Package Forwarding: What's it, and What Are its Benefits?
The rise of ecommerce has spawned a variety of new business and consumer services that support online retail. One such service is package forwarding.
Not to be confused with conventional mail forwarding/redirection, package forwarding is really a convenience-service for consumers who like to purchase online from stores outside their house country.
Perhaps you've been wondering about package forwarding and if it should matter for your requirements as a retailer, or if it was something of import only to consumers. If that's the case, here's a quick rundown of what it is and how it's used. So What's Package Forwarding All About?
You might have heard of, or even used, a mail forwarding service in the past. Concerning online sales, though, the concept of package forwarding (sometimes called parcel forwarding), is just a little different from global mail forwarding.
For one thing, it is a service that exists specifically to help international shoppers buy from a common online retailers overseas—or at least across international borders.
Essentially, package forwarding is just a service that gives consumers—and sometimes businesses too, should they take part in online procurement from vendors abroad—with a delivery address in the united kingdom of shopping.
By getting the store ship their purchases to this domestic address, sometimes called an electronic address, international shoppers benefit from:
A checking and inspection service for his or her goods An international shipping service to have their purchases into their home country Delivery of every parcel to their home or specified final delivery address
These facilities combine allow consumers to buy online internationally, with the same ease they enjoy when shopping on domestic ecommerce sites.
Breaking Down the Package Forwarding Process
Perhaps the simplest way to describe package forwarding, has been an example. Suppose you're a client surviving in the UAE. Moreover, you like to get products typically available only in the United Kingdom.
Of course, you can visit a UK web store that sells these products. Still, you could find it doesn't support international delivery, or perhaps the shipping rates to your country are simply too much to justify the purchase.
Instead, you register with a deal forwarding service, and from there, the whole process becomes less costly and more straightforward. You can now shop in any online store in the United Kingdom. Here's how it works:
You sign up for the package forwarding service. Most operate on a membership basis, so you might be able to select between a simple level of service and one with additional features or better shipping discounts.
The supplier offers you a digital address in the United Kingdom. Don't be confused by the "virtual" term. It's a genuine address, typically a warehouse owned by the service provider or its logistics partner.
Any time you wish to look in a UK store online, you browse the website (just as in virtually any online shopping scenario). You decide on your items and go to the checkout page to cover and arrange delivery.
You utilize the virtual address as the ship-to address for the purchases so that the vendor will send your order to the package-forwarding company's warehouse.
The forwarding company receives your purchases, unpacks and checks them, then repackages them for international shipping.
The forwarding company ships your purchases to your residence country, typically at a reduced shipping rate, handles customs clearance for you personally, and finally, delivers them to your chosen address.