Planet Express is a one-of-a-kind mail/package forwarding service. They offer services like “Shop For Me”, order fulfillment for business owners and sellers, package consolidation, and physical storage for your packages.
Although it has only been in the market for about five years, Planet Express is quickly catching up to its competition. It’s one of the cheapest options among virtual mailbox providers. It’s also among the companies in the industry that offer a more modern take on virtual mailboxes and virtual offices, both in the US and Canada. Apart from a well-thought-out platform that’s easy to use, they are one of the very few mailboxes that accept crypto as a form of payment. Additionally, they offer addresses both in the US and the UK, making it one of the few international mailbox providers as well.
Planet Express beats the market’s rates by 45% with up to 80% discounts on shipping costs, and you can save as much as an additional 50% with their package consolidation services.
If you’re living outside the US and want to shop from US retailers—or if you’re a business owner, e-commerce seller, or dropshipper—Planet Express is a great option for you.
That said, Planet Express is still a small company with little industry experience and limited reach. It only offers three addresses to choose from, which is far from impressive. If you’re looking for the perfect combination of pricing, the available number of possible addresses, and services, we suggest iPostal1, our #1-rated virtual mailbox provider.
What Is Planet Express?
Planet Express is a relatively new mail, and package forwarding startup started in 2017 by Jason Luong. They aim to provide customers with a US address that they use to shop internationally and then have the package shipped to them at affordable rates. Planet Express's main headquarters is in Gardena, California, USA, but they also offer other locations, including Tualatin, Oregon, Fort Pierce, Florida, and the UK.
Their homepage explicitly states they offer the lowest shipping prices amongst their competitors with no extra hidden fees. Planet Express's top features are their aggressive pricing out of all their competitors and a variety of shipping partners to choose from.
Features Of Planet Express
#1 Package consolidation.
One of Planet Express's main features is its package consolidation service. Package consolidation allows users to save 50% to 90% on shipping costs simply by combining smaller packages into bigger ones.
By eliminating empty space and removing unnecessary packaging material, Planet Express can reduce overall shipping volume and weight, not to mention the fact that you only pay for one shipment instead of several of them. This gives users a huge discount on their package's per kilo shipping cost.
Planet Express allows users to store their packages from different companies in their warehouses for up to 45 days at no extra cost with the premium mailbox plan—the same plan that features package consolidation. This allows users to take their time collecting packages from different stores and shipping them together in one package to reduce costs drastically.
#2 Huge shipping discounts.
Apart from package consolidation, Planet Express also offers huge shipping discounts so customers can save even more when shipping their products. This is because, by gathering a large number of packages in one place and shipping them all at once, Planet Express makes it much easier for shipping companies to deliver mail, accessing large discounts from major shipping companies like FedEx and DHL.
Planet Express then passes those savings down to its customers so they, too, can save a lot on shipping.
#3 Planet Express's ‘Shop for me' service.
Due to card limitations or banking problems, international customers often cannot make international transactions on USA's eCommerce platforms. In such circumstances, Planet Express offers to buy the items for them so that users won't have to worry about completing the transactions.
They have a dedicated form where users can fill out all the details about what item they want, which store they want it from, which warehouse they want it shipped to, etc. Users can even fill in additional information such as discount codes or gift cards that can further help the user reduce the overall product cost.
While Planet Express charges $5 and then 7% on the whole order for processing Shop For Me requests, this service charge is often worth it, especially considering that some other companies charge twice as much for the same service.
#4 Special requests.
A big part of Planet Express's customer service is fulfilling all their customers' shipping needs ensuring their packages will arrive in perfect condition. Planet Express accepts special customer requests to fulfill these needs if the customer demands so.
One of these special requests is dividing your large package into multiple smaller ones so you can send them to your customers. Planet Express can also remove specific items from your package that you no longer need and want to return to the store. Planet Express also fulfills other requests like opening the package and checking what's inside or adding some extra bubble wrap and security tape to the parcel.
No matter what unique requests you have about your package, Planet Express goes out of its way to fulfill them so that you can sit back and relax as you wait for your packages to arrive.
#5 Package photographs.
Once Planet Express receives your package, they take a free photo of the package and its label and email it to you so that you have proof of the sender's name and address. The photograph also allows you to check if the package is in good condition and gives you an idea about its dimensions.
If you want to verify the integrity of the package and its contents before it's shipped to you, Planet Express offers paid open-and-scan at the rate of 3 photos for $2 and 10 photos for $5. If users choose the ten content photos option, Planet Express also takes photos of the labels and signs in your package, such as the size labels on your shoes or clothes. This helps you verify that you're really getting the clothes and shoes you requested.
#6 Variety of shipping methods.
Planet Express works with various shipping and delivery partners, including major delivery services such as FedEx, DPD local, Aramex, DHL, USPS, and DDP Air. As stated above, the best thing about Planet Express is that they pass their discounts to users, making receiving packages from FedEx, Postal Service, USPS and others sent through Planet Express cheaper than if you had hired those couriers yourself.
They also have their own Planet Express shipping method created for users who want extra savings on their shipping costs, offering full milestone tracking. Planet Express's partners pick up the packages and deliver them to the local post office. Then, the local post office delivers the package to the user's home address directly.
