Shipping items from Europe (Colombo)

Hi,

Does anyone have any advice/reccomendations for shipping household items from Europe (UK, specifically)? Can you suggest a company?

And any advice on import duties, customs etc - I don't want to risk shipping over things if it might cost a small fortune to get them out of customs, but I am having difficulty finding info online.
I am just talking about household items - nothing of huge value (eg a car).

Many Thanks
Abbey