to 191 pence in the space of just 6 months. Times are harder for everyone, so with this in mind, we thought our readers could use some tips on how to save fuel this summer.

Be A Fuel Conscious Driver

It may not seem like it, but even the way you drive can alter the amount of fuel your vehicle consumes. The quickest way to waste fuel is to drive excessively fast, and so the first thing you should do is focus on having a light acceleration (accelerating is fine, it just doesn’t need to be pedal to the metal every time!). You should also always try and drive in the highest possible gear (whilst obviously keeping under the speed limit). 

In general, slowing down and accelerating use more fuel, and so the less you can do this the better. It’s a bit of an art, but once you learn to read the roads and are able to anticipate, for example, an oncoming red light and slowly slow down rather than a hard break you will save fuel.

Watch Your Car Weight

Whilst the impact your vehicle’s weight will have on its fuel consumption rate is small, every little helps. Logically, a heavier vehicle will require more fuel to move, so ensure you are not travelling with unnecessary heavy items in the vehicle or boot. This also goes for roof racks and roof boxes, which have the added issue of increasing drag and therefore causing a lot more fuel to be consumed for the same vehicle over the same distance.

Air Conditioning

This one is nice and easy, if not a little uncomfortable at times! Air conditioning uses engine power, meaning it also increases the rate at which your vehicle consumes fuel. Always ensure you are dressed for the temperature in your car so as to avoid the extra costs.

We hope these tips help you save some fuel (and money), and remember, if you need anything delivered, try Shiply! 

A Guide To Upcycling

Posted on by Louis Watton

Upcycling has increased in popularity over the last 18 months as many people took on new hobbies over the pandemic. The term refers to improving, restoring or fixing older items that otherwise may have been disposed of. The finished product is obviously an improvement to the item but it is also a way for you to add your own twist and make it unique. 

Reupholstering chairs with new fabric, stripping and repainting wardrobes and even using old pallets to create furniture, are all examples of ways you can upcycle.

You can find a whole heap of inspiration on Instagram. From upcycling clothes to old furniture, some of our favourite accounts include;

  1. A Pair & A Spare @apairandaspare.com
  2. A Beautiful Mess @abeautifulmess.com
  3. Upcycle That @upcyclethat
  4. The House of Upcycling @thehouseofup
  5. A Beautiful Mess @abeautifulmess

Where to find these items to upcycle

Once you’re feeling inspired, it’s time to find items to upcycle. The first place to look would obviously be anything you own or your family owns already. If this is a dead-end, eBay, Gumtree, Schpock and charity shops are great places to find second-hand furniture and other things that need upcycling.

Advantages to Upcycling

The first advantage is economic. Not only is upcycling a great ‘hands on’ hobby but it is also a great way to recycle things that already exist instead of having to buy more. This not only is better for the environment, but also on your wallet! 

Creating gifts from upcycled items is much more personal and many people are now including upcycled items in their weddings. 

Making changes to your old items, big or small is a really easy way to breathe new life into old items. One man’s trash is another’s treasure has never been a truer statement.

Selling these items on

As well as being a cheap, planet-saving fun activity, selling these upcycled items is a way to make your money back. Listing them back onto eBay, Gumtree or even social media can drum up interest. And using Shiply to transport these items over to your new customers, is a further way to keep these costs down!