Do You Want To Ship From The USA To The United Kingdom?
Shipping to the UK from the USA takes between 3 to 15 business days (depending on the shipping method). Planet Express ships to Great Britain using carriers like USPS, FedEx, DHL, and Planet Mail. Prices start at around $10 for small packages.
In this guide, we are going to explain to you, how much does it cost and how to get the cheapest shipping from the USA to the UK, how does it work, how to declare the goods, what are the prohibitions & restrictions and much more.
If you are interested in specific sections only (shipping costs, VAT, delivery time, etc.), take advantage of our navigation below.
Shipping Price And Time From The USA To The United Kingdom
Prices of the shipping from the USA to the UK are very affordable. For smaller packages, the price starts on lower dozens of dollars. The estimated postage and delivery time can be calculated using our postage calculator below.
How To Get The Cheapest Shipping From The USA To The UK?
The price of the shipping depends mainly on the dimensions of the package, its weight, and the delivery method you choose. To get the cheapest shipping from the USA to the UK possible, select slower delivery methods like Planet Mail Express or Postal Service Fully Tracked.
In the following table, you can see the estimated prices of shipping from the USA to London (ZIP: WC2N 5DU).
| Shipping Method | 1 lbs, 10×7×4 inches | 10 lbs, 20×10×7 inches | 45 lbs, 36×24×20 inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planet Mail: Express | $11.62 | n/a | n/a |
| Postal Service: Fully Tracked | $20.51 | n/a | n/a |
| USPS: Priority | n/a | $64.11 | n/a |
| USPS: Express | $49.97 | $78.67 | n/a |
| FedEx: International Economy | $33.03 | $41.41 | $153.13 |
| FedEx: International Priority | $37.32 | $45.93 | $220.79 |
| *DHL: Express Worldwide | $43.3 | $75.53 | $436.1 |
*Insurance included
The delivery from the USA to the UK usually takes around 4 business days with express methods and 10 to 20 business days with cheaper, ‘economy’ methods.
Calculate Price Of The Shipping From The USA To the United Kingdom For Your Package
Tip: Our customers from the UK especially love the Postal Service: Fully Tracked, FedEx International Economy, and Planet Mail Express.
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The more expensive methods like DHL Worldwide Express, FedEx Economy, and FedEx Priority are suitable for those that want to enjoy the content of the package as soon as possible. The cheaper delivery methods are excellent ‘budget’ options if you don’t need your package as quickly.
How Does The Shipping To The UK Work?
Generally, there are 2 most used ways how to ship goods and personal items from the US to the UK. The first is you find some carrier like DHL, contact them, schedule the pickup and they deliver the package to your delivery address. It works, but it is ridiculously expensive.
The second way is to take advantage of a package forwarding company like Planet Express. You can benefit from several advantages when using the package forwarder. The following table shows the pros and cons of traditional shipping and package forwarding (Planet Express).
| Traditional Shipping | Planet Express | |
|---|---|---|
| Costs of the shipping | Very expensive | Much cheaper |
| Delivery time | Depending on the delivery method | Depending on the delivery method |
| Additional services | Very limited | Wide selection* |
| Delivery methods | Limited, depending on the carrier | Wide selection (more carriers) |
| Customer support | Very slow | Very responsive and helpful |
| Package consolidation | n/a | Available |
Shipping From The USA To The United Kingdom With Planet Express
Whether you wanna shop from the US stores that don’t offer delivery to the United Kingdom, or you just want to send some personal items, Planet Express is here to help you with that. The shipping process can be described in 3 simple steps.
1. Getting a Free USA Address
At Planet Express we can provide you with a free US address in Gardena, California, and also with a premium sales-tax-free address in Portland, Oregon. You can use these addresses for orders from the US stores, or even for packages containing your personal items, eventually gifts from your friends that live in the US.
2. Using Your USA Address
When you have the Planet Express address, feel free to use it for receiving the orders from the US online stores. Once we receive packages addressed to you, we link them with your account and send you the notification email. Then you can take advantage of one of our additional services. Once you decide to send the package to your home address in the UK, proceed to step 3.
3. Choosing The Delivery Method From The USA To The UK
Before we can send the package to you, you have to complete the customs declaration. It is an online form where you describe the contents of the package. It is closely tied up with customs and it allows customs officers when checking the imported package.
Once you finish the declaration, you can choose the delivery method that suits your needs. We offer quick delivery methods and even cheap, slower ones. Read more about the methods in the following section.
Duty & TAX
The following part covers Customs Duty, VAT and Excise Duty.
