forward2me

What forward2me does

forward2me is a privately held, UK-incorporated international parcel forwarding platform that has operated since 2010. The company enables consumers worldwide to shop from retailers in the UK, US, Germany, Japan, and Turkey that do not offer direct international shipping, by assigning them local delivery addresses in those markets and then consolidating, repacking, and forwarding their purchases to over 190 destination countries. Customer testimonials indicate use cases ranging from electronics and luxury goods to small-business resale and hobby items, with the platform reporting 15,824 third-party reviews and a 4.5 average rating on TrustPilot alongside Feefo Gold Trusted Merchant status.

The core product is the warehouse-based forwarding service, with five active warehouses — Preston (UK), Delaware (US), Brandenburg (Germany), East Japan, and Turkey — plus a Guernsey Crown Dependency warehouse that uniquely allows buyers to avoid the 20% UK VAT on purchases over £100. Underlying technology comprises a proprietary parcel forwarding software system delivering real-time tracking, email notifications, package-consolidation logic, multi-warehouse address management, and an online customer portal (my.forward2me.com). No public developer API is offered. Add-on modules include Protect+ insurance (up to USD 5,000 coverage), Combine & Repack (per-package packaging optimization fees from £3), free package consolidation, Personal Shopper for retailers that restrict payment methods, and Bespoke Large Item Shipping for pallet/freight consignments.

The business model is asset-light and transaction-based: revenue comes primarily from per-shipment service charges layered on top of courier pass-through pricing (DHL, UPS, FedEx, DPD, GLS, TNT), complemented by ancillary fees from Combine & Repack, extended storage (£0.50/day after a 30-day free window), Protect+ insurance, Personal Shopper, and a Retail Partner Program paying £10 per new customer acquired via merchant-referral links. The customer base is highly distributed — predominantly long-tail individual shoppers, supplemented by tax-conscious buyers, geographic-restricted shoppers, small-business importers, and large-item shippers — supported by a self-serve product-led growth motion, multi-language website localization (English, German, Arabic, Spanish, Japanese, Bulgarian), and multiple payment options including credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, AliPay, bank transfer, and cryptocurrency. The company is founder-owned with no disclosed venture or private equity backing.

Name

forward2me

Legal name

forward2me

Website

https://forward2me.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

forward2me is a UK-based parcel forwarding platform operating six warehouses across the UK, US, Germany, Guernsey, Japan, and Turkey, serving international consumers who want to shop from retailers that do not ship overseas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Parcel Forwarding Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Cross-Border E-commerce Parcel (DDP/Delivered Duty Paid) (TLAAANAD), Cross-Border Fulfillment & Distribution (In-Country Injection) (TLACAKAF)

Keywords

• Parcel forwarding services
• International shipping
• Package consolidation
• Warehouse forwarding addresses
• Tax-free shopping

Headquarters

HQ city

Preston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. International Shipping Fees: Customers pay shipping fees for international delivery that include forward2me service charges. Fees are calculated based on weight, dimensions, destination country, and chosen courier (DHL, UPS, FedEx, DPD, GLS, TNT). Prices start from approximately €29-39 per shipment depending on origin warehouse and destination.
2. Combine & Repack Service: Optional per-package fee for removing original retail packaging and combining multiple packages into one shipment. Priced at £3 UK / $3 USA / €3 Europe / ¥600 Japan + VAT per package. Helps reduce shipping costs by minimizing package size and consolidating shipments.
3. Protect+ Guarantee: Optional insurance coverage for lost or damaged goods up to USD 5,000. Customers purchase Protect+ at time of shipping order. Covers replacement or compensation for qualifying claims.
4. Extended Storage Fees: First 30 days of storage is free. After 30 days, additional storage costs £0.50 per day apply.
5. Personal Shopper Service: Bespoke service where forward2me purchases items on behalf of customers who cannot use their own credit cards or billing addresses. Customers pay for goods value, administration fee, local VAT, domestic shipping to warehouse, and international shipping separately.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

forward2me provides international parcel forwarding from warehouses in the UK, US, Germany, Japan, Guernsey, and Turkey, allowing customers worldwide to obtain free local shipping addresses, shop from retailers that do not ship internationally, and have their parcels consolidated, repacked, and forwarded internationally to 190+ countries via DHL, UPS, FedEx, DPD, GLS, and TNT. Add-on services include Protect+ insurance up to USD 5,000, paid Combine & Repack, free package consolidation, Personal Shopper assistance, and Bespoke Large Item Shipping for oversized cargo.

Product overview

forward2me operates as a multi-warehouse international parcel forwarding platform offering a unified service across five geographic locations: UK (Preston and Guernsey), US (Delaware), Germany (Brandenburg), Japan, and Turkey. The core offering consists of providing customers with local shipping addresses in these markets, enabling them to shop retailers that do not offer international shipping, then consolidating and forwarding parcels globally. The platform's main product portfolio includes: the Core Parcel Forwarding Service (with location-specific variants for UK, US, Germany, Japan, Turkey, and the UK Tax-Free Guernsey warehouse), Protect+ Guarantee (optional insurance up to $5,000), Combine & Repack and Package Consolidation services (for multi-item shipping optimization), Personal Shopper Service (for purchases requiring local payment methods), and Bespoke Large Item Shipping (for freight/pallet shipments). Additional supporting services include the Shopping Center retailer directory, Ask the Experts educational content, Retail Partner Program, Free Return to Sender, and Price Match Guarantee. The company integrates with major couriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS, DPD, GLS) and accepts multiple payment methods including PayPal, Apple Pay, AliPay, credit cards, bank transfer, and cryptocurrency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Protect+ Guarantee: Insurance and protection service for parcels covering loss or damage up to USD 5,000

