If you’re a regular online shopper, you may spot deals in Germany or other EU countries that are just too good to miss. Maybe there’s a great deal on Amazon.de (German’s version of Amazon)? Or maybe there’s a product that you want to buy from Germany, a country that’s known for producing excellent quality products. And we don’t just mean sausages and beer (although Germany definitely excels in both those areas). No, Germany is also known for producing excellent quality knives, cars, slippers, chocolate, and, of course, Birkenstock shoes.
If you can’t get a German (or EU) website to ship to you or the shipping costs are too expensive, consider using a package forwarding company instead. These companies provide you with an address in Germany where you can send your order. You send it to them and then, they’ll forward it (or re-ship it) onto you.
Below you’ll find examples of some of the main package forwarding companies in Germany. The majority of them do not charge a membership fee, but charge for handling and shipping costs when they forward your order onto you.
Forward2Me
Forward2Me started out as a UK-based company, but they now offer mailing addresses in several parts of the world, including Germany. There’s no cost to create an account and send your order, and it’s also free to combine multiple orders into one package. The website has a pricing calculator where you can work out how much it’ll cost to forward your order(s) onto you wherever you are in the world.
- Membership fee: Free
- No fee for receiving orders
MyGermany
MyGermany is another popular option for those that want to shop at German and EU websites. There is a €1 membership fee, but this is refunded later on. It’s generally free to have a package received on your behalf, and you can estimate the cost of forwarding the package with various couriers on MyGermany’s website.
- Membership fee: €1 (refunded later)
- No fee for receiving orders
ShipGerman
ShipGerman is a Bavarian-based parcel forwarding company. Membership is free and the company has an upfront pricing model, depending on the size of the package that you’re shipping. You can compare shipping costs with a number of couriers, including the budget-friendly option of shipping with Deutsche Post (the German postal service). This option is ideal for sending smaller, less important items such as a paperback book (whereas you might want to use a courier with full insurance if you were sending a laptop or mobile phone).
- Membership fee: Free
- No fee for receiving orders
Mailboxde.com
Mailboxde.com offers a free address in Germany. The website has a shipping calculator where you can compare the cost across multiple options, including Deutsche Post as well as couriers like UPS. Mailboxde ship more than 150,000 shipments annually to a customer base of more than 160,000 located all over the world.
- Membership fee: Free
- No fee for receiving orders
Shopogolic
Shopogolic offers a free forwarding address in multiple countries in Germany as well as several other European countries like Portugal, Poland, Italy, and France. They also offer mailing addresses in international countries like the US, UK, and Israel.
- Membership fee: Free
- No fee for receiving orders
Europe Mailbox
Europe Mailbox has a much less German-sounding name and that’s because it doesn’t just provide a mailbox in Germany but in Poland and the Czech Republic as well. The company has been in business since 2011 and has served more than 7,000 customers around the world. Unlike many other services, Europe Mailbox charge a small fee to receive your package as well as a fee to forward it onto you. They also don’t seem to offer mail forwarding to every country worldwide, focusing more on other European countries instead. As such, this won’t be the most suitable option for everyone. The shipping calculator is much more simplistic than other companies, but this also makes it easier to estimate prices.
- Membership fee: Free
- Small fee for receiving orders
My KrautBox
The prize for the best name definitely goes to this company, which is based in Merseburg in the Southern part of Saxony-Anhalt. The website isn’t as flashy as the other companies, but it’s another company to consider — especially as it’s one of the few that will allow you to post with Deutsche Post. This is ideal for those on a budget or ordering something they aren’t particularly concerned about. As well as package forwarding, My KrautBox also allows you to consolidate multiple orders and re-pack them so they get sent as one. And this company also gets brownie points for using environmentally-friendly, recycled and biodegradable packaging materials and carbon neutral shipping to get your order.
- Membership fee: Free
- No fee for receiving orders