Do you have any experience that the sellers don’t ship to your address, or the international shipping fees are incredibly overpriced?
With the forwarding service, international shopping can be cheaper and more accessible. This article will show you the most beneficial package forwarders in the UK.
What is the package forwarding service?
To solve nearly all the troubles relating to international shopping
You can solve the problem with your UK warehouse address when the UK online store doesn’t ship to your international address, or shipping fees are expensive. Forwarders can purchase products instead of when the UK shop doesn’t accept your international credit cards or payment. They can help you import almost anything from UK stores.
Benefits of using:
- Able to use discount coupons for the UK residents
- Able to reduce international shipping fees
- Able to export almost anything worldwide
Features of the forwarder’s service
Repacking & Consolidation
Forwarders re-pack and consolidate your multiple parcels into one box so that you can save box size and shipping fees adequately.
Exporting of Dangerous Items
Instead of the stores which don’t ship dangerous and restricted goods such as perfume, nail polish, and alcohol, they help arrange to export easily.
Personal Shopper
Forwarders purchase the products instead of when UK online stores don’t accept your credit cards or other payments.
Pros and Cons
Able to use forwarders depending on the situation
It is challenging to decide the forwarding company only by the shipment fees. Because each of the package forwarders is unique, some provide cheap and straightforward shipments. Still, others are pricey but offer some particular services that solve your complex orders. If you know about it, you will find the best service depending on the situation.
Forwarding fees are not reasonable in the UK.
The UK is a fascinating country for international shopping. However, VAT is normally charged at 20% for shoppers who live outside of the UK. Besides, shipping fees are relatively more expensive. So if the UK online shops can ship to any other country such as the US with forwarding warehouses, it may be more reasonable to receive via the third county.
How to use package forwarding service
Top 6+ package forwarders in the UK
I picked up the most popular package forwarders in the UK and compared each of the services. Please find the best forwarder for you.
Forward2me
Forward2me is the most major parcel forwarder in the UK. The most beneficial point is that you can save 20% VAT on the shopping when using the tax-free warehouse in Guernsey. I can recommend you both who are looking for private import and business import. They provide shipping services at reasonable prices. They can also arrange shipments for large items or bundles of things to resel by sea, road, and air freight.
I recommend Planet Express to those who
- look for tax-free shopping
- order from British and European shops
- purchase dangerous goods such as perfume and aerosols
- ship large items such as furniture and car parts
Forward2me provides you
- Location: Preston in the UK, tax-free Guernsey (only shipped with DHL)
- Membership Plan: Free membership only
- Storage: Free for up to 30 days
- Combining and repacking: £2 + VAT for each package received
- Restricted goods handling: Free of charge
- Hazardous materials: can only be shipped with UPS, unavailable from Guernsey
- Alcohol: can only be shipped with UPS, unavailable from Guernsey
- Assisted Purchases: £15 or 10% of the value (whichever is greater)
- Payment Methods: Credit and Debit Cards, PayPal, Bank Transfer, Bitcoin
You can find their reviews here: feefo, TrustPilot, SiteJabber, Facebook
ForwardVia
ForwardVia is one of the most popular forwarders in the UK. They provide affordable service to international shoppers. They can forward packages not only from the British but also from European stores. They can also arrange to export dangerous goods. They are a highly reliable forwarder with excellent reputations.
I recommend ForwardVia to those who
- order from British and European shops
- order groceries from supermarkets
- ship at an affordable rate
ForwardVia provides you
- Location: Southampton in the UK
- 2 Membership Plans:
- Free member: Free storage for up to 30 days, £2 / package
- Premium member: £90/year, Extra 5% shipping discount, Free storage for up to 60 days, Shipping to multiple addresses
- Dangerous goods handling: They will require an additional payment.
