Ship and Play
Ship and Play (Global Sticks Express, LLC) is a travel logistics platform that aggregates FedEx, UPS, and DHL capacity into a door-to-destination luggage, golf club, ski, bike, and box shipping service for individual travelers, travel advisors, cruise lines, and luxury hospitality partners in 180 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersPalm Beach Gardens, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ship and Play does
Ship and Play (legal entity: Global Sticks Express, LLC, a Delaware LLC) is a travel logistics company that aggregates third-party shipping carrier capacity (FedEx for domestic, DHL for international, UPS as a secondary option) into a consumer-facing platform for door-to-destination luggage and sporting equipment delivery. The service allows travelers to ship suitcases, golf clubs, skis, snowboards, bikes, and boxes/trunks from any U.S. address to hotels, cruise ships, resorts, or homes in 180 countries, with a stated reach of 500,000+ annual travelers and 41,340 bags shipped in the most recent month across 6,283 destinations. The platform combines a 24/7 self-serve online booking flow, white-glove pickup from home/office/hotel, real-time shipment tracking, a dedicated human concierge team available seven days a week, $500 of complimentary insurance per shipment (with up to $7,500 in optional coverage), and an on-time delivery guarantee with a money-back promise.
The product portfolio is organized as a family of vertical sub-brands under the unified Ship & Play consumer front: Ship Sticks (golf clubs), Ship Skis (ski and snowboard equipment), Ship Camps (camp luggage), and the core luggage shipping service, with specialized cruise concierge workflows and group-rate pricing for 8+ domestic or 4+ international travelers. Underlying technology is a logistics aggregation platform with OAuth-based social sign-in, an in-house booking and tracking system, and integration with carrier APIs rather than proprietary transportation assets. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds, headquartered at 11400 N. Jog Road, Suite 300, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with 51–100 employees.
Revenue is generated primarily through per-shipment transaction fees (starting at $44.99 for golf clubs and $49–$59.99 for standard luggage, with pricing scaled by weight, size, distance, and delivery speed), insurance upgrade fees, and group booking rates. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer online booking and phone/concierge support with a commissionable B2B2C channel program: a free-to-join Travel Advisor Program, enterprise partnerships with luxury travel consortia (Virtuoso, Signature Travel Network), cruise lines (Azamara, Emerald Cruises, Scenic Luxury Cruises), and luxury hospitality (Montage International), plus a cross-promotional relationship with CLEAR. Distribution is further extended through authorized carrier drop-off locations (FedEx, UPS, DHL stores).
Ship and Play firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ship and Play
- Legal name
- Global Sticks Express, LLC
- Website
- https://shipplay.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Ship and Play (Global Sticks Express, LLC) is a travel logistics platform that aggregates FedEx, UPS, and DHL capacity into a door-to-destination luggage, golf club, ski, bike, and box shipping service for individual travelers, travel advisors, cruise lines, and luxury hospitality partners in 180 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ship and Play industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Travel Logistics Services
- NAICS
- Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)
- SIC
- Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Provisioning & Passenger Supplies (Cruise-Focused) (THAEAFAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cross-Border E-commerce Ocean Forwarding (DDP/DDU) (TLACABAK), Port Agents & Ground Handling Services (THAEAFAE)
Keywords
Where Ship and Play is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palm Beach Gardens
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ship and Play business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Luggage Shipping Fees: Per-shipment fees based on weight, size, distance, and delivery speed. Customers pay per bag/box shipped from origin to destination. Prices start at $49-59.99 per shipment depending on route and service level.
- Insurance Add-ons: $500 complimentary insurance included with every shipment. Additional coverage available up to $7,500 for additional cost. Revenue from insurance upgrades on shipments.
- Group Bookings: Group rates available for 8+ travelers domestically or 4+ traveling internationally round-trip. Volume-based pricing for travel groups.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Starting price for basic luggage shipping |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard domestic shipping |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Golf club shipping |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Box shipping with complimentary insurance |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Group travel discounts |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Ship and Play product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ship and Play is a travel logistics platform that picks up customers' luggage, sports equipment (golf clubs, skis, bikes), and boxes from any location and ships them ahead to destinations such as hotels, cruise ships, resorts, or homes. The company aggregates third-party shipping carriers (FedEx, UPS, DHL) and layers on a white-glove service with door-to-door pickup, real-time tracking, concierge support, complimentary insurance, and an on-time delivery guarantee. The service is sold on a per-shipment basis, targeting both individual travelers and B2B travel-industry partners.
Product overview
Ship & Play is a luggage shipping platform that allows travelers to ship their luggage, golf clubs, skis, bikes, and boxes ahead to their destination (hotel, cruise ship, or home) rather than dealing with airline baggage. The core offering consists of the main shipping service with real-time tracking, complemented by specialized services for sporting equipment (golf clubs, skis, bikes) and cruise luggage delivery. The company also offers gift cards and a travel advisor referral program. The service operates through third-party logistics partners (FedEx, UPS, DHL) for actual shipment delivery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ship Sticks: Luggage shipping service - related brand under the same company ecosystem.
