ParcelBroker’s trusted courier comparison service ensures your package arrives in the US.
ParcelBroker provides the cheapest rates on shipping costs, Your parcel could arrive as early as 3 business days when booking through us, including tracking and up to £1000 transit cover.
ParcelBroker has created this comprehensive guide on the most frequently asked questions about sending your parcels to the USA, including delivery times, weight restrictions, tax and import duties, pallet deliveries and more. As the world’s second-largest importer, the US is a popular destination for international shipping for all manner of goods.
Sending packages to the USA from the UK can be as cheap as £10.90 for our DPD: Lite service, with same day pickup and full parcel tracking offered. Book your delivery today and enjoy up to £25 free extended liability cover from ParcelBroker.
Your package could arrive in as little as 2 business days with DPD. However, you will need to take into consideration the following variables when booking your delivery, which may affect delivery time and prices offered. You can use our shipping calculator to get up-to-date delivery costs.
The weight of your package will alter the cost of delivery. You can ship parcels up to 50kgs in weight through Parcelforce, DHL, FedEx, and UPS with ParcelBroker’s trusted courier comparison service. Use our handy shipping calculator to obtain up-to-date prices on deliveries by adding the dimensions, weight, and quantity of packages for a live quote instantly.
Your package’s dimensions will determine which courier service can handle your delivery. If you are sending multiple large items to the United States, it may be cheaper to combine multiple packages into a single pallet.
Many of our express courier partners can carry long or large parcels, but they may attract additional surcharges for handling, this surcharges are included in the instant quotation we provide
ParcelBroker provides pallet deliveries to the USA through our PB:Express Pallet service, and through DHL: Express Pallet. You can use our pallet delivery calculator for instance live quotes on your pallet delivery to the US.
Pallet deliveries are your best option for sending heavy, bulky, or multiple packages in a single shipment. Simply obtain a pallet from your local supplier, stack your items according to our guidance below, and secure your package with shrink-wrap.
An additional charge will be incurred if your pallet is not stackable with others. You can use our guidance on non-stackable freight to ensure your pallet is stacked correctly, which will allow you to avoid charges or rejection of your pallet by the courier.
CORRECT
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You can also explore our Pallet Delivery Guide for more information.
Once your courier arrives to collect your pallet, you can either load it onto their truck yourself using a forklift, or you can request for the courier to provide a pallet pump truck to assist in lifting your items onto the truck. Bear in mind that your pallet must be easily accessible and on a flat surface for a courier to accept it.
You can usually obtain a same-day pickup if you arrange your delivery before 12 noon from the majority of couriers, or you can utilise one of many local drop off points. If you are sending a pallet then you will need to plan your collection in advance, as vehicle space will need to be allocated for your pallet. If you are planning on dropping off a pallet yourself, you will need to use a local depot rather than a drop-off point.
You can compare our live prices below to gain up-to-date costs for shipping to the USA:
UPS | FedEx | DHL | DSV | TNT | Parcelforce | DPD | |
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0.5kg | £30.61 | £34.89 | £25.68 | £21.80 | £30.72 | £27.25 | £10.90 |
1kg | £33.10 | £38.00 | £28.61 | £23.53 | £33.41 | £29.72 | £16.11 |
5kg | £59.86 | £62.19 | £47.08 | £39.11 | £56.40 | £50.42 | £ |
10kg | £80.22 | £94.25 | £77.07 | £57.42 | £85.60 | £70.12 | £ |
15kg | £98.73 | £128.35 | £96.27 | £71.69 | £105.81 | £86.56 | £ |
20kg | £117.24 | £155.54 | £115.50 | £86.89 | £126.17 | £102.98 | £ |
25kg | £137.48 | £159.40 | £134.72 | £104.06 | £146.57 | £119.41 | £ |
Prices as of October 8, 2024
Your package can arrive in the US in as little as 3 days with ParcelBroker’s trusted courier service. You can also use a number of local drop off points to speed up your delivery times, or arrange a collection straight to your door.
