Package Consolidation – Everything You Need To Know

Psst, we’re going to let you in on a little secret: parcel forwarding and package consolidation is the best way for US shoppers (or shoppers anywhere in the world, for that matter) to shop online from stores that only ship to the UK. 

However, when you start buying goods from multiple sites, you hit a problem: shipping costs.

So, how can you buy from several sites and have them all shipped to the same address at the same time?

Say hello to package consolidation. 

What is package consolidation?

Package consolidation involves packing several small items into one larger parcel. So, instead of separate shipments, your goods are shipped as one.

By consolidating your parcels, you reduce the cost of shipping.

Why?

Because it’s cheaper to send one large item than several small items with most couriers, regardless of the overall weight of the items. 

The reason?

Well, it’s because of the dreaded first 1kg of a shipment, which is always charged at a higher cost.

For example, you might pay £20.00 for the first 1kg, and then every additional kg might be billed at £4.50. By consolidating, you only pay the first 1kg once. Whereas you pay that 1kg charge every time multiple packages are shipped.

It’s a bit like the cashier scanning your groceries at the checkout and then adding a service charge after every swipe – crazy stuff!

How does the process usually work?

Different companies operate in different ways, but a consolidation with myUKmailbox works like this: :

– You order items

– The parcels are added to your account

– You request for this to be consolidated, and pay for this service (if applicable) at checkout

Once a consolidation request is made and your parcels arrive at our warehouse, our team opens and removes the items inside each package. After this, your items are repacked into a larger, more suitable box or several boxes if there are a lot of items. 

There is also the option to leave your items in their existing boxes and not be repacked, the choice is yours.

At myUKmailbox, our warehouse team are highly trained and skilled in what they do. And when it comes to consolidation requests, they follow this simple three-step process:

1. Pack goods with care and attention to limit the movement of items during transit.

2. Make sure the packaging is suitable for international travel

3. Cut boxes down in size to reduce space inside while ensuring goods remain well protected

Believe us, every time consolidation requests come in, they’re as excited as a kid at Christmas.

The benefits of package consolidation

There are several benefits to using a package consolidation service, including:

– Fewer parcels:
Consolidating orders reduces parcel numbers, simplifying the shipping process. 

– Items arrive at the same time:
Because your parcels are in one package and shipped as one consignment number, it’s easier to track, and you get all your parcels at the same time. 

– Reduces void space:
Consolidating brings down the volume weight (aka billable weight), which is how the price of shipping is determined. If you have void space in your parcels, you’re essentially paying to ship air. 

– Reduces shipping cost:
You only pay one shipping price instead of multiple. So the overall cost to ship your parcels is less (wahey!). 

Are there any additional costs involved?

With some parcel forwarding companies, the process can be expensive. 

Why?

Because most companies only charge per parcel, so things soon add up if you send lots of packages together – that sucks. 

Not with myUkmailbox.

Our Premium plan lets you consolidate up to thirty free packages (which is pretty much free unless you’re really going on a spending spree). And if you require more than thirty(unlikely), you’ll only be charged £4.99 per additional ten. 

And if Premium isn’t for you, our Standard plan let’s you consolidate packages for a super low fee of just £1.50 per package.

So whether you need to send five, twenty, or a hundred parcels (or billions, if your surname is Claus around Christmas time), myUKmailbox’s plans make it much more affordable. 

How quickly costs can add up.

Some companies charge high per-package fees to consolidate, but these are the ones you might want to avoid. Not necessarily because they’re bad, but because the costs soon add up if you’re sending a lot of parcels together.

To put this into perspective, if another forwarder is charging £5.00 (and this isn’t an exaggeration) per package, to consolidate ten parcels. This means consolidation fees alone would be £50.00. And that’s before you’ve even got to shipping fees!

Here’s how this would look as a myUKmailbox Premium, Standard or Starter member.

As it’s free to consolidate as a Premium member, the total cost is £0.00 (yes, really!).

For Standard members, ten consolidated packages cost £15.00 (£1.50 per package). And our Starter plan costs just £2.50 per package, so consolidating ten packages is £25.00.

So unless you can afford to blow money buying toxic social media platforms like Elon Musk, then you shouldn’t be paying silly money to consolidate your packages.

Shop and consolidate your parcels from the UK with myUKMailbox

Whatever you’re purchasing, you want to make sure it reaches you safely (and not all bashed up)

And you want to know that you’re paying a fair price.

That’s where we come in.

At myUKmailbox, we provide international shipping from vendors who don’t deliver outside the UK. With our parcel forwarding and consolidation service, you’ll receive the items you want, no matter where you live (unless you’re on the Moon or Mars or something).

So, sign up for myUKmailbox for FREE today and take advantage of the reliable and cost-effective UK package consolidation service.