- Assisted Purchases: £18 or 10% of the item + UK delivery, whichever is higher
- Payment Methods: Credit, Debit card through PayPal and Stripe, Bank Transfer
You can find their reviews here: TrustPilot, Reviews.io, Yell
Planet Express
Planet Express is one of the most popular forwarders in the US. In 2020 they opened a new warehouse in Warrington, UK. They can receive your packages from anywhere in the world. So you can use their UK and US warehouse when you shop in Europe. Their service is straightforward and easy to use. They have excellent reputations. Start your private import from here.
I recommend Planet Express to those who
- order from British and European shops
- import simply and conveniently
- look for less shipping fees
Planet Express provides you
- Location: Warrington in the UK, California, and tax-free Oregon in the US
- 2 Membership Plans:
- Free membership for Non-Consolidation: Free storage for up to 10 days
- Premium membership for Consolidation: Free storage for up to 45 days and 7days for consolidated packages. The fee is $10/month or $50/year.
- Dangerous goods handling: Free of charge
- Perfume (maximum 3 bottles per parcel) via USPS or Planet Mail
- Alcohol via DHL Worldwide Express only from California Warehouse
- Assisted Purchases: $5 + 7%
- Payment Methods: Credit Card, PayPal, AmazonPay, BitPay, Bankwire
You can find their reviews here: Google Map, TrustPilot, SiteJabber, Facebook, Yelp
TipTrans
TipTrans is an international forwarder that has warehouses in the UK, Germany, Czech, China, and Hong Kong. They are famous for their reasonable fees and unique options for business. Their UK warehouse can receive packages from the UK only. So if you order from European online stores, use Germany or the Czech warehouse.
I recommend TipTrans to those who
- order from the UK online stores only
- need any special request for business
- are reseller
TipTrans provides you
- Location: Liverpool
- 3 Membership Plans: 30-day free storage
- Standard plan: $0, Shipment Fee $5, Consolidation $5
- Premium: $49 for 5 months, Consolidation $3
- Business Premium: $249 for 5 months, Consolidation $1
- Dangerous goods handling: No, they won’t handle any categories.
- Assisted Purchases: $5 per every 10 items + 5%
- Payment Methods: Credit Card, PayPal, Bank Transfer
You can find their reviews here: TrustPilot, SiteJabber, Facebook, Yelp
Reship
Reship has mailboxes in the USA, Canada, and the UK. The shipping cost is a bit pricey, but most customers are generally satisfied with their service. They have discount shipping rates for B2B clients.
I recommend Reship to those who
- import simply and conveniently
- ship for business usage
Reship provides you
- Location: Milton Keynes in the UK
- 3 Membership Plans: 60 Days of Free Storage
- Per Package Membership For the occasional shopper: Handling Fee $5 / package
- Monthly Membership For the power shopper: $10 / month, Handling Fee $2 / package
- Yearly Membership For the power shopper: $99 / year, Handling Fee $2 / package
- Dangerous goods handling: No, they won’t handle any categories.
- Assisted Purchases: $5 + 8.5% commission fee (Minimum purchase value 300USD)
- Payment Methods: Credit Card
You can find their reviews here: Trustpilot, SiteJabber, eKomi
Shippn
Shippn is for shopping when the shops don’t ship to your shipping address
Shippn is the package forwarding marketplace that a personal shipper forwards your package to your place. Hosts are persons, not companies. You can rent one of the host’s addresses so that you can order the items from the seller who doesn’t ship internationally or to the forwarder’s warehouses.
I recommend Shippn to those who
- order from British and European shops
- cannot order with your shipping address
Shippn provides you
- Location: Multiple
- Membership Plans: Free membership only
- Dangerous goods handling: No, they won’t handle any categories.
- Assisted Purchases: No
- Payment Methods: Credit Card
You can find their reviews here: Trustpilot, SiteJabber, Facebook
Choose the best forwarder, depending on your situation!
If you plan to export any restricted and hazardous items such as alcohol, perfume, and nail polish, please make sure to contact each customer service for more information in advance.
