What ForwardVia does

ForwardVia Limited (Company No. 11388886, VAT GB304790314) is a UK-based parcel forwarding company operating from a single warehouse and registered office at Via House, 26C Hazel Road, Southampton SO19 7GA. The company provides international consumers and small e-commerce businesses with a free UK delivery address that can be used at checkout with UK and European online retailers, after which ForwardVia receives, optionally stores, consolidates, and forwards parcels to over 200 destinations worldwide. Its operating geography excludes sanctioned or restricted jurisdictions including Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Belarus, and Crimea; the shipment value cap is £1,000 per parcel.

The technology layer is a self-serve web platform at forwardvia.com with a customer dashboard for managing inbound packages, selecting carriers, and ordering pre-shipping services. ForwardVia does not own or operate aircraft or line-haul transport; instead it integrates with six external carriers — DHL (also the exclusive carrier for IATA-classified dangerous goods), UPS, FedEx, Royal Mail, DPD, and Landmark BPost — and resells their services. Differentiated capabilities include IATA accreditation for shipping regulated goods (perfume, lithium batteries, aerosols, flammable liquids), assisted purchase (in-person or remote buying on behalf of customers whose payment methods are rejected by UK retailers), package consolidation with claimed up-to-80% shipping cost reduction, photo verification, return handling, and disposal. Payments are processed through Stripe and PayPal; customer support runs on Help Scout.

ForwardVia is privately held, founder/owner-operated, with no disclosed institutional funding and a stated headcount of 1-10. Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-based shipping fees (weight × destination × carrier), with ancillary streams from optional pre-shipping services, dangerous goods surcharges (£10-£150 per carton plus repackaging fees), assisted purchase fees (flat £25 for offline purchases within 10 miles of the warehouse), return handling (£10 per returned package), and an annual Premium Membership subscription (non-refundable, auto-renewing, granting 60-day free storage vs 30 days for the free tier). Customer acquisition runs product-led through the website, supported by an SEO-oriented blog of 181+ articles and organic social channels; there is no sales team. ForwardVia reports over 50% repeat customers and offers both consumer and small-business services including a UK return address for e-commerce sellers.

Name

ForwardVia

Legal name

ForwardVia Limited

Website

https://forwardvia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ForwardVia is a privately held UK parcel forwarding company that gives international consumers a free Southampton delivery address for purchases from UK and European retailers, then stores, consolidates, and ships parcels worldwide via DHL, Royal Mail, UPS, FedEx, DPD, and Landmark BPost, with niche IATA-accredited dangerous goods handling.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Parcel Forwarding / Cross-Border Logistics Services

NAICS

Couriers and Express Delivery Services (492110), Couriers and Express Delivery Services (49211), Couriers and Messengers (492)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Air Courier Services (4513)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Cross-Border Fulfillment & Distribution (In-Country Injection) (TLACAKAF), E-commerce Cross-Border Air Parcel Forwarding (DDP/DDU, De Minimis) (TLACAAAJ)

Keywords

• Parcel forwarding
• Package consolidation
• International shipping
• UK delivery address
• Mail forwarding

Headquarters

HQ city

Southampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. International Shipping Fees: Core revenue from charging customers for international parcel forwarding from UK warehouse to worldwide destinations. Customers select from multiple carrier options (DHL, UPS, FedEx, Royal Mail, DPD, Landmark BPost). Pricing is based on weight, destination, and carrier selected.
2. Assisted Purchase Service Fee: Charged for purchasing items on behalf of customers who cannot use their payment method or access UK retailers directly. Fee is separate from item cost and shipping. For offline purchases within 10 miles of warehouse, a flat £25 fee applies for up to 10 items from a single supplier.
3. Premium Membership Subscription: Yearly subscription offering enhanced features including 60 days free storage (vs 30 days for basic), discounted shipping rates, and other service benefits. Non-refundable if not used before expiry.
4. Optional Pre-Shipping Services: Additional chargeable services including consolidation (standard and with unpacking), photo service, special requests, extended shipping insurance, return handling (£10 per return package), disposal of goods (free up to 3 per year for occasional disposal), and additional packaging. These are optional add-ons to the core forwarding service.
5. Dangerous Goods Surcharges: Additional fees for shipping regulated goods including repackaging fee (£15 for first kg, £1/kg thereafter) and carrier surcharges ranging from £10 to £150 per carton depending on goods type and shipping method (DHL only).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ForwardVia operates a UK parcel forwarding service that assigns international customers a free UK postal address to shop at UK and European online retailers that do not ship abroad. Packages received at the Southampton warehouse are logged, stored (30 days free, 60 days for Premium), and then shipped to over 200 countries via multiple carriers (DHL, UPS, FedEx, Royal Mail, DPD, Landmark BPost). The platform offers add-on services such as package consolidation, Assisted Purchase, dangerous goods handling (IATA accredited), shipping insurance, returns handling, photo verification, and a Premium Membership subscription.

