There are lots of package forwarding services out there, almost all of which are companies that have big warehouses where they will receive your package and then forward it onto you wherever you are in the world.
Shippn is a little different. When you send your order to someone, you’re not sending it to a package forwarding company: you’re sending it to a dedicated Shippn host. They will receive your package and then forward it onto you wherever you are in the world. So, Shippn essentially works the same as using a package forwarding company, like Forward2me, for example, but instead of a company you’re using an individual. Each of the individuals (or ‘hosts’) have reviews, you can see where they’re located, and how many packages they’ve already received. You can also see which ‘hosts’ offer additional services you might need like:
- Photos (taking photos of the item)
- Consolidation (combining packages into one new order)
- Storage (holding your item)
- Repacking
Currently, Shippn have members offering shipping addresses in around 25 countries worldwide, but that number is growing as they add more and more people to their membership. And if you want to, you can sign up and become a package forwarder too.
Shippn is well-rated with excellent reviews on TrustPilot.
Tip: Save 10% when you use the code GUIDE10.
How much does it cost?
As with any other package forwarding company, the price is calculated based on the weight and size of the package. Prices are set by Shippn, rather than the individual.
Shippn have a shipping cost calculator on their website which will give you an idea of how much it would cost to forward a particular package.
Pros & Cons of Shippn
As with every service, there are pros and cons.
Pros
- More shipping addresses: While there are a lot of package forwarding companies in the US and UK, there are far fewer in other parts of the world and Shippn is great for opening up the global shopping space.
- More options: We didn’t notice a huge financial saving in using Shippn over the package forwarding companies we compared it to, but it’s definitely good to have more options.
- One-on-One Service: You’re much more likely to get one-on-one attention when dealing with a Shippn host rather than a package forwarding company.
- Insurance & Tracking: Always important when shopping internationally.
Cons
- No snail mail: Unfortunately, Shippn seemed to mainly offer shipping through couriers like Fedex and DHL, which is more expensive and often unnecessary for small items like books.
- Limited storage: Free storage is for 10 days only. Many package forwarding companies offer 30 days as standard.