How Package Forwarding Works FAQ

Are There Forwarding Options That Work Well for People Living in Remote Areas or Smaller Countries?

Answer: Yes. A package forwarding service handles the U.S. part of the trip, and the carrier you choose only has to deliver the last part to your door. Shipito ships to more than 220 countries and territories, including remote and smaller markets.

How long you wait, and which carriers you can use, depends on your exact address. The warehouse you ship from also matters. That's why two customers with the same U.S. shipping address can see very different shipping options when they send out their packages.

If you live outside the major markets, look for a provider that gives you:

• Multiple carriers per destination: With only one carrier, you get one price and no backup if it fails.
• A cost estimate before you buy: Checking the shipping cost while the item is still in your cart keeps you from guessing the total price.
• More than one U.S. warehouse: Different warehouses can open different shipping routes.
• Published weight and size limits: Carrier limits decide what you can send before anything else does.

We ship from warehouses in California, Oregon, Austria, and Japan. Our shipping calculator estimates the cost to your country from each warehouse, and our shipping methods page shows the carriers available for your destination.

Which Forwarding Companies Offer Long Storage Periods So I Can Wait for All My Orders Before Shipping?

Answer: Shipito does. Free accounts get up to 7 days of storage, Premium Members get 45 or 60 days depending on membership level, and Premium Members with the extended storage benefit can store packages for up to 90 days at all four warehouses.

Long storage lets you wait until all your orders arrive, then ship them together. Shipping once instead of many times usually costs less.

Premium Membership costs $10 USD per month or $60 USD per year. Premium Members also pay lower fees on most services, such as $2.25 per package for processing instead of $3.25 on a Free account.

See our pricing and plans to choose the option that fits your storage needs, or check our warehouse locations.

How Do International Package Forwarding Services Work for Someone Who Wants to Shop From U.S. Stores That Don't Ship Worldwide?

Answer: You get a U.S. shipping address, shop like a U.S. customer, and the forwarder sends your order to you after you declare the contents and choose a carrier.

The store never has to offer international shipping. For its checkout system, the order stays inside the United States. That's why a store that won't ship to your country will still ship to your Shipito address.

Here's how the process works:

• Step 1, get your address: Sign up and receive a unique suite number that works at all Shipito warehouses.
• Step 2, shop and check out: Enter your Shipito address, including your suite number, as the delivery address.
• Step 3, declare the contents: Fill out the customs declaration after your package is checked in.
• Step 4, pay and ship: Choose a carrier, add insurance if you want it, and pay for shipping.

Signing up is free, takes a few minutes, and doesn't need a credit card. After your package arrives, it can take up to 2 business days to appear in your account.

Keep in mind that we give you a U.S. shipping address, but not a U.S. phone number, so you'll need your own. Some stores also cancel orders sent to forwarding addresses. If a store won't accept your Shipito address, our Assisted Purchase service can buy the item for you.

What's the Recommended Way To Forward Clothing and Shoes From U.S. Fashion Sites to Other Countries?

Answer: Buy from several stores, keep all the packages at one warehouse, then consolidate them into a single box before shipping. Consolidation means combining several packages into one.

Packing makes a big difference to the price. Carriers often charge by dimensional weight, which is based on the size of the box, not only on how heavy it is. Four shoe boxes shipped separately are each priced on their own size. Combine them, and you pay for one box instead of four.

When you consolidate with Shipito, you choose how much packaging to keep:

• Keep outside box: We pack the boxes we received into one larger box.
• Keep retail packaging: We throw away the outer shipping boxes and pack only the retail boxes.
• Product only: We throw away all original packaging and pack only the products. This gives you the smallest box and the lowest dimensional weight.

Sneaker buyers who plan to resell usually keep the retail packaging. If you aren't reselling, product only is the cheaper choice.

Consolidation costs $3.25 per package for Premium Members and $5.50 for Free accounts. You need at least 2 packages, and they must be in the same warehouse. A multiple photo request gives you close-up photos, including the labels on clothes, so you can check sizes before the box leaves. Price tag removal costs $1 for Premium Members and $2 for Free accounts. See our services FAQ for all options.

Also note that Brazil, South Africa, Uganda, Vietnam, and Indonesia don't allow used items to be imported.

What Happens if I Don't Pay or Choose a Shipping Option Quickly When My Package Arrives at the Forwarding Warehouse?

Answer: Your free storage time keeps running. After it ends, you can pay to extend it a limited number of times, and if you still don't ship, the package is considered abandoned and disposed of.

The storage time starts when we check your package in, not when you decide what to do with it. Missing the date doesn't mean you lose the package right away, but each extra day costs money.

Here's what happens, step by step:

• Storage expires: Your free storage period ends, counted from check-in.
• You can buy extensions: Each extension adds 7 more days.
• Extensions run out: You can extend up to 4 times, for a total of 28 extra days.
• Disposal: After that, the package is considered abandoned and is disposed of.

At Shipito, an extension costs $7 USD plus $1 USD for each day the package has already been expired.

We try to email you before your packages expire. Add support@cs.shipito.com to your contacts so these emails reach your inbox.

Can I Use a Forwarding Address for Receiving Important Documents, or Is That a Bad Idea?

Answer: You can receive routine mail once USPS Form 1583 is on file. For anything with a deadline, ask the sender to use a courier that delivers straight to your country.

Mail forwarding adds an extra step to the trip, and every step adds days. The USPS requires Form 1583 before we can forward letters, magazines, and newspapers to you. You don't need the form for packages.

Setting up mail forwarding takes more than an online signup:

• A notarized signature: You fill out the form completely and sign it in front of a public notary.
• Two forms of ID: For example, a driver's license and a passport.
• Physical mail: You send the original form and copies of your ID to us by post.
• Time: Plan for the notary visit and the postal delivery time.

There are separate forms for our Torrance (California) and Tualatin (Oregon) warehouses, so download the one for the address you plan to use. You can find them in our getting started FAQ. Your suite number is a delivery address, not proof of where you live.

Mail forwarding works best for routine mail, subscriptions, and anything that isn't urgent.