A forwarder gives you a US address and you do the buying. We do the buying for you: we buy from the US store, check the item, pack it, and ship it to your door.
Big Apple Buddy is a personal shopping service based in New York. We buy from US stores for you, check the item, pack it, and ship it to your door in over 75 countries. Think of us as your friend in the US who buys it for you.
A package forwarder is different: it gives you a US address, and you do the buying yourself. You pay with your own card, track your packages, and deal with the store if anything goes wrong. That works well for many shoppers, and it usually costs less.
If you want one company to handle the whole process (buying, checking, packing, shipping, and any problems along the way), that's Big Apple Buddy. You pay a service fee for handling everything for you. We are a small, founder-run, boutique service: for over 10 years, customers have worked directly with our founder and CEO, Phillis, and her team, who look after each order personally from purchase to delivery.
In online shopping, these names usually mean the same thing: a company that gives you a US address, receives what you buy, and ships it on to you. Strictly speaking, a freight forwarder moves commercial cargo for businesses. But when US stores write their policies, "freight forwarder" usually covers any reshipping address.
That matters, because some major stores refuse these addresses and cancel the orders:
A personal shopper works differently: we place the order with the store ourselves, the way a friend in the US would, and each store decides whether to accept an order.
Had an order cancelled? Read what to do when a US store won't ship to your forwarding address.
Here is an honest side-by-side comparison with three well-known package forwarders, as they work when you place the orders yourself.
| Big Apple Buddy | MyUS | Stackry | Shipito | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who places the order at the US store? | We do. We buy your items for you with our US payment methods. | You do, with your own card. | You do, with your own card. | You do, with your own card. |
| What if the store rejects your international card? | Often not a problem: we place eligible orders ourselves, with our own US payment details. Each store decides whether to accept an order. | You'll need a card the store accepts, or another way to pay. | You'll need a card the store accepts, or another way to pay. | You'll need a card the store accepts, or another way to pay. |
| Do you manage a US address and incoming packages? | No. There is no address to set up: you order, we handle the rest. | Yes. Purchases go to the MyUS warehouse and ship to you from there. | Yes. You ship your orders to your Stackry locker. | Yes. You ship your orders to your Shipito address. |
| Who inspects and repacks your items? | We do. Every order is inspected and repacked before shipping, included in our service fee. | MyUS says it repacks and consolidates packages at its warehouse. | You can pay for consolidation and repacking as extras. | You can pay for consolidation as an extra. |
| Returns and warranty claims: who deals with the store? | We do. We made the purchase and hold the receipt, so we can ask the store for a return or warranty service where its policy allows (a service fee applies). | You deal with the store yourself for items you purchased. | You deal with the store yourself for items you purchased. | You deal with the store yourself for items you purchased. |
| Fees | No membership. Service fee (separate from item price, shipping and taxes): $30 for the first item if the order's product total is under $200, $50 at $200 or more, plus $15 per additional item. See /pricing/. | MyUS's current fees can be seen here. | Stackry's current fees can be seen here. | Shipito's current fees can be seen here. |
| Trustpilot rating (as of the date shown) | 4.5★ (693 reviews, Trustpilot, as of 2026-10-06) | 3.4★ (13,878 reviews, as of 2026-10-06) | 4.2★ (14,424 reviews, as of 2026-10-06) | 4.1★ (10,565 reviews, as of 2026-10-06) |
MyUS and Shipito also sell buy-for-me add-ons (Buying Assistant and Assisted Purchase), which place an order for you. The table compares their core package forwarding.
Comparing one service in detail? See MyUS alternative, Shipito alternative and Stackry alternative.
A forwarder's total cost depends on how many packages you receive, the consolidation, storage and handling options you use, and the volumetric weight of your shipment. Check each provider's pages for their full schedule. Our service fee is a fee, not your total cost: the product price and international shipping are separate. Customs duties and import taxes are set by your country. Where required, we collect VAT or GST at checkout, so you see it before you pay. Otherwise, any duties or import taxes are usually collected by the carrier when the parcel arrives, and we warn you about this in red at checkout. More in our customs FAQ.
Facts about other services checked October 2026: MyUS Buying Assistant page; Stackry homepage, FAQ and pricing; Shipito pricing and Assisted Purchase page; Trustpilot profiles for MyUS, Stackry and Shipito.
The honest summary: if you're happy doing the work yourself, a package forwarder will usually cost less. If you want it handled end to end by one accountable company, that's Big Apple Buddy.
Had a store cancel your forwarder order? Here's what to do.
For the buy-for-me side in detail, including declined cards, cancelled orders and returns, see our US personal shopper service.
No. Big Apple Buddy is a personal shopping (buy-for-me) service, not a freight or package forwarder. A forwarder gives you a US address and you do the buying yourself. We do the buying for you, like a friend in the US: we purchase your items from the US store, check them, pack them, and ship them to your door in over 75 countries.
A package forwarder receives packages you bought yourself and ships them onward. You manage the US address, the payment, and any store problems. A personal shopper places the order for you, checks the items, packs them, and manages the shipping. With Big Apple Buddy, one company is accountable for the whole process.
Usually not, and we say so plainly. If the store ships to forwarders and you are happy to manage the purchase yourself, a forwarder will usually cost less. What you pay us for is handling everything for you. Our service fee, separate from the item price, shipping and any taxes, is $30 for the first item when the order's total product cost is under $200, or $50 at $200 or more, plus $15 for each additional item. Our pricing page has the full schedule.
We do. We made the purchase and hold the receipt, so we can run a return or a warranty claim with the store for you; a service fee applies, and the outcome follows the store's own policy and deadlines. With a package forwarder, you deal with the store yourself from abroad.
Our founder and CEO, Phillis, and her team. They help with order questions and contact the store or carrier when something goes wrong, such as a cancelled order, a damaged item or a delivery problem, subject to the store's policies. We reply within 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Check out our Facebook and TrustPilot pages for more customer testimonials!
Phillis and her team were so prompt (email replies within hours) professional, and most importantly I received exactly what I ordered, exactly when they said I would.....with a personalized note inside my package from Phillis. LOVELY TOUCH!
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Big Apple Buddy is a professional company and doing business with them is an absolute pleasure. I tried it from South Africa and thanks to Phillis Chan and her team, I enjoyed the purchasing process just as much as the product I purchased.
View
Thank you so much to Big Apple Buddy for the super great purchasing experience! Phillis was very prompt and helpful, updating me via emails all the way from quote to delivery to Singapore. It's like having a personal friend in the US!
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