What Planet Express Shipping LLC does

Planet Express Shipping LLC is a US-based package forwarding company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Torrance, California, with founder Jason Luong serving as CEO. The company provides international shoppers with personal US and UK shipping addresses, receives their purchases from retailers that do not offer direct international shipping, and forwards consolidated packages to customers in 200+ countries (excluding embargoed nations). It operates four physical warehouses (Torrance CA, Tualatin OR, Fort Pierce FL, and Warrington UK) with differentiated attributes: Oregon and Florida locations offer 0% sales tax on exports, Florida provides 90-day free storage and faster Latin America/Caribbean delivery, and California/Oregon enable alcohol shipping via DHL.

The core technology is a self-serve package forwarding and consolidation platform with a warehouse management system that integrates with multiple carriers (FedEx, USPS, DHL, Aramex, Yamato, Asendia, DPD) to enable rate comparison and label generation. The platform includes a postage calculator, package tracking, FedEx DDP customs-prepay options, and a multilingual interface spanning six languages.

The business model is freemium-plus-transactional: Free Mailbox at no monthly fee and Premium Mailbox at $10/month or $50/year. Revenue is generated from subscription fees, $2 per-package mail-out fees, shipping-rate markups on carrier discounts of 35-87%, consolidation fees ($5 + $2/package, Premium-only), Shop For Me assisted purchasing ($5 + 7% of order), ancillary services such as content photos and special requests, and an affiliate program paying $5 per referred user who ships. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through planetexpress.com and app.planetexpress.com with no physical retail presence, complemented by content marketing and a self-serve PLG motion targeting individual international online shoppers, cross-border e-commerce buyers, and volume shippers.

Name

Planet Express Shipping LLC

Legal name

Planet Express Inc.

Website

https://planetexpress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Planet Express Shipping LLC is a US-based package forwarding company that provides international shoppers with US and UK addresses to purchase from retailers that do not ship internationally, forwarding consolidated packages globally through four warehouses. It operates a freemium-plus-transactional model targeting individual cross-border e-commerce consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Package Forwarding Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

DDU/Delivered Duty Unpaid & Duties/Taxes Collection (TLACAKAC)

Keywords

• Package forwarding services
• International shipping consolidation
• Cross-border parcel forwarding
• Mail forwarding service
• Parcel forwarding platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Two-tier subscription model: Free Mailbox (no monthly fee) and Premium Mailbox ($10/month or $50/year). Premium includes consolidation services, extended storage, and additional features.
2. Mail-out/Handling Fees: $2 per package mail-out fee for both Free and Premium plans. Premium users receive 1 free mail-out request per month.
3. Shipping Markup: Company aggregates high-volume shipments to negotiate discounted carrier rates (70-87% discounts) and passes savings to customers while retaining margin. Revenue generated through mark-up on discounted shipping rates.
4. Consolidation Services: $5 base fee plus $2 per consolidated package for combining multiple packages into one shipment. Only available to Premium Mailbox subscribers.
5. Shop For Me Service: $5 service fee plus 7% of total purchase cost for assisted purchasing when customers' payment methods are not accepted by retailers. Covers bank fees, PayPal fees, and credit card fees.
6. Additional Services: Fees for content photos ($2-5), content videos ($8), consolidation videos ($1.50), special requests ($5), pallet receiving ($10), and additional storage ($0.01/lbs/day).
7. Affiliate Referrals: $5 commission per referred user who ships their first package. Top affiliates earn over $5,000/month according to company claims.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Planet Express Shipping LLC provides international package forwarding services by assigning members personal US and UK shipping addresses, receiving their online purchases, consolidating multiple parcels, and forwarding them worldwide at discounted carrier rates via FedEx, DHL, USPS, Aramex, and Yamato. The company also offers paid add-on services such as assisted purchasing ("Shop For Me"), package consolidation, and content/photo verification, supported by tax-free warehouse locations.

