Bringbox vs ForwardVia.
ForwardVia is a UK forwarder with a free address, a paid Premium tier and some genuinely cheap economy routes. The differences worth knowing are what their consolidation does and does not do to your packaging, what a photograph costs, and how long it takes. Retail packaging is the one that decides your bill, because it is mostly air and you pay to fly it.
What is the same
Both give you a free UK address with no card needed and no set-up fee. Both receive your orders, hold them while you shop, and can combine several purchases into a single shipment rather than sending each parcel separately.
The differences are in what happens to your packaging, what you can see before it flies, and how long it takes to arrive.
What is different
Four differences, and the first one is measured in cardboard.
The shoebox comes off.
This is the difference that decides your bill, and it is not a small one. Shoeboxes, cartons and retail packaging are mostly air, and international shipping charges you for the space they take up. Taking them off is what drops the same order into a smaller, cheaper box.
With Bringbox it happens by default, on every box, at no extra charge. Your things come out of their boxes, the gaps get padded, and the box we send is sized to what is actually in it. Leave a note and we will keep the packaging if you want it. How your box is packed.
ForwardVia publishes"We will never remove retail packaging, for example, shoe boxes." Of standard consolidation: "we combine packages as received from store… We may consolidate by taping boxes together and shrink wrapping them to achieve the smallest possible volume." And: "Consolidation, especially without unpacking of various sizes, shapes, and rigid packages will almost always leave empty space within the box."Photographs are free, and nobody has to be asked.
Every parcel that arrives for you is opened and photographed, on every delivery, at no cost, and the photo reaches you the same working day. You also get a photo of the box once your items are packed into it. Checking the contents is not a separate thing you buy, it is the job.
That is the difference between finding out the jumper is the wrong colour while it is still in the UK, and finding out when it lands. See exactly what you get, and when.
their published £6 for up to 5 photos, per parcel£60
included on every delivery£0
Two working days, not up to ten.
Once your box is sealed and paid for it goes out with DHL. Delivery takes about two working days to most of our destinations, and two to three working days to Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Cheaper routes exist and they are genuinely cheaper, on postal services rather than express couriers. Full transit times.
ForwardVia publishes"DHL Express, FedEx and UPS normally takes 5-10 business days (excluding weekends) to Europe, the USA and Canada. For all other countries, allow up to 10 business days."The better terms are not behind a membership.
Everyone gets the same Bringbox. Repacking by hand, storage with no countdown, photographs of every parcel, duty settled up front on our prepaid destinations, one flat price per box size. There is no tier that gets a longer storage window or a cheaper repack, because there is nothing to upgrade to.
ForwardVia publishes"30 days free storage comes as standard", and of its Premium membership: "shipping to multiple addresses, reduced repack and combine fee, 5% discount on shipping rates, extended free storage period of up to 60 days".What every box includes
Here is what is included in the price of every box, at no extra charge.
Automatic, on every delivery, plus a photo of the box once your items are in it.
Not a per-parcel fee, not a plan feature, and not something you have to remember to request.
No countdown, no daily fee, no maximum period.
On our prepaid destinations, duty is calculated and paid up front so nothing is owed at the door. Your destination page says which applies.
A message when something arrives, and somewhere to ask a question without filling in a form.
If you are sending one small item once, a simpler service will suit you better. If you are filling a box and want to know what is inside, what it weighs and what it costs before you commit, that is the thing we sell.
Where ForwardVia has the edge
No comparison is worth reading if it only points one way.
A Bringbox is priced by the size of box your things go in, and the smallest box costs what the smallest box costs whether there is a pair of contact lenses in it or nine kilograms of shopping. If you are sending one lightweight thing and nothing else is coming, paying by weight will be cheaper and you should do that instead.
They publish postal options alongside express couriers, which will beat anything we can do on price if you are not in a hurry. Bringbox has one speed and it is the fast one, which is the wrong purchase for something you do not need soon.
Bringbox delivers to nine countries. If yours is not one of them, no comparison matters, so check whether they cover it. They also publish shipping to multiple addresses on their Premium tier, which we do not offer. Where Bringbox delivers.
Which one suits you
ForwardVia is the better choice if the lowest possible cost matters more than anything else and you can wait, or if you send often enough that a paid membership pays for itself.
Bringbox is the better choice if you are shipping clothes, shoes and anything else that arrives in a box twice the size of the thing inside it. The packaging comes off, you see a photograph of what actually turned up, and it is with you in about two working days.
The honest test: look at what you have ordered. If most of it is in retail boxes, the packaging question is worth more to you than the headline rate.
Sources and honesty. Everything attributed to ForwardVia above is quoted from its own published material: its knowledge base articles on consolidation, photographs and delivery times, and its UAE destination page. All checked on 9 August 2026. We have not tested their service and we make no claim about how well they run it.
Terms and transit estimates change. Every figure above is quoted as published on the date shown, has not been converted or compared against our shipping rates, and should be checked on their site. If anything here is out of date, tell us at hello@bringbox.com and we will correct it.
Questions, answered plainly.
What is the difference between Bringbox and ForwardVia?
Both give a free UK address and can combine orders. ForwardVia publishes that it will never remove retail packaging such as shoe boxes, that consolidation does not include content checking, and that photographs cost £6 for up to 5. Bringbox removes retail packaging as standard, photographs every parcel free of charge, and has no membership tiers and no storage time limit.
Will ForwardVia remove my shoe boxes?
No. It publishes plainly: "We will never remove retail packaging, for example, shoe boxes." Retail packaging is mostly air and you pay to ship the space it takes. Bringbox takes it off as standard, unless you leave a note asking us to keep it.
Do I get photographs of my parcels?
With Bringbox, yes, free, on every parcel, without asking. ForwardVia publishes a pre-shipping photo option at £6 for up to 5 photos, and states that its consolidation service does not include content checking unless you order it as a special request.
How long does each service take?
ForwardVia publishes 5 to 10 business days by DHL Express, FedEx or UPS to Europe, the USA and Canada, and up to 10 business days for all other countries, with slower postal options also available. Bringbox takes about two working days to most of our destinations once your box is dispatched.
Is Bringbox good for one small item?
Honestly, no. A Bringbox is priced by box size, so the smallest box costs the same whether it holds a pair of contact lenses or nine kilograms of shopping. For a single light parcel with nothing else coming, a service that charges by weight will be cheaper and you should use one.