Six simple steps for parcel forwarding
How to receive parcels from the U.S. and save!
Did you know that many online stores require customers to ship orders to a U.S. address? Unless you live in the U.S., that doesn’t make online shopping convenient. Parcel forwarding is a simple solution to get the things you want from the U.S. Making an account with the best parcel forwarding service is one way to solve your U.S. shopping experience.
OPAS has excellent news for international shoppers, including people who buy and resell. By using a parcel forwarding service, you can order as much as you want from any U.S. online store and receive your purchases in your own country.
Read on and learn how!
Follow six simple steps and ship parcels without worrying about how or whether they arrive.
1. Register with your parcel forwarding service
Before you enjoy any of the benefits of parcel forwarding, you need an address. In addition, since you’ll shop at U.S. online retailers, you’ll need a U.S. shipping address.
Most parcel forwarding services offer a selection of different tiers of service. You can choose a basic level where you receive only parcels. Some parcel forwarding services provide service levels that include mail receipts as well.
Whichever service you choose, you’ll get a shipping address in the U.S. dedicated only to you. This address serves as a forwarding address for your U.S. online purchases.
Keep in mind that this type of service isn’t the same as a virtual mailbox where someone opens your mail and scans it electronically. Mail that comes into a virtual mailbox usually doesn’t get physically forwarded.
This service receives packages for you at your personal U.S. address and then, per your instructions, sends the parcels to you.
2. Provide your details to the online store
After you register with a parcel forwarder, let the shopping begin!
The fun part of this process is the shopping. If you’re a reseller, life just got easier. So go ahead and put your online order together, then enter your address details.
Instead of worrying about whether the online retailer will get your parcels processed correctly for international shipping, you enter your ship-to address, click and pay for your order.
You also are free from worrying over multiple shipping charges. Instead, you pay the parcel forwarding service one amount for getting your parcels safely to your international address.
3. Waiting for delivery to the parcel forwarding service
Since your parcels go to the warehouse of your parcel forwarding service, the first delivery notice you receive comes from them. After that, you receive an email confirmation for each package they receive on your behalf. This makes tracking your parcels easy for you!
If you have questions about a delivery, you may be able to request that your service scans documentation or even send you a photo of your parcel.
Since you’re ordering from a U.S. online store and shipping to a U.S. address, you benefit from the exact delivery time that any U.S. customer enjoys. This is especially good if you order from retailers who offer subscription services for one or 2-day shipping.
Once your forward parcel service receives your parcel and notifies you of receipt, they wait for your instructions.
4. Where do you want your parcels to go?
The next step is yours after receiving an email notification from the parcel forwarding service letting you know they have a parcel for you. Make friends with your online account as you use it for just about every step of the parcel forwarding process.
You, the customer, decide where and when you want your parcel(s) forwarded.
Depending on the final destination of your shipment, you may choose to ship via USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, or another shipping company. When you’re ready to request shipping, you have all the information you need in your account. That includes requesting an estimate for shipping costs from each available carrier from the parcel forwarder.
If you have special instructions, you also provide those on the shipping request form to the parcel forwarding service.
5. Request handling services
Have you thought about saving money on shipping by using parcel consolidation? This is extremely good for people who shop with multiple retailers. It’s also popular with resellers.
Parcel consolidation does just what it says—it combines multiple orders into one large parcel.
The point of consolidation is to save on shipping costs if you’ve selected a service level that includes free package consolidation, even better.
6. Paying for parcel forwarding services
MasterCard
VISA
American Express
Discover
If you don’t see your credit card company listed here, check with your chosen service. Each service has its list of accepted payment methods. Some services also accept payments from a PayPal account.
For customers who don’t wish to provide credit card information, your service may accept other payment methods like Western Union. Please feel free to contact us.
Ready to ship with a parcel forwarding service?
Hopefully, we’ve taken some mystery out of the international package forwarding process. Once you register your address, shop, and notify your parcel forwarding company of incoming packages, all you do is wait for notification of delivery.
Then it’s your turn to relax while your package forwarding service handles the rest of the details. You have your items and are ready for more online shopping.
OPAS makes it easy for you to ship and receive packages purchased from your favorite U.S. online retailer when you’re ready.