Product overview

Planet Express is a package forwarding service that operates as a unified platform combining multiple service tiers (Free Mailbox and Premium Mailbox) with modular add-on services. The core offering provides customers with personalized US and UK addresses to shop from retailers that do not offer international shipping. The platform's main products include the Package Forwarding Service as the foundation, with Premium Mailbox offering enhanced features like consolidation (combining multiple packages into one box), Shop For Me (assisted purchasing), and package photos/requests. Supporting services include FedEx DDP and DDP Air for prepaid customs handling, a Postage Calculator for rate comparison, and an Affiliate Program. The service leverages partnerships with major carriers (FedEx, USPS, DHL, Aramex, Yamato) to offer discounted shipping rates up to 87% off retail pricing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Package Forwarding Service Core offering that assigns members personal US and UK shipping addresses, receives their purchases from US/UK retailers, and forwards packages internationally via FedEx, DHL, USPS, Aramex, or Yamato. Designed for individual international online shoppers who lack direct access to US/UK retailers.
• Package Consolidation Service Standalone paid service that combines multiple received packages into a single shipment to reduce international shipping costs. Priced at $5 plus $2 per additional package. Aimed at members wanting to lower per-shipment freight charges.
• Shop For Me Assisted purchasing service in which Planet Express staff buy items from US or UK stores on behalf of members, for a fee of $5 plus 7% of the item cost. Targeted at members whose retailers refuse to ship to forwarding addresses or to their home country.
• Package Photos & Requests Paid add-on service letting members request content photos ($2), package photos, item checks, repackaging, or disposal of unwanted items ($5 each). Designed to give members visibility into received parcels before international forwarding.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration19 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• FedExcoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary shipping carrier partner offering multiple service levels including FedEx Priority (1-6 days), FedEx Economy (4-8 days), FedEx DDP (customs duties paid, 6-10 days), and FedEx Multi Package Shipment. Provides 70-87% discount on shipping rates.
• USPScoreTechnology or IntegrationU.S. Postal Service partner offering Express International and Priority International shipping methods. Planet Express receives 35-40% postage discount, claimed to be unique in the industry.
• DHLcoreTechnology or IntegrationInternational express shipping partner with 70-80% average savings on postage. Delivers to certain countries within 2-4 business days. Supports alcohol shipping from California and Oregon locations.
• AramexsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationInternational shipping partner offering Priority Parcel Express with 6-12 business day delivery. Available from California, Oregon, and Florida warehouses.
• Yamato Transport U.S.A.secondaryTechnology or IntegrationJapanese shipping partner with nearly 100 years of experience. Available from Torrance (twice weekly) and Tualatin (once weekly) to Japan. Ships twice weekly from California. Delivers within 5-7 business days.
• AsendiasecondaryTechnology or IntegrationInternational postal and parcel service partner used for Planet Mail Express shipments. Provides economical shipping with limited tracking.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MyUS.com: MyUS is a US-based package forwarding service that provides international shoppers with a US address, package consolidation, and discounted international shipping. It is the most established direct competitor to Planet Express, with similar product offering, target customer (international online shoppers), and revenue model (freemium + premium tiers, shipping markup).
• Shipito: Shipito offers US package forwarding with a US address in Oregon (tax-free), package consolidation, and discounted carrier rates for international shoppers. Directly comparable to Planet Express in service model, target market, and consolidation-driven value proposition.
• Stackry: Stackry is a package forwarding service with US warehouse locations offering consolidation, tax-free shopping, and international shipping to global customers. Directly competes with Planet Express on price, consolidation, and freight forwarding services.
• comGateway: comGateway is a package forwarding and freight forwarding service with US warehouses serving primarily Asia-Pacific international shoppers. Comparable to Planet Express in core package forwarding and consolidation services, with regional focus on Asian customers.
• Viabox: Viabox provides US package forwarding, consolidation, and tax-free shopping services to international customers, primarily focused on European shoppers. Directly comparable business model, pricing structure, and customer segments to Planet Express.
• Reship: Reship offers international package forwarding services from the US and UK, with consolidation and discounted carrier rates for cross-border shoppers. Directly comparable to Planet Express's UK/US dual-address forwarding model.
• PostScanMail: PostScanMail offers virtual mailbox and package forwarding services with US addresses, mail scanning, and international shipping. Comparable to Planet Express in virtual mailbox concept and consumer forwarding model, though with stronger mail-handling focus.
• USendHome: USendHome provides US package forwarding, consolidation, and tax-free shopping services for international shoppers. Directly comparable business model, customer segment, and pricing structure to Planet Express, operating as a smaller-scale peer.
• Borderlinx: Borderlinx (formerly Viaexpress) offers international package forwarding with consolidation and DDP customs handling services. Directly comparable to Planet Express's forwarding and DDP offerings, with similar premium-tier pricing model.

Broad incumbents

• Aramex Shop & Ship: Aramex Shop & Ship is the package forwarding arm of Aramex, a major global logistics company. It provides international shoppers with addresses in multiple countries for forwarding purchases, leveraging Aramex's owned last-mile delivery network. While Planet Express partners with Aramex for shipping, Shop & Ship is a direct competitor with broader geographic reach and owned logistics infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/myplanetexpress
• Facebookfacebook.com/myplanetexpress
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planet-express-shipping-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Planet Express Shipping LLC