A salutary lesson and one not to be forgotten when sending stuff to or from the UK.
Very rarely are these "man and a van" operations properly insured and even if your household insurance covers possessions in transit, any claim made is unlikely to be successful as you'll be missing the paperwork your insurer will want to see in respect of the carrier.
I know they're always cheaper than "proper" companies, but they're cheaper for good reason and none of them of any benefit to you, their client. They rarely have an office or fixed base, picking up work via Facebook etc and the only contact is usually email or a mobile number. Soon as there is an issue, where do you go?
In my opinion, its work the extra few bob to have peace of mind that your stuff is going to appear at the other end, intact, undamaged and in the same condition that it was when it left. If there is a loss or damage, you stand a decent chance of at least being compensated for your losses.
JF