Make sure you correctly address your package before collection or drop-off at your local postal depot.
Below we have included some tips on correct formatting for address labels to the USA:
In this example, the addressee lives in apartment 34, at 343 Park Avenue - New York:
Kurt David
343 Park Avenue
Apartment #34
New York, NY 100014
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When exporting goods to the USA, including gifts, it is mandatory to include a customs declaration form that contains information such as the item's ingredients, weight, materials used, and expiry dates. While ParcelBroker can provide you with all necessary documentation upon completing your order, it is your responsibility to accurately complete these forms.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will require the following:
You will also be subject to FDA approval of your package if you are sending food, sanitary products, human and veterinary drugs, biological products, or medical devices. For this reason, it is important to clearly state on the packaging if your item falls under one of these categories.
A package will usually take around 24 hours to clear customs, provided there are no holds currently in place by the USA Border Force.
Here are some of the most common reasons for a package to be delayed at US customs.
1. Unpaid Duty Payments on Your Item(s)
When sending items to the USA, duty tax is typically required and calculated based on the commercial value of the items being shipped. The recipient should anticipate paying approximately 5% of the item's value for customs duty and approximately 10% for Goods and Services Tax (GST).
These fees are expected to be paid upon collection of the package. Failure to do so could lead to the package's disposal, abandonment, or return-to-sender with additional charges.
Duty tax rates in the US can be between 0% to 37.5%, though the typical rate is 5.63%.
2. Missing or Incorrect Documentation
To successfully ship goods it is necessary to provide documentation, especially when including restricted items in your package. If you are a supplier sending commercial goods to the USA, the following documents are mandatory:
It is possible to send gifts to friends and family members in the US without paying duty or tax if the value of the gifts is $100 or less per person per day. However, if the gifts are being mailed or shipped from an insular possession, the value limit increases to $200. Please note that items such as alcohol, tobacco, and perfume that contain alcohol cannot be sent as duty-free gifts.
If you are sending gifts to multiple recipients, you can package them together as long as each gift is individually wrapped and labelled with the recipient's name. However, make sure to label the outermost wrapper with the following details:
Provide a list of the gifts and their values for each recipient, such as:
"To Jesse Weathers - one belt, $20; one box of chocolates, $5; one pair of shoes, $20.
To Carl Ventura - one book, $45; one tie, $15; one cushion, $30."
If any of the items exceed the $100 gift allowance, the entire package will be subject to duty. If the package is sent through mail and is dutiable, the US Postal Service will collect the duty along with any applicable postage and handling charges from the recipient.
If you are sending items from the UK to the USA, duty tax rates will typically be in the range of 0% to 37.5%, however, the most common duty tax rate sits at 5.63% VAT. Items with a value of $800 or more will generally be subject to duties and taxes.
Goods manufactured or produced in Canada or Mexico receive free or reduced rates under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). However, increased duty is applied to certain products from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine.
As with all countries, there are a number of items which are either restricted or outright prohibited for import to the US. You can find a full list of these items on the US Customs and border Protection website.
Whilst most items on the restricted and prohibited list for the USA are not surprising, the US is one of the only countries that expressly states that ‘traitorous material’ cannot be brought into the country, although a clear definition on what this restriction refers to is not provided.
COMMONLY PROHIBITED ITEMS |
The USA is the second-largest importer of goods around the world, and in 2022 imported more than $3.376 trillion worth of goods, and the following items made up the majority of imported goods, according to a recent analysis from WorldsTopExports:
At ParcelBroker, we pride ourselves on providing trustworthy international shipping at affordable prices. We ship to over 220 countries, working with the best couriers to help our customers send parcels safely. Whether it's a personal package for a friend or family member, or a business managing multiple shipments – Find out how ParcelBroker can help you.
For more help with shipping parcels internationally you can browse our frequently asked questions (FAQs) and helpful shipping guides here.