International shipping using a UK parcel forwarding company
The real pleasure of shopping online is to be able purchase anything without any restrictions. Or, in UK are many online stores who ship only locally, so that if you live outside this country you will have to wait for chance to appear to get you so wanted clothes, bags or cupboard food in your home. A service born of necessity, UK parcel forwarding solve the problem of international shipping and help buyers get their goods wherever they are in the world.
I recently purchased a Nikon Coolpix L330 Compact Digital Camera from Amazon.co.uk and since they don't ship to Australia i used a UK forwarding service to get shipped here without any problems.
Indeed, the shipping costs were a bit higher in the end because of additional charges, but when you acutely need an item this is the best way to go.
How international shipping from UK works
The majority of UK forwarders act the same way. You sign up with them, free or for a symbolic fee, and get your own UK address with a unique account number.
From here you can shop on any British retailer and use your UK mailing address at the checkout. Ordered goods will be delivered to the forwarder warehouse and from there forwarded on to you.
It's a pretty simple scheme of operating but with big benefits for you. One of them is lower international shipping rates. This is because forwarders get lower shipping rates due to large orders from international couriers. So that they can pass these discounts further on customers making shipping with them very attractive.
You may ask your forwarding company to box up more items from different stores into one package and ship to you as a single shipment. This service is known as parcel repackaging or consolidation and it's a good way to cut on shipping costs and also have all your items arrived at once.
What you have to know when shopping UK online stores
1.Weight-based shipping rates are not applied to all products. Sometimes you will be charged based on item's dimension. For example, international shipping fee for 3 lbs of wool will be higher than 3 lbs of binding material despite their weight the same.
2.There are online stores who require your billing address to be the same as you credit card. The solution is buy for me service when forwarder buy anything you need on your behalf and then forward them to you.
3.Some UK based retailers may refuse to ship to forwarders. Ask your forwarding company about this aspect before signing up with them.
Shipping cost calculator
All forwarding companies put at your disposal a shipping rate calculator where you will get a rough estimation of you shipping costs. Aside of this, make sure there are no hidden costs like fuel surcharges or import fees.
Look for reviews to make up your decision
There are several companies you can choose from. When selecting the best one look for what other people say about their services. Trustpilot, SiteJabber, Google Reviews, Facebook Reviews are the sources you have to check before picking up a forwarder. The more positive reviews they have, the greater chances you will be satisfied with your choice. One of these UK mail and parcel forwarding service is MyUKmailbox
with dozens of positive reviews left there by customers very happy with this service. If you want to check their services and rates check their website or stay tuned to their Facebook or Twitter page for great sales deals.