Product overview

ForwardVia operates as a UK parcel forwarding platform offering international shoppers access to UK and European online retailers through a network of services. The core product is the Package Forwarding Service, which provides a free UK delivery address for international customers to shop from UK stores, with goods consolidated and shipped worldwide. Supporting this core offering are add-on modules including Assisted Purchase (for purchasing from stores with payment restrictions), Package Consolidation, Photo Service, Return Handling, and two tiers of Shipping Insurance. Premium Membership provides enhanced storage (60 days vs 30 days) and discounted rates. The platform also handles specialized shipping including dangerous goods (perfume, batteries) through DHL with IATA accreditation. Services are available via the website dashboard with multiple carrier options including DHL, UPS, FedEx, Royal Mail, DPD, and Landmark BPost.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UK Package Forwarding Service Core parcel forwarding service that provides international shoppers with a free UK delivery address to shop from UK and European retailers, with goods received, stored, consolidated, and shipped worldwide to over 200 destinations via customer-selected carriers.
• Assisted Purchase Service Concierge service where ForwardVia purchases items on behalf of customers when retailers do not accept international payments or require UK-issued cards, then forwards the goods internationally. Includes offline purchase support (£25 flat fee for up to 10 items within 10 miles of warehouse).
• Package Consolidation Service Service combining multiple packages into one shipment, with standard consolidation and consolidation-with-unpacking options, reducing weight and international shipping costs by up to 80%.
• Dangerous Goods Shipping Accredited service for shipping regulated items including perfume, lithium batteries, aerosols, and flammable liquids internationally via DHL with specialized packaging and IATA-compliant handling and repackaging.
• Premium Membership Annual subscription tier offering enhanced benefits including 60 days free storage (vs. 30 days basic), discounted shipping rates, and priority processing. Auto-renews annually unless cancelled.
• Photo Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Package consolidation may save up to 80% on shipping costs
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• DHLcoreOthersPrimary courier partner for international shipments including dangerous goods (perfume, batteries, aerosols). DHL is the exclusive carrier for shipping regulated goods and is also available as a standard shipping option alongside other carriers.
• Royal MailcoreOthersUK national postal service used as a shipping carrier option. Available for both tracked and untracked international shipments. Recently expanded to offer heavy weight shipping up to 30kg to select international destinations.
• UPSsecondaryOthersInternational courier carrier available as a shipping option for forwarding parcels from the UK worldwide.
• FedExsecondaryOthersInternational courier carrier available as a shipping option for forwarding parcels from the UK worldwide.
• DPDsecondaryOthersInternational courier carrier available as a shipping option for forwarding parcels from the UK worldwide.
• Landmark BPostsecondaryOthersInternational shipping carrier operating a 2-legged service (ForwardVia delivers to carrier's warehouse, carrier handles international delivery). Available as a shipping option.
• PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary payment processor for customer transactions. Claims are paid out into customer PayPal accounts. PayPal is referenced as the required address source for shipment destinations when used as payment processor.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing provider for credit/debit card transactions. All payment transactions processed securely through Stripe on behalf of ForwardVia. ForwardVia does not store financial/card details.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Forward2Me: Forward2Me is a UK-based parcel forwarding service with a UK address, package consolidation, and worldwide shipping to 200+ countries - a head-to-head competitor in the same niche with overlapping customer segments and carrier list.
• Stackry: Stackry is a US-based package forwarding service that provides a US address for international shoppers and ships worldwide - the direct US analogue to ForwardVia's UK model. Same product mechanics: free address on signup, multi-carrier shipping, package consolidation, assisted purchase, and add-on services.
• ShopUKAndShip: ShopUKAndShip provides a UK forwarding address with consolidation, repacking, and assisted purchase services aimed at international shoppers. Comparable service mix and UK hub focus make it a direct niche competitor to ForwardVia.
• MyUKMailbox: MyUKMailbox is a UK parcel forwarder offering international shoppers a UK postal address with consolidation, multi-carrier shipping (Royal Mail, DHL, Parcelforce), and storage - directly comparable to ForwardVia's core offering with the same UK hub structure.
• UK Postbox: UK Postbox offers a UK postal address with mail forwarding, package forwarding, mail scanning, and international shipping from the UK - directly aligned with ForwardVia's parcel-forwarding-plus-mail-services positioning for international customers.
• Shipito: Shipito is a US-based parcel forwarder offering a US address for international shoppers with consolidation, assisted purchase, and multi-carrier shipping. Comparable business model and feature set to ForwardVia, anchored in a different single geography.
• Reship: Reship operates a multi-country parcel forwarding network (US, UK, Japan, etc.) with consolidation, multi-carrier shipping, and shopping assistance - a direct competitor in the cross-border parcel forwarding category with overlapping UK coverage.

Broad incumbents

• Parcelhub: Parcelhub is a UK parcel broker that aggregates volumes for SMB retailers and resells multi-carrier services at negotiated rates. Operates in adjacent parcel intermediation territory to ForwardVia and competes indirectly for UK shipping volume.
• Borderlinx: Borderlinx was an early international parcel forwarding service (acquired by Asendia) and is referenced in ForwardVia's history as a player whose 2018 European exit created the market opportunity ForwardVia entered. It remains a comparable cross-border forwarding service in other markets.

Others

• PostNord / PostNord Strålfors (or alternatively, Royal Mail International): PostNord (and comparable national posts like Royal Mail's international division) operate cross-border parcel delivery networks that are sometimes used by retailers and end consumers directly. While not direct parcel-forwarding peers, they are upstream network partners/adversaries relevant to ForwardVia's carrier economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/forwardvia
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fforwardvia.com
• Instagraminstagram.com/forwardvia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forwardvia-com

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 ForwardVia