US Parcel Forwarding Definition - What It Is, Who Uses It and Why It's Used

Copyright (c) 2013 Megan Protter

"US parcel forwarding" is a term most familiar to stateside and international relocators, as well as international shoppers. It's definition is fairly straight-forward if you combine the meaning of the words the term is comprised of: "US," "parcel" and "forwarding." "US" is the abbreviation for "United States." "Parcel" is "a shipping package." "Forwarding" is "transfer of an item from one location to another." Thus, the term's meaning can be ascertained as that of "United States shipping package being transfered from one location to another."

US parcel forwarding is used primarily for two purposes: (1) to help those who have relocated within or from the United States to get their packages shipped to their new addresses, and (2) to help those living in countries outside the United States purchase and get products and items shipped to them from America.

As a service, US parcel forwarding is offered through US-based forwarding companies. These companies can be found by doing a search on the internet search engines, Internet service directories, shopping classifieds and local telephone directories.

The way this service works is first, the customer identifies a forwarding company that provides this service. Next, the customer contacts the company to obtain a mail forwarding address to use for receiving the parcel(s). After that, the parcels are received by the parcel forwarding company. Then, the customer is given an invoice for the cost of the forwarding service(s) which can include consolidation or bundling of multiple items into one parcel. Finally, upon payment, the customer's parcel(s) are shipped to another address the customer provides (usually his or her current one).

This costs associated with US parcel forwarding services vary from company to company. Some companies charge a monthly membership paid a year upfront, while others charge per transaction and no membership fee; others charge flat fees for their services and others charge a fee based on a percentage of the value of the items being shipped. Because there is such a wide variation in pricing, it's a good idea to do comparison shopping before deciding on a particular company's services.

Checking online reviews of different companies can be helpful in selecting the best company for providing this service. Reviews of customer comments online indicate that some of the major complaints regarding various forwarding companies are as follows: lack of timely response to emails, upfront monthly memberships, too many fee charges. Customer complaints range from getting no response to emails to it taking weeks for companies to get back to them. Upfront payment of a year on monthly memberships is claimed to be unreasonable by many customers. Customers express confusion and annoyance at being dinged for a multitude of fees they don't understand on their invoices.

In summary definition, US parcel forwarding is a term that refers to a United States shipping package that is transferred from one location to another. This term refers primarily to a service utilized by relocators and those living outside the US who buy American products and items. The service is available through US parcel forwarding companies. It works by providing a forwarding address that is used to receive a customer's packages, that are then shipped to another address that the customer provides. Costs for this service can vary signficantly, so it is a good idea to do some comparison shopping, as well as to check online reviews to ensure that you pick the best company for this service.

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