Products and services

• UK Parcel Forwarding Warehouse-based parcel forwarding service operating from Preston, UK, allowing customers worldwide to shop at UK retailers and have items reshipped internationally with DHL, UPS, FedEx, DPD, and TNT couriers.
• US Parcel Forwarding Parcel forwarding from a Delaware warehouse that provides customers with a free US shipping address for shopping US-only brands and having purchases forwarded internationally with no GST.
• European Parcel Forwarding (Germany) European warehouse in Brandenburg, Germany, enabling customers to shop German and broader EU retailers and forward parcels worldwide using GLS, DPD, and other European couriers.
• Japan Parcel Forwarding Warehouse in East Japan enabling international customers to shop Japanese online retailers and forward parcels worldwide via DHL Express, typically 1–3 business days after warehouse receipt.
• Turkey Parcel Forwarding Warehouse in Turkey that enables international shoppers to access Turkish online retailers and ship parcels worldwide via DHL International.
• UK Tax-Free Warehouse (Guernsey) Zero-VAT warehouse on Guernsey allowing non-UK residents to shop UK retailers without paying 20% UK Value Added Tax before international reshipping, with DHL, UPS, and FedEx available.
• Protect+ Guarantee Optional insurance coverage for lost or damaged parcels up to USD 5,000, with replacement or compensation for qualifying claims; second-hand items covered for loss only, alcohol shipments eligible.
• Combine & Repack Service Paid service that removes original retail packaging and consolidates multiple items into a single box to reduce shipping weight and cost.
• Personal Shopper Service Bilingual purchasing assistance that lets forward2me buy items on the customer's behalf from UK, US, and German retailers that restrict orders to local credit cards or domestic billing addresses.
• Bespoke Large Item Shipping Specialised shipping for oversized and heavy items such as furniture, appliances, and car parts, using euro pallets, custom pallets, road freight, and air freight via TNT and other freight forwarding partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Save 20% UK VAT on purchases - e.g., £166 savings on £1,000 smartphone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• DHLcoreOthersPrimary international shipping partner especially for Japan and Turkey warehouses. DHL Worldwide Express handles shipments from Japan with typical 1-3 business day delivery after warehouse receipt.
• UPScoreOthersMajor courier partner for international shipping from UK, US, and Guernsey warehouses. Offers multiple service levels including Express Saver and Standard Single.
• FedExcoreOthersInternational shipping partner operating from UK, US, and Guernsey warehouses. Connect Plus and Express Worldwide services available.
• GLScoreOthersEuropean parcel delivery partner for Germany warehouse, enabling shipping across Europe and internationally.
• DPDcoreOthersEuropean courier partner for UK and Germany warehouses, offering cost-effective shipping options within Europe and internationally.
• TNTsecondaryOthersInternational courier partner for large item and freight forwarding from UK warehouse, working with freight forwarding partners.
• Retail Partners (UK and German retailers)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail partners include forward2me links at checkout to enable international customers. Partners include Amazon UK, John Lewis, Harrods, and other UK/German retailers. forward2me pays £10 per new customer who ships via tracked courier.
• Amazon (UK, Germany, Japan, USA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor retailer partner enabling customers to shop Amazon from multiple countries (Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.co.jp, Amazon.com) with international forwarding. Amazon ships to Guernsey without VAT.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MyUS.com: MyUS is one of the largest international parcel forwarding services, offering US and UK warehouse addresses with consolidation and international shipping. It competes head-to-head with forward2me on the same cross-border e-commerce parcel use case for international shoppers.
• Reship: Reship offers parcel forwarding from the UK, US, Germany, and Japan with consolidation and multi-courier options, overlapping directly with forward2me's core warehouse footprint and service mix.
• Shipito: Shipito provides US-based parcel forwarding with consolidation, repackaging, and international shipping via DHL, FedEx, and UPS. It targets the same expat and international-shopper persona as forward2me.
• Stackry: Stackry is a parcel forwarder offering US warehouse addresses, package consolidation, and international shipping. It directly competes with forward2me's US warehouse for international shoppers.
• comGateway: comGateway is a Singapore-based parcel forwarder with US and UK warehouse addresses serving Asia-Pacific shoppers. It targets the same cross-border e-commerce use case as forward2me.
• UKpostbox: UKpostbox is a UK-based parcel and mail forwarding service providing UK addresses for international shoppers. It competes with forward2me's UK and Guernsey offerings in the same persona.
• Viabox: Viabox is a German-headquartered parcel forwarder providing EU warehouse addresses and international shipping. It is a direct regional competitor to forward2me's German warehouse.
• Borderlinx (MyBox): Borderlinx (rebranded as MyBox) offers international parcel forwarding and consolidation from multiple origin countries, with comparable service tiers and pricing models to forward2me.
• JetBox: JetBox offers international parcel forwarding and consolidation services with multi-courier shipping, directly comparable to forward2me's pay-as-you-go forwarding model.

Emerging players

• ParcelBright: ParcelBright operates in the UK parcel and forwarding market with comparable consolidation features; smaller in cross-border e-commerce focus but addresses adjacent UK import/export use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/forward2me
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/forward2me
• Facebookfacebook.com/forward2me
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forward2me-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/forward2me

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 forward2me