If you’ve ever found exactly what you wanted on a US website — only to discover it won’t ship to Canada or abroad — package forwarding is the fix. You get a real US address, the retailer ships domestically to it, and the forwarding service sends the package onward to you. It’s straightforward, completely legitimate, and the standard workaround for geo-restricted US retailers, international shipping markups, and US-only deals.
In Out Parcel has been forwarding packages and mail for cross-border shoppers since 2014, with a 4.9★ rating from 700+ reviews and 2,000+ automated lockers at our Point Roberts, WA facility. Here’s how the whole process works — and what makes it different when there’s no monthly fee attached.
What package forwarding actually is
Package forwarding means a service receives your US shipments at a real US street address and ships them onward to wherever you actually are — Canada, Europe, Asia, anywhere with a postal system. You shop as a domestic US customer, your packages land at the facility, and then you decide: pick them up yourself, or have them forwarded.
It’s the core job of a virtual mailbox — and with In Out Parcel it works for packages and letter mail alike. Parcels from any carrier (UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, Amazon) and letters, bills, and documents all arrive at the same address. Letters can be scanned to PDF so you read them online without shipping them at all.
How it works, step by step
1. Get your US address
Register for free and you’ll receive a real US street address: 145 Tyee Dr, #(your Customer ID), Point Roberts, WA 98281. Use it at checkout anywhere — to US retailers, it’s an ordinary domestic address. There’s no monthly fee to keep it; you pay $4.25 per package or letter received, with $0 in the months nothing arrives and credit that never expires.
2. Shop and ship to your address
Buy from any US store. Your packages ship domestically and arrive at our facility, where they’re logged, stored securely in one of 2,000+ automated lockers, and held until you’re ready. You get a notification in your online account as each item arrives.
3. Request forwarding
Log in, select the packages you want forwarded, and request a shipping quote. Rates are quoted live in the portal based on the actual weight, dimensions, and destination — you see the price before you commit, with no hidden surcharges. We ship via USPS, UPS, and FedEx so you can choose the carrier and speed that fit your budget.
Tip — consolidate to save. If you have several packages waiting, we can combine them into one shipment before forwarding. You pay shipping once instead of three or four times, which often cuts the cost significantly. Consolidation starts at $7.50 and includes boxes, tape, and packing materials — usually worth it if you have more than one item ready to go.
4. Your package ships to you
Once you approve the quote, we pack and ship it. You’ll get tracking, and the package arrives at your door like any other delivery. That’s the whole process — no subscription, no commitment, no minimum volume.
Forwarding to Canada: duties and taxes to know
If you’re forwarding to a Canadian address, customs duties and taxes apply based on how the package crosses the border:
- USPS / Canada Post: Items valued under CAD $20 are generally duty-free. Above that, Canada Post collects duty and tax on delivery.
- Courier (UPS, FedEx): Tax-free up to CAD $40, duty-free up to CAD $150 — but couriers typically add brokerage fees of $15–50 CAD on top for handling customs clearance.
This is exactly why many Canadians near the BC border prefer to pick up in person instead of forwarding — you avoid both the forwarding postage and the brokerage fees by bringing items back yourself. (More on that below.)
When to forward vs when to pick up
This is the question most people land on, and the honest answer depends on where you are and what’s waiting.
Forward when:
- You’re not near the border — anywhere in Canada, abroad, or travelling.
- It’s a single letter or small item not worth a trip.
- You want your mail scanned to PDF instead of shipped (letters only — free yourself from the drive entirely).
- You’d rather have it delivered to your door than make a border crossing.
Pick up when:
- You’re in the Lower Mainland (Delta, Richmond, Vancouver, Surrey) and the drive is short.
- You have several packages — picking up avoids forwarding postage on all of them.
- You want to avoid brokerage fees by self-declaring at customs.
- The item is large, heavy, or fragile and cheaper to carry than ship.
At In Out Parcel, both options run from the same account, the same address, the same no monthly fee model. Forward this week, pick up next month — your call. Pickup is 24/7 self-serve with a 6-digit PIN at Point Roberts, WA, reached via the typically quieter Tsawwassen / Boundary Bay crossing. (Full pickup guide.)
Why not just use a freight forwarder?
Dedicated freight forwarders move boxes — that’s the job, and they do it. But a freight forwarder typically doesn’t handle your everyday letter mail, doesn’t scan documents to PDF, doesn’t let you pick up in person, and doesn’t give you an address you can use as a permanent US mailing address for banks, subscriptions, and government correspondence.
A virtual mailbox does all of it: forwarding is one feature alongside receiving, scanning, holding, returns, and optional local pickup. If all you need is a one-time shipment moved, a forwarder works. If you want an ongoing US address that handles everything — packages, mail, scans, forwarding, and returns — that’s what a virtual mailbox is for. (See the full breakdown: Virtual Mailbox vs PO Box vs Freight Forwarder.)
What it costs (and what it doesn’t)
- Your US address: free to keep, no monthly fee, no setup fee.
- Receiving: $4.25 per package or letter received. Quiet months cost $0.
- Forwarding postage: quoted live per shipment in the portal — you approve before we ship.
- Consolidation: from $7.50 to combine multiple packages into one shipment.
- Letter scanning: available so you can read mail online without shipping it at all.
- Credit never expires — what you load stays yours.
No subscription to cancel, no plan to right-size, no fee ticking in the background. (Full rate details.)
The bottom line
Package forwarding from the US is simple: get a US address, shop domestically, and have your purchases shipped to you in Canada or anywhere in the world. The only question is whether you want a service you pay for every month — or one with no monthly fee where you pay only when something actually arrives.
With In Out Parcel you get the full virtual mailbox: receive packages and mail, scan letters to PDF, forward worldwide, handle returns, and pick up 24/7 from 2,000+ self-serve lockers when the drive makes sense. All on pay-per-use with $0 in quiet months.
Get your free US address and forward your first package, or see how it works first.