You must have heard the saying, “change is the only constant in life.” And we all have been witnessing various changes over the years, some due to technology, others due to comfort, including the rise of the eCommerce industry.
Also, this growth of eCommerce has created several new businesses and services that support online business/ retail, such as package forwarding.
Unlike traditional mail forwarding or redirection, package forwarding is a pretty convenient service for people who like to buy online, specifically from the stores outside the country they live in. And some of them execute with the help of various shipping applications.
You must be thinking about whether or not package forwarding can help you as a retailer or is it something that only consumers can use. Don’t worry, you will get all the answers you want because we have you covered, let’s start with what package forwarding is all about.
What is Package Forwarding?
You might be aware of the mail forwarding service or used it before. However, the concept of package forwarding, also known as parcel forwarding is a little different from mail forwarding that is done globally.
For instance, package forwarding is a service that is particularly designed to help international shoppers buy online from their favorite stores overseas, or even across international borders. And it can be done way more easily with the help of parcel forwarding software.
In a nutshell, this service provides both consumers and businesses in many ways, which includes the delivery address in the country of shopping.
International shoppers benefit in various ways by having the store ship their purchase to the domestic address or virtual address, including:
- A good checking and inspection service for their items
- International shipping service to get their purchases into their home country
- Delivery of each package to their home or mentioned final delivery address
All these facilities allow consumers to purchase online internationally, easily like buying from domestic eCommerce sites.
Process of Package Forwarding
An example would be the best way to explain package forwarding. Assume that you are a consumer living in the UAE. And you want to purchase items that are available only in the United States.
It’s pretty obvious that you can go to the United States online stores’ sites that sell these particular items. Though there are chances that it doesn’t support international delivery, or take a different scenario where the shipping prices to your country are too high to afford.
So, what other thing you can do is— you can register with a package forwarding service, and they will make the whole process less costly and easier for you. And now you will be able to shop in any online store in the United States. But, how does it work? Here is your answer:
- You sign up with a package forwarding service, such as BoxOn. Some operate on a membership basis, so you will get an option to choose a basic level of service or one with more features or better shipping discounts.
- The service provider provides you with a virtual address in the United States. Though it is not a virtual address but a real one; usually a warehouse of your service provider or its logistics partner.
- When you purchase anything in the United States store online, you browse the website. Choose your items and visit the checkout page to pay and arrange delivery.
- There, you will use the virtual address as the ship-to address for your products so that the vendor will be able to send your order to the package-forwarding company’s warehouse.
- The forwarding company then receives your items, will unpack and check them; as per request, then repack them for international shipping to your home country.
- The forwarding company will ship your items to your home country, usually at a discounted shipping rate, will handle all the customs clearance for you, and finally, they will deliver them to your doorstep.
Benefits of Package Forwarding for the Consumers
Though, buying something online abroad can never be as simple as buying from a domestic online store. Still, the above example showcases the simplicity that package forwarding provides for international buyers. And simplicity is one of the valued benefits for consumers.
Not to mention, purchasing online from different countries includes consumer clearance procedures at international borders— the possible imposition of taxes and fees to the shopper while buying any item. This kind of fee may be added when the items reach a border, and then the customer has to pay for them.
However, there are several benefits for consumers signing up with a package forwarding provider. Some of those benefits are as follows:
Shopping Freedom
People using a package forwarding service can buy items from any online store overseas, they only had to make sure that the store should be in a country supported by the service. Moreover, they don’t have to worry about any type of vendors’ international shipping service costs or policies. It will all be handled by a package forwarding service.
More Buying Power
Usually, the package forwarding services provided by freight forwarding or logistics companies like BoxOn, offer more affordable international shipping rates than services handled by merchants. Meaning that consumers will save money with these services and can do more shopping rather than thinking about the extra charges.
Value-Added Services
Some of the package forwarding services provide extra services to members. For instance, they provide their clients with digital images of their items after unpacking them at the warehouse or enable them to apply for several orders for lower shipping fees.
Why Should You Partner with a Package Forwarding Service Provider?
As a business owner, you might have given it a thought that whether there are any benefits to partnering with one of these package forwarding service providers or not.
The answer to this question is that it mainly depends on which type of parcel-forwarding companies you consider. The most beneficial for your business is likely to come from those companies that combine package forwarding with other international fulfillment or logistics offerings.
So, get started with BoxOn Logistics today! And to get more details, register here.
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