Ordering from the US using a shipping agent.

[Leigh H]

Not everyone knows about shipping agents so i thought i'd share my experience using one for the first time in the US.

(This is mainly for the europeans on this forum that often have issues buying items from the US, import tax issues or sellers on ebay/etsy that only ship within in the US)

I'd seen a jacket i really wanted via etsy and the seller wouldn't ship internationally, so i decided to try a shipping agent called Stackry (there are other services out there too Ship7 is another one) so i could buy the jacket.

Once you sign up (for free) you're given a US shipping address. So in my Esty account i changed my address, i then bought the jacket and had it shipped within the US. Stackry will store your item for up to 40 days free of charge and you can have multiple items sent to their warehouse. I ordered a second jacket from eBay that was US only and had that sent to the warehouse too. Once both items had arrived (around a week) i was notified, you're given the option to ship the items individually or consolidate the items.

Here's the best part, you can consolidate the items and then declare the value you want to put. I put 50 dollars for the 2 jackets and they upacked each package and repackaged the items into one box (this consolidation phase is slow it took them around work 4-5 days)

There's a small fee added (4 dollars each i think) for consolidating and then they give you an offer of shipping services. The shipping prices were fine and my parcel arrived safe and sound.

Using a service like this i was able to buy items i wouldn't of had access to plus i saved money on the import fees.

So i thought id share this with you and i hope this might help some of you on here.


Leigh

https://www.stackry.com
https://ship7.com

 

[BlackboxR12s]

Hi Leigh,

Thanks for sharing, living in Belgium, import and customs often spoils all the fun shopping in US.

Never used one of these shipping agents before.
Just gone through some reviews for both and maybe reading the bad ones, wasn't the best idea.

But good to know these exist.
If anyone has other alternatives, feel free to share.

Peter

 

[Canuck Panda]

Good write up. I've used these type of service to get Domestic market stuff from Japan and UK TKMaxxx.
It's also a good home base business if you have enough space like an empty garage.

 

[photo2u]

Excellent info. Love the idea. Uncle George is here as a free option as well. I had members offer their help for items coming from Europe to the US.

 

[Mich486]

Good info, thanks. Seems pretty much to work the same as Japanese proxies. The mark down option is key.

 

[Will Zach]

This is much better than USPS from US to EU. I am getting quotes between $70 and 80 from USPS.

 

[JMax]

Excellent info. Love the idea. Uncle George is here as a free option as well. I had members offer their help for items coming from Europe to the US.

I’d be afraid Tio Jorge would wear the jacket prior to shipping onward. Just to make sure it was good to go of course.

IMO this is the way to do it if you trust the TFL member. Fortunately I have had nothing but good experiences. The jacket network is strong. Plus, we can help spot deals or desirable jackets for those members. Properly and safely pack the jackets too.

 

[SimonR]

I've used Stackry for years for different things and - touch wood - never had a problem

Simon

 

[GHT]

Not everyone knows about shipping agents so i thought i'd share my experience using one for the first time in the US.

Here's the best part, you can consolidate the items and then declare the value you want to put. I put 50 dollars for the 2 jackets and they upacked each package and repackaged the items into one box (this consolidation phase is slow it took them around work 4-5 days)

There's a small fee added (4 dollars each i think) for consolidating and then they give you an offer of shipping services. The shipping prices were fine and my parcel arrived safe and sound.

Using a service like this i was able to buy items i wouldn't of had access to plus i saved money on the import fees.

So i thought id share this with you and i hope this might help some of you on here.


Leigh

https://www.stackry.com
https://ship7.com

Very informative post Leigh, thank you and well done. Not only are postal services costs prohibitively high, as I found out when quoted $50 for a $100 dollar item, remember, for the UK at least, import duty is expensive. The threshold can be as low as £39. Check out https://www.gov.uk/ then go to import charges.

One way around import charges is to have the sender paste a notice on the package that declares:
"Contents are samples only, of no intrinsic value."
Not something that I would recommend for an expensive leather jacket though.

https://www.transglobalexpress.co.uk/about-us/ Transglobal Express is the company that the firm that I work for use to ship around the globe, like Stackry, they can reduce postal prices dramatically.