THIS IS AN ARCHIVE POST FROM 2015
It had happened to me several times before that I found something online that I really wanted to buy, only to discover at checkout that the US webshop didn’t ship internationally. At that point you can either give up on the purchase, or if you really want the product start asking around to see if you know someone in the US who could receive it and send it on to you. But that gets pretty complicated, so usually I just gave up and felt sorry for myself.
A few weeks ago we found an accessory in the US for our PaperSpokes project that I really wanted to order as a sample. Unfortunately the manufacturer didn’t ship internationally. Since I really wanted to get my hands on the product I started looking into how I could have it shipped to the EU relatively easily, without having to rely on distant acquaintances.
A virtual US mailing address
Since quite a lot of people around the world run into the same problem, some enterprising companies offer virtual US addresses and will forward letters and packages that arrive there.
Signing up for the service is quite simple. After providing a few details, you immediately get your own US address. This is usually the address of the company’s warehouse, with an individual identifier assigned to you. In my case, this was a number that appeared as “Suite 519948”.
If a phone number is required when placing an order, you can usually use the company’s own phone number.
After registering, my address looked like this:
25883 N Park Ave
Suite 519948
Elkhart, Indiana, 46514, USA
Tel: 574-742-8531
Through the online account, you can see which packages have arrived at your address and then decide what you want to do with them. They usually store packages for free for a few days, but after a certain amount of time you need to have them forwarded somewhere or have them disposed of.
For forwarding, you simply provide the destination address and information about exactly what is in the package and its value. You then get several shipping options to choose from. You pay for the selected option in advance and that’s basically the end of your part of the process. From then on you can sit back and track where your package is.
The original package is usually opened and inspected by the forwarding company so they can check its contents. Since they become the sender of the new shipment, they also take responsibility for it. They then repackage it and send it on to you.
A package arriving in the EU can still be subject to customs procedures, import VAT or other charges, so this is something worth keeping in mind when calculating the total cost.
How much does it cost?
The shipping cost depends on the shipping method, such as standard or express, as well as the pricing of the forwarding company. Most services charge some kind of basic handling fee on top of the actual shipping cost, although there are also companies that simply charge an increased shipping rate and don’t add a separate handling fee.
I have to admit that I didn’t do a very thorough comparison of the different services. I tried Viabox because they only charged me for the shipping. I was happy with the service, and the shipping ended up costing only a little more than it would have if a friend had simply posted the package for me.
If you have the time, it might be worth comparing a few different services and their offers before choosing one.
