Shipping to the United Kingdom
Send parcels, documents and personal effects from the US to the United Kingdom
The US to UK route is one of the busiest we handle. It is well served by every major carrier, which means plenty of capacity, frequent departures and a choice between express and economy depending on how quickly you need the shipment there.
We collect from any US address and deliver to any UK address — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — with tracking from door to door.
Customs and paperwork
The UK is outside the EU customs union, so every shipment arriving from the US is treated as an import and clears UK customs on arrival. In practice that means a customs declaration describing what is in the shipment and what it is worth.
Import VAT, and duty where it applies, are charged by HMRC based on that declared value and the type of goods. Those charges are set by the UK government, not by us or the carrier. Our customs duty guide explains how the calculation generally works.
Personal effects and used household goods are treated differently from new retail goods, and people relocating to the UK may be eligible for relief on belongings they have owned and used. Tell us it is a relocation when you book and we will make sure the paperwork reflects that.
What people usually send
Documents and small parcels are the most common — contracts, certificates, replacement items, gifts. These move on express services and are the simplest to clear.
Larger consignments are typically people moving: boxes of personal effects, books, clothing and furniture. If you are relocating rather than sending a one off parcel, international relocation covers how we handle full moves.
Be aware that some things cannot be sent regardless of carrier — see prohibited items before you pack.
How to keep the cost down
Shipments are priced on chargeable weight — the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight worked out from the box dimensions. A big, light box is billed on the space it takes up, so repacking into a smaller carton often costs less than the packing materials. Our volumetric weight guide shows how that is calculated.
Consolidating several small parcels into one shipment is almost always cheaper than sending them separately, and economy services cost substantially less than express if the timing is flexible.
What it costs to ship to the United Kingdom
Price depends on chargeable weight, the exact destination and how fast you need it there. Rather than publish a table that goes out of date, we quote your actual shipment against current carrier pricing — it takes about a minute.
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