US Package Forwarding

Karloh

Hi all,


Just wondering if anyone had any experience with package forwarding companies shipping from the US to the UK? Looking for some recommendations for a new one as my existing one isn't working for me anymore but there seems to be a lot of bad reviews for most.


For the past two years or so I've used Stackry and found them fantastic in every single way. They hold items for 2 months (with the first 45 days being free), membership is free and the charges are reasonable. Been satisfied with the consolidation process too, had a lot shipped over for hugely reduced rates and they've been on hand for everything pretty promptly.
However, more and more companies seem to be blacklisting 'freight forwarders' and this list now includes Hot Topic / Box Lunch who are the main reason I use the service. I've queried this with the stores after they cancelled orders who advised the addressed was known to them and they don't ship to them due to excessive complaints. Similarly Stackry advised there was nothing they could do once they were blacklisted.


I know there are other forwarding companies but when I looked at them all last year they all seemed to have so many more limitations than Stackry and some of the reviews online were horror stories with a lot of money lost.


USGoBuy looked good, no membership fee and they hold products for 2 months which is great, the fees look low too but the shipping cost just seems extreme which puts me off. They don't seem to have a budget option where Stackry had their DHL Global Mail option which was always a bargain. I've just put a same sized package into both calculators and USGoBuy came out almost double for the lowest price option.


My US I thought would be a solid option as it seems to be the one I see popping up most often, more recently in YouTube videos and on Funko Facebook groups (starting to wonder if they have some affiliate scheme) but their process of charging their packages on weight alone not dimensions seems to have it costing more than the others when I use base information from a previous shipment. This one has a monthly fee and a limit of 30 days storage too even on the premium accounts so not a huge amount of time compared to others.


Shipitto looked like a bit of a non starter for me, only holding packages for 7 days for free unless I go for a premium plan and the shipping calculator showed it more expensive than any of the above.


Does anyone have any of their own experiences with the above, or know of any others that have worked well for them? I can't seem to find any that combine a shipping cost as low as Stackry, offering a fairly extensive holding period but without paying a high amount in fees. Also reluctant to pay a lifetime fee / commit to a membership / pay an annual cost as I have no idea what their service is going to be or if companies will blacklist them too.


Hope my question makes sense I think I've basically just rambled off as thoughts come into my head. It's frustrating US stores have so many great exclusives that we don't. It's also frustrating how much those that do ship here charge for it, to ship two $12 Funko from hot topic they charged $38 shipping which is absolute insanity.


Hope to hear from of your opinions / recommendations!


Cheers,


Karl