Parcel forwarding from France to the USA: prices, delays, customs
French brands, French secondhand, French prices — and a checkout that stops at the Atlantic. Here's how the price of a parcel from France to your door is built, what brings it down, and what US customs changed in 2025.
Most French shops don't ship to the United States. Those that do often charge for it as if the Atlantic were a private toll road, when they don't reject an American card outright. And the marketplaces where the real finds are — Vinted, Leboncoin — don't ship abroad at all.
This guide explains where the price of a shipment comes from, how to bring it down, and what awaits you on arrival. The exact price of your own parcel is calculated live on our estimator, from its weight and size.
Two ways to get a parcel to you
You order yourself. On sites that accept your card — most brand stores, some marketplaces — you enter your FrenchShopper address as the delivery address. The parcel lands at our warehouse, we receive it, and we forward it to you. The address is free and created with your account.
We buy for you. On Vinted, Leboncoin, and any seller who only ships within France or rejects your card, you send us the link: we check it, quote it, and once you've paid, we buy with our own account and French card. The details are here.
Either way, your items wait for free for 45 days in our warehouse so you can gather several — and everything leaves in one box, with one shipping charge.
How the shipping price is built
Our price covers transport, packaging and insurance, and it depends on two things: the weight of the box and its size. Carriers charge on whichever is higher, actual or volumetric weight — a big half-empty box is billed as if it were full. For every shipment you see all the available offers, with their price and delivery time, before you pay.
The rule that matters: the price rises far more slowly than the weight. A lone 1 kg parcel is the worst ratio between what you get and what you pay; five orders in one box is the best. That's the case for consolidation. Estimate your parcel from its real weight, before you order anything.
The delivery times we see
On our measurements, the cheapest offer (FedEx International Economy) shows delivery eight days after handover; Chronopost Express and FedEx Priority, a little dearer, show six. These include customs clearance on arrival. The exact time for each offer is displayed before you pay — you trade price against speed with the numbers in front of you.
What US customs collects — and what changed in 2025
This is the part nobody likes to bring up, and the part we'd rather tell you before than after.
For years, parcels under a certain value entered the United States duty-free — the so-called de minimis exemption. The United States suspended that exemption in 2025. Every incoming parcel is now subject to duties, whatever its value. This isn't specific to us or to France — it applies to every international shipment into the US, from anyone.
In practice: US Customs assesses duties on the declared value of your items, the carrier pays them on your behalf, and collects them from you at delivery — usually adding a brokerage or handling fee of its own. Rates depend on what the goods are; check with US Customs and Border Protection for the current rules, which are still moving.
What we do, and what we don't
- We declare the real value of your items, as it appears on your invoices. It's the law, and it's what protects you: our insurance covers the declared value.
- We never under-declare, even on request. An under-declared parcel can be held, taxed on an estimated value, or seized.
- Duties and fees are never in our price — they depend on your country, not on us — and can only be known on arrival.
Where the US makes sense for this service
Our rate is a shipping rate, not a subscription: there's nothing to pay until you ship, and nothing recurring. Receiving is free, storage is free for 45 days. What you pay is the box that leaves — and the fuller it is, the less each item costs you.
For the US specifically, our rates are keenest on small parcels: a piece of jewellery, a pair of shoes, a couple of garments. And for anything on Vinted or Leboncoin, there's no other door: those sellers don't ship to the US, full stop. We buy it for you.
Frequently asked questions
Are US customs duties included in your price?
No — they can't be. Duties are assessed by US Customs on arrival, on the declared value, and collected by the carrier at delivery, usually with a brokerage fee. Our price covers transport, packaging and insurance, never your country's taxes.
Does French Vinted ship to the United States?
No. Vinted has no US version, and French sellers almost all restrict their listings to France. It's the typical case where we buy for you, then ship to you.
How long does a parcel from France to the US take?
On our measurements, between six and eight business days from handover to the carrier to delivery, depending on the offer — customs clearance included. The exact time is shown with each offer before you pay.
Is it worth shipping a single small item?
It can be, for a piece you can't get any other way. But the economics get much better when you gather several purchases into one box: your items wait free for 45 days precisely so you can.
