Planet Express Review: How it works, Pros, Cons & More

BY Basma F, Updated: Nov 30, 2022

If you live outside the UK or the US and love to shop online, you must have encountered the following problem: we don't ship this product outside the UK or the US. What a disappointment after you have finally found the perfect item for you.

This article is about how Planet Express can solve the shipping problems of international shoppers. We'll also talk about the other services of Planet Express and compare their service to other service providers like Shipito, Stackry, and MyUS. Here is your ultimate Planet Express Review.

Planet Express helps international shoppers get their packages wherever they are. However, you might find their services confusing if you've never heard of similar shipping companies. So, let's walk you through the process.

After you sign up for the service, you get a US shipping address, and you can easily include that address when you shop online, and your package will be delivered there. Planet Express has three warehouses in the US: California, Oregon, and Florida. They also have one warehouse in the UK. The Oregon warehouse has no sales tax. You can shop, pay for your item, and use your Planet Express US address or you can use the Shop for Me service.

When you shop online, you face different problems like limitations to international transactions: the eCommerce platform doesn't accept your credit card. However, you can use Planet Express Shop for Me service, and Planet Express will buy items on your behalf for reasonable fees. The sales tax for your purchases depends on where you ship items. Oregon, for example, has no sales tax. You can easily use your credit card to pay Planet Express for what they buy on your behalf if the US shops don't accept your credit card.

Planet Express receives your packages, and it's your right to see your purchases before they are shipped internationally. After you pay international shipping money, you don't want to be surprised with the wrong item. Planet Express provides free photos of the box and label of your shipment. If you need extra pictures of the box content, you can request them for a reasonable fee. This way, if you receive a faulty or wrong item, you can get the package returned before it is shipped to you.

To offer the best package forwarding service, Planet Express uses many reliable shipping carriers like USPS Express International, FedEx Priority International, and DHL Express.

They have also created Planet Mail Express, their own shipping method, to help customers save more money.

Package consolidation is when you decide to ship more packages at the same time instead of having them sent one by one. This saves a lot of money on shipping costs. Planet Express estimates that package consolidation saves about 50-80% on shipping.

If you're shopping from different retailers, your packages can stay in Planet Express' warehouse until they all arrive and are shipped together.

This is important because it removes unnecessary packaging and reduces the bulk. Adding different items together in one box will reduce the size of the box and, as a result, saves you a lot of money.

You should always complete the customs declaration form online and include the product description, quantity, value, origin, and whether the item is a gift or merchandise. You pay customs and taxes if the value of the shipped items exceeds the de minis value. Check Planet Express's website for the complete list of de minis value per country, or check the country customs website where you plan to receive your shipment.

It varies, but there are no hidden fees. The company has included a postage calculator where you can select the warehouse and the destination country in addition to package dimensions and get the full price.

Planet Express has two packages (free mailbox and premium mailbox).

For the premium mailbox, you pay $10 per month and $50 per year. The sales tax depends on the warehouse. 

“Package consolidation services are available only for the premium mailbox. The service fees are $5 + $2 for each consolidated package.”

Included are 7 days of free storage for a consolidated package. As for Shop for Me, you pay a $5 service fee and 7% of the money you pay for purchasing the item. As for the handling fee, it's $2 per package.

Some customers complained and warned shippers to beware of the "shop for me" service as Planet Express staff were slow to order, the items were sold out, and others complained of lost packages. On the other hand, some people had no problems and were quite satisfied with the service.

For Trustpilot reviews, as with any service under the sun, some people were satisfied with Planet Express and said they provided excellent service. However, others complained of poor customer service and shipping prices and called them overpriced.

On Reviews.io, one customer described their service as "amazing, very cheap, and reliable." And another described the service as "top-notch" and explained that the lost packages some users complained about were the carriers' fault and not Planet Express's.

How does Planet Express compare to the other shipping alternatives out there? We'll talk about the pros and cons of Shipito, Stackry, Forward2me and MyUS com|pared to Planet Express.