- Ship Skis
- Ship Camps
Products and services
- Ski and Snowboard Shipping Service for shipping skis and snowboarding equipment to ski destinations, allowing winter sports travelers to send gear ahead rather than paying oversized airline baggage fees or risking damage in transit.
- Bike Shipping Service for shipping bikes to travel destinations for cycling vacations and events, removing the need to disassemble and airline-ship bicycles.
Quantifiable outcome
- Trusted by 500,000+ travelers each year
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Ship and Play
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ship and Play technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
Ship and Play partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- VirtuosocoreLuxury travel network partner. Travel advisors in Virtuoso network can offer Ship&Play as a commissionable amenity to their high-net-worth clients. Featured in Virtuoso partner listings.
- Signature Travel NetworkcoreTravel agency consortium partner. Network of agencies can integrate Ship&Play into client travel packages.
- AzamaracoreOfficial cruise partner. Ship&Play works directly with Azamara to coordinate luggage delivery to cruise ports and ships.
- Montage InternationalcoreLuxury resort and hospitality partner. Montage properties can offer Ship&Play to guests as a premium amenity.
- CLEARminorTravel technology partner offering expedited security/entry services. Cross-promotional relationship with CLEAR members.
- Emerald CruisescoreOfficial cruise partner for river and ocean cruises. Coordinates luggage logistics with Emerald cruise ports worldwide.
- Scenic Luxury CruisescoreOfficial cruise partner. Scenic ship luggage coordination for ultra-luxury cruise experiences.
- FedExcorePrimary domestic shipping carrier. Ship&Play utilizes FedEx network for domestic luggage and package delivery within the US.
- DHLcorePrimary international shipping carrier. DHL handles most international shipments for Ship&Play customers traveling abroad.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ship and Play competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bags Inc: Airport-based baggage check, storage, and shipping service for travelers. Comparable in solving the airport-baggage pain point, with overlap on the cruise/airport traveler segment.
- LugLess: U.S. luggage shipping service that aggregates carrier rates (FedEx/UPS) for door-to-door baggage delivery. Directly comparable aggregation-plus-DTC model, with similar price-band positioning.
- Luggage Free: Door-to-door luggage shipping service for leisure and business travelers, including specialty sporting equipment. Directly comparable in product (luggage forwarding), customer (upmarket travelers), and model (carrier aggregation with white-glove service).
- Send My Bag: International luggage and sports-equipment shipping service operating across 180+ countries. Closest comparable in cross-border scope, per-shipment pricing, and traveler customer base.
Emerging players
- BikeFlights: Specialty bike shipping service with door-to-door carrier aggregation. Comparable in the sporting-equipment vertical and the carrier-aggregation playbook, though narrower in product scope.
Broad incumbents
- FedEx: Primary domestic carrier underneath Ship&Play's service and a competing direct-to-consumer shipping option. Broad incumbent because it operates the underlying capacity and could launch competing consumer luggage products.
- DHL: Primary international carrier for Ship&Play's cross-border shipments and a direct competitor for international luggage shipping customers traveling abroad.
- UPS: Secondary carrier partner and competing direct-shipping option for luggage and packages. Functions as both an enabler and a potential disintermediator.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ship and Play social profiles
Digital presenceShip and Play financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ship and Play leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Ship and Play funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ship and Play M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ship and Play
What does Ship and Play do?
Ship and Play is a travel logistics platform that picks up customers' luggage, sports equipment (golf clubs, skis, bikes), and boxes from any location and ships them ahead to destinations such as hotels, cruise ships, resorts, or homes. The company aggregates third-party shipping carriers (FedEx, UPS, DHL) and layers on a white-glove service with door-to-door pickup, real-time tracking, concierge support, complimentary insurance, and an on-time delivery guarantee. The service is sold on a per-shipment basis, targeting both individual travelers and B2B travel-industry partners.
Is Ship and Play a public or private company?
Ship and Play is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ship and Play founded?
Ship and Play was founded in 2024. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Ship and Play based?
Ship and Play is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ship and Play make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Luggage Shipping Fees are the primary driver. The others are insurance Add-ons and group Bookings.
Who are Ship and Play's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bags Inc, LugLess, Luggage Free and Send My Bag. BikeFlights is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are FedEx, DHL and UPS.
Does Ship and Play have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ship and Play.
What industry is Ship and Play in?
Ship and Play's product category is Travel Logistics Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAEAFAK, Provisioning & Passenger Supplies (Cruise-Focused), with a secondary code of TLACABAK, Cross-Border E-commerce Ocean Forwarding (DDP/DDU). Its NAICS code is 488510 and its SIC code is 4731.