Hold My Passport: Reship Takes the Stress Out of International Shopping

As much as the good ol’ US of A has plenty of brands and retailers, it only takes one trip abroad (or even just a visit to a boutique, international grocery store) to realize that Uncle Sam’s capitalist playground isn’t necessarily the end-all–be-all. Have a craving for a bag of “Prawn Cocktail” Walkers crisps directly from the UK? Want some Canadian-exclusive clothing collabs? Despite globally recognized shipping companies and the vastness of the… well, world wide web, there are some things that you simply can’t get your hands on if you don’t have an address in that product’s home country (or aren’t willing to shell out for a plane ticket). That’s where a forwarding service called Reship is stepping in and making it easier—and, in some cases cheaper—to source goods from across the northern border and from the other side of the Atlantic.

For a global shipping provider and shopping partner, Reship’s operation is actually more straightforward than you might think. Effectively providing shoppers with a domestic delivery address in the US, UK and/or Canada, it ensures that users can shop online at stores that usually only ship domestically in those countries. When you shop, simply put in Reship’s respective US, UK and/or Canadian warehouse location as the shipping destination when you check out. Once the items arrive at one of the Reship warehouses, the team will repackage your purchases, send you a picture (so you can visually confirm you’re getting exactly what you ordered) and forward them on to your physical, actual home address in one of several countries worldwide. Shopping this way doesn’t just mean you can browse stores that were previously out-of-reach; it also makes it easier to shop using that retailer’s local currency, ideally giving shoppers a way to stretch their money that much further with a more favorable exchange rate. 

So, what are some examples of things you can have forward-shipped straight to your door? If you’re a Brit that’s obsessed with American peanut butter, feel free to browse Wal-Mart and pick up a few jars of Jif. Are you obsessed with Lululemon (don’t worry, you’re not alone) but looking for a break by using the Canadian conversion rate? Tap into the brand’s domestic site and score some deals. Maybe you’re trying to pick up the UK editions of all seven Harry Potter books? With Reship, you can up Waterstone’s like you’ve been singing “God Save the Queen” since primary school. (Wait a minute…)

While shipping costs will vary based on where you live, as well as the weight and size of the package, the company does have a way to mitigate those traditional shipping concerns. Reship allows shoppers to consolidate multiple different orders into a single shipment, reducing the cost of (and bypassing the stress of tracking) multiple, simultaneous international deliveries. More variety, and better deals for our dollar? Sign us up.

Speaking of signing up, it should be noted that Reship does require a membership to get the most out of the service. While there is a free membership option that requires no upfront cost, there are some attached fees—including annual maintenance fees, consolidation fees and storage fees (if you’d like Reship to hold onto your items for a certain period of time before sending them off)—that can be reduced (or eliminated altogether) depending on your membership tier. While your casual shopper might be satisfied with opting for the free membership, if you plan on using Reship on a regular basis (or even as a primary international shipping option for your small business), Reship’s various memberships could be a solid way to save a significant chunk of change on international deliveries. 

Even if all this sounds a bit cumbersome at first, it’s clear that Reship knows how to get things from A to B without missing a beat. “At every point customer service is there to help [ensure] my package gets to its destination,” one five-star reviewer said on Trustpilot. “It is super easy to fill in necessary shipping info, get prices on shipping, and ship packages. [Other] reshippers are very complicated.”

As much as we could rave about having an easier way to shop (and ship) internationally (we are addicted to recommending stuff to buy online), we couldn’t put it any better than this one five-star reviewer: “Fantastic service, smooth process, and very reasonably priced international costs (especially when using the Australian dollar). Look forward to using Reship again… and again!”

Learn more about Reship and its services here.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.