Pros & Cons Of Planet Express
Pros
- Three US-based locations (California, Oregon, and Florida) and one UK-based location. Very few virtual mailbox providers offer international shipping addresses.
- Lowest shipping rates in the industry, with users getting a minimum of 50% discount compared to other mail and package forwarding services.
- A straightforward and intuitive website that is easy to navigate and use.
- No hidden fees or unexpected extra costs.
- Highly affordable storage options (1 cent/pound) where businesses can store large shipments inside their warehouse for long periods—even after their plan's free period expires.
- Planet Express accepts most of the popular cryptocurrencies as payment and supports a variety of major crypto wallets such as Coinbase and Bitpay.
- 24/7 live support agents ready to resolve user problems through live chat. We have personally tried their customer service and can assure you that it is highly effective and efficient.
- Secure servers protected using the bcrypt module that securely stores your passwords with 1024-bit hashing.
Cons
- The website works on a payment deposit method where you need to deposit a minimum of $5 (or $50 if you use a wire transfer) for using their service. This is bothersome for customers that only plan to use the service once.
- While the website is functional, the layout is confusing, and several pages even have the ‘404 – Page not found' error, making it difficult for users to adequately research the website before signing up.
- Planet Express's phone customer service is unavailable during the weekends and at night and can only be contacted from Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 3 pm at +1 (424) 529-6998.
- Planet Express has a very basic Android app(not rated) but no app for iOS devices, forcing iPhone users to access Planet Express using only their browser or PC.
Pricing
Plane Express only has two pricing plans – Free Mailbox and Premium Mailbox. Free Mailbox doesn't come with maintenance costs, and you won't get charged for using it, making it ideal for users who will only use Planet Express once or a couple of times at most.
On the other hand, their Premium Mailbox comes at $10 per month/$50 per year but also has tons of premium features that the Free Mailbox doesn't have, mainly the package consolidation service.
| Service | Free Mailbox | Premium Mailbox |
| Account fee | Free | $10 per month / $50 per year |
| Handling fee | $2 per package | $2 per package |
| Consolidation | Not available | $5 + $2 per each consolidated package7 days of free storage for a consolidated package |
| Storage | 10 days of free storage | 45 days of free storage |
| Sales tax-free warehouse | No | Yes |
It is important to understand that this pricing does not include your shipping costs, and you will have to pay for it separately depending on which delivery carrier you choose. Being a relatively new startup, Planet Express has very aggressive pricing for its features and shipping costs that are matched only by a few companies like iPostal1.
Planet Express also offers a refund policy on your payment deposit which you can get by sending them an email at [email protected] with your suite ID and the value you want to refund.
Planet Express – Is It Worth It?
Planet Express is an extremely aggressive startup that continuously challenges the package forwarding services sector with its pricing. If you're hunting for the best price for your virtual mailbox needs, you've found it.
However, before you decide if the company is the right option for you, it is crucial to understand the company's cons, and if these problems offset the company's advantages for you.
Firstly, Planet Express has a peculiar payment deposit system where you need to deposit your money first, and then you will get access to their services. Most other service providers simply charge a monthly fee. This payment system is very awkward for one-time users, especially if you are just looking to try the company out.
Planet Express also doesn't have a versatile UI for its Android app and website, leading to issues from time to time. Lastly, their pricing may be affordable for simple packages and mail forwarding. However, if you take extra steps, such as checking your packages' content, adding more protection, and other services, you will quickly see your payment tab rise.
On the other hand, if these issues don't bother you much, you would find Planet Express an extremely reliable package forwarding company that ships your package to you at industry-low prices. When you use Planet Express, you also access innovative features such as ‘Shop for me', which greatly help international shoppers.
In Summary
If you don't mind the website's payment method or seeing the occasional 404 error page, Planet Express can be a great option for all your package forwarding needs. Their affordable pricing, thoughtful features, and wide variety of delivery partners make it a great option for most users on a budget.
On the other hand, if the three addresses Planet Express don't work for you, or if you're looking for other important services that cater to businesses, then our #1-rated virtual mailbox, iPostal1, is definitely a better option with its 2,300+ locations to choose from and affordable prices.
Planet Express FAQs
Can Planet Express be trusted?
Yes, Planet Express can be trusted because it is a well-established company with thousands of customer reviews to verify its legitimacy.
Is Planet Express free?
Yes, Planet Express is free if you use their basic package, but you would still need to deposit some money into your account for shipping your package.
How do you pay on Planet Express?
You can pay on Planet Express using your credit card, PayPal, wire transfers, Amazon Pay, credit card, and most of the popular cryptocurrencies out there.
How do I delete my Planet Express account?
Planet Express doesn't provide any information or resources on how to close your account, but sending an email to help@planetexpress.com should provide users with a helpful response.
How much does Planet Express cost?
Planet Express can cost anywhere from $10 to hundreds of dollars for shipping your package, depending on which warehouse you shipped it from, which features you used, your delivery carrier, and how far your location is.
Is Planet Express worth it?
Yes, Planet Express is worth it if you don't mind their payment deposit system and somewhat underdeveloped website.
Is Planet Express safe?
Yes, Planet Express is safe because they use the bcrypt module and 1024-bit hashing to store your passwords securely.
