The beginnings of package forwarding go back to the end of the 20th century. But, even today, a lot of people don’t even know that services like these exist! We decided to change it. Therefore, we are going to explain to you, how you can benefit from it, how does it work and how much does it cost.
Shipping from the USA to the UK | Source: PlanetExpress.com
Table of Contents
- How You Can Benefit From Using Package Forwarding Service?
- How Does Package Forwarding Work?
- How Much Does It Cost?
- Package Forwarding FAQ
- Summary
How You Can Benefit From Using Package Forwarding Service?
Package forwarding is popular among international shoppers. There are main 3 reasons why people use package forwarding services:
- They get access to a much wider selection of products (package forwarding is mostly done from the US which is a very diverse market with countless product options), even from online stores that don’t ship to the UK.
- They can take advantage of lower shipping rates – forwarders can negotiate better shipping rates with carriers thanks to large volumes of packages they send.
- They benefit from additional services like package consolidation (merging packages into one to save weight and space to safe money on shipping), additional pictures of the package and its contents (to find out if the products are in a good shape), Shop For Me (to shop in US stores that don’t accept foreign credit cards), and more.
How Does Package Forwarding Work?
Package forwarding is relatively simple. Usually, the package forwarding has at least one warehouse. Planet Express[1] (popular US package forwarder) has 2 warehouses in the USA and one warehouse in the UK. The two US warehouses are each located in a different state. One in California and one in Oregon. If you order products to the Californian warehouse, you get better shipping rates and faster delivery. The downside is that you have to pay for the Californian sales tax (9.5%).
In Oregon, there is a 0% sales tax, this means you don’t have to pay any sales tax in the US. The point is that the prices in the US online stores are sales tax excluded. The sales tax is usually calculated based on your delivery address. Planet Express offers the Oregon address for their premium members only. The membership costs $10 per month or $50 per year. This means that you have to shop for products worth more than $100 to make the premium membership worth it (the difference between the price of the membership and the sales tax paid in California).
Insert this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx3maf04vVg
Once you sign up with the Planet Express, you get the US address to which you order the products. When Planet Express receives your package, they will send you the notification email. You get 2 free pictures of the package so you can check the condition of it.
After that, you complete the customs declaration form online – it consists of a few fields like costs of the products, its number, and origin. You have to also select if the package is a Gift or Merchandise, etc. Don’t worry, Planet Express have fully dedicated tutorials on their website and also responsive and helpful customer service.
The final step is to choose the delivery address where do you want to send the package (you can add several delivery addresses), and a shipping method. They offer slow, cheap methods, and also express methods that are little bit more expensive. Which one you choose is only up to you.
How Much Does It Cost?
Of course, the final costs are very important – naturally, you want to know if it pays off, right? Unless you want to get the premium membership or any additional service, you pay for the shipping and handling ($2) only.
The price of the shipping from the US depends mainly on the dimensions and weight of the package, the delivery method, and the delivery address. Prices start at around $10 per package. The good news is that you can calculate the costs of the shipping in advance using the Planet Express postage calculator.
Planet Express postage calculator | Source: Planet Express
Feel free to contact Planet Express customer service if you have any questions regarding pricing and forwarding.
Package Forwarding FAQ[2]
How does the package forwarding from the US work?
- You get the US address to which you can order from the US stores.
- Once the package forwarder receives your package, you will get a notification email.
- You complete the customs declaration and choose the delivery method from the USA to UK, or any other country.
How much does the package forwarding from the US cost?
The price of the shipping from the US depends mainly on the dimensions and weight of the package, the delivery method and delivery address. Prices start at around $10 per package.
Do I have to pay import fees?
Yes, if your package is above the de minimis threshold for customs and tax, you have to pay import fees.
| Type and value of goods | Customs Duty |
| Anything under £135 | No charge |
| Gifts worth £135-£630 | 2.5%, but rates are lower for some goods* |
| Gifts above £630 and merchandise £135 | The rate depends on the type of goods and where they came from* |
*Contact UK customs duties helpline.
Summary
Package forwarding can be used by anyone. We have provided you with the necessary information about it so you can join the club of international shoppers, start shopping in the US and take advantage of all benefits that package forwarding with Planet Express offers.