Customs Duty
You have to pay Customs Duty from a package imported from the USA to the UK. The important is the package value that includes:
1. The price paid for the goods
2. Postage, packaging + insurance
| Type and value of goods | Customs Duty |
|---|---|
| Anything under £135 | No charge |
| Gifts worth £135-£630 | 2.5%, but rates are lower for some goods* |
| Gifts above £630 and merchandise £135 | The rate depends on the type of goods and where they came from* |
VAT
The VAT needs to be paid too if you import from the USA when the following conditions are met:
a) value of package marked as a gift is worth more than £39
b) value of package marked as the merchandise is worth more than £15
c) alcohol, tobacco products and fragrances (eg perfume, eau de toilette, and cologne) of any value
The standard VAT rate is 20% in the UK and it is charged from the value that includes:
1. The price paid for the products
2. Postage, packaging + insurance
3. Any duty you owe
Excise Duty
If you want to ship products containing alcohol or tobacco, the Excise Duty is charged. Check current Excise Duty rates on the gov.uk website. Remember, we can export alcohol with the DHL Worldwide Express method only. We cannot export products containing tobacco to the UK.
Important information is that the customs declaration is the responsibility of each customer. If you do not know how to complete the declaration, read our guide How to fill out the customs declaration, or contact us.
Prohibitions & Restrictions On Goods Imported To The United Kingdom
There are also prohibitions & restrictions on goods shipped internationally via the air. Each carrier has its own list of prohibited items. So what you cant ship from the USA to the UK? You can read the terms of each carrier under the following links:
The following items cannot be shipped from the USA to the UK:
| Illegal drugs | Offensive weapons | Self-defense sprays |
| Endangered animal and plant species | Rough diamonds | Indecent and obscene materials |
| Personal imports of meat and dairy products from most non-EU countries | Firearms* | Explosives and ammunition* |
If you are not sure whether some restrictions apply to goods you want to ship, please visit the UK’s import and export website, review the above terms of each carrier, or contact us at [email protected].
Take Advantage Of Some Of Our Other Services
Planet Express is not just about forwarding packages. We also offer our customers additional services such as consolidation, fulfillment or Shop For Me service.
Calculate the Postage Price in Advance
You can easily calculate the postage price in advance. Take advantage of our postage calculator. Just fill in some details and you will get an estimate of the price and delivery time.
Let Us Shop For You
Don’t you have time to shop, or does the business not accept your preferred payment method? Tell us what and where you want to buy and we will do the work for you.
Save Up To 80% With Consolidation
f you order more pieces of goods from different stores and you want to save on postage, we recommend using the consolidation service. You can save up to 80%.
Do You Have Any Other Wish?
Do you need to scan documents, remove invoices from the package, check the status of the goods, fill customs declaration, or something else? Just make a special request.
Why Choose Planet Express?
✅ We offer one of the best prices on the market.
✅ We provide excellent English speaking customer support.
✅ We have great customer reviews.
Read Reviews of our Customers
Read thousands of reviews of our satisfied customers on the following websites.
Useful Information For Purchase And Package Forwarding From The USA To The UK
Read our blog, where we regularly publish tips for different kinds of goods. Also, make sure you visit our following page where you can find tutorials on how to order from the most popular US stores.
We deliver to all parts of the United Kingdom – from London to New Castle, Cambridge, Liverpool, Bristol… We cover 100 % of the cities in the UK. And, you can manage everything from the comfort of your home!
Shipping From The USA To The UK FAQ
The price of the shipping to the UK varies depending on the delivery method you choose, the dimensions and the weight of the package. Cheaper methods costs between $10 to $25. The more expensive ones are usually above $40 for the smaller package.
The price of the shipping a package depends on several factors like the weight and dimensions of the package and the shipping method.
To get the cheapest shipping from the USA to the UK, select slower delivery methods like Planet Mail Express and USPS. We can also repack the package for you in order to remove unnecessary packing material and to lower the weight to a minimum while maintaining the safety of the package contents. Read more…
Getting a package from the USA to the UK takes around 3-5 business days with express delivery methods (DHL Worldwide Express), about 6-12 business days with slower delivery methods (USPS Priority, Postal Service ePacket), and about 13-20 business days with the slowest and cheapest delivery methods like Planet Mail Express.
It depends on what do you wanna ship and how. If you use traditional shipping (ie. you use carrier directly), you will pay much more then using a package forwarding company.
Yes, FedEx delivers to the UK. People there especially like FedEx Economy and FedEx Priority delivery methods. We provide up to 80% discounts (compared to FedEx retail prices) for our customers.
Of course, DHL delivers to the UK. The most popular method is DHL Worldwide Express which takes around 4 business days to deliver.
Yes, USPS delivers to the UK. They offer several methods including Postal Service: Fully Tracked, USPS Priority, USPS Express.
With Planet Express, you will get discounted rates on these methods so you can save a lot of money.
If the value of your package is within £135, you don’t have to pay any customs duty.
For goods valued between £135 and £630, you have to pay 2,5 % of the customs duty.
For packages above £630, the customs charges depending on the type of goods and where they came from.
Remember, there is also a Value Added Tax. The standard VAT rate in the UK is 20%.
For more detailed info, read the Duty & TAX section.
Fulfillment
Our fulfillment center services are used by those who want to save on storage costs. We offer the opportunity to rent storage space in the California warehouse. In addition, we will handle logistics for you, your only concern being the marketing of your business and the administration. For individual calculation, please contact us at [email protected].