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VoilaShip vs FrenchForwarders
FrenchForwarders is one of the few France-based forwarders built for English speakers. Here's an honest comparison — where we're clearly better, and where their broader service menu may fit you instead.
| Feature | VoilaShip | FrenchForwarders |
|---|---|---|
| 2 kg Economy to USA | $27 all-in | Quote on request |
| Instant public pricing | Yes, no account | Get-a-quote workflow |
| Duties handling | Estimated & included (DDP) | Typically billed separately |
| Monthly subscription | None | None required |
| Free storage | 15 days | Varies by service |
| Photos on arrival | Included, every package | On request |
| Mail scanning / paper mail | Not offered | Yes |
| Personal shopper / buy-for-you | Not offered | Yes |
Same lane, different generation
FrenchForwarders deserves respect: it saw the English-speaking demand for a French address years before most, and it serves it with a wide menu — packages, paper mail, scanning, even ordering on your behalf. VoilaShip covers one job with modern tooling: physical packages, France to the USA, FedEx express. If your need is that job, the difference shows immediately — an instant public calculator instead of a quote form, a live dashboard with photos of every package, and one all-in DDP price instead of an itemized surprise.
The quote form vs the calculator
The deepest difference is philosophical. A get-a-quote workflow means you commit attention — and often an account — before knowing the price. Our position: the price IS the product. Enter a weight and a value on our home page and the full landed cost, duties included, appears in seconds, no email required. When you can compare that number against any quote you receive elsewhere, transparent pricing stops being a slogan and becomes a checkable fact.
Duties: included vs billed later
Since the end of the US de minimis exemption, every import gets assessed. Services that quote shipping-only leave duties to be collected by the courier at delivery — plus a brokerage fee. VoilaShip bakes the estimated duty into the price you approve before paying. On a typical €100 order, that's the difference between one number you chose and two numbers, the second of which ambushes your doorbell.
Where FrenchForwarders genuinely fits better
If you need paper-mail handling — a French letterbox, scans of administrative mail, document forwarding — that's a real service we simply don't offer. Same for buy-for-you personal shopping if a store refuses non-French payment cards. For those jobs, a full-service forwarder earns its fees. For shipping the packages themselves, run both numbers and let arithmetic decide.
FrenchForwarders vs VoilaShip — FAQ
Is VoilaShip cheaper than FrenchForwarders?
For standard packages to the USA, our all-in DDP pricing is built to be the market's lowest — $27 for 2 kg Economy including estimated duties. FrenchForwarders prices by quote, so compare directly: get their number, open our calculator, and put the two side by side in under a minute.
Does VoilaShip handle paper mail like FrenchForwarders?
No — we forward physical packages only, no letterbox or scanning services. If administrative mail handling is your main need, a mail-focused service is the right tool; if it's shopping French stores, that's exactly what we're built for.
Can I use both services?
Nothing stops you — addresses are free at both. A pragmatic split: paper mail and special requests through a full-service forwarder, package forwarding through VoilaShip where the all-in price and photo dashboard do the work.
Comparison based on publicly available information and may change. We aim to keep it fair and up to date.