Best Freight Forwarders for Medellín: Real Costs, Speed, and How To Avoid Colombia’s $200 Tax

• 🇺🇸 Four legit forwarders with U.S. warehouses. All deliver to Medellín. Aeropost, Stackry, Shipito, Caribbean Shipper.

• 📦 Get U.S. products in Medellín. Real U.S. address. Simple door delivery.

• 🛒 Buy brands and parts that don’t ship to Colombia. Think electronics, hobby gear, specialty clothes.

• 🔗 Consolidate many orders into one box. Fewer headaches. Lower total cost.

• ⏱ Pick your lane. Express for gifts and rush jobs. Economy for routine hauls.

Why this matters if you live in Medellín

You want selection. You want fair pricing. You want your stuff at your door in El Poblado or Laureles without ping-ponging through customs. Freight forwarders make that possible. The difference is how they charge, how they handle consolidation, and how fast they land your box.

Here is what actually happens on the ground.

Quick primer: how these services work

• You sign up and get a U.S. shipping address.

• Stores ship your orders to that address.

• The warehouse receives each package, logs it, and stores it.

• You choose to ship each item right away, or wait and consolidate into one box.

• They export, clear customs, and handle last-mile in Colombia.

What is a “Casillero”

Casillero is the Spanish term for your virtual locker. It is the U.S. address the forwarder assigns to you. Put that address in your Amazon or store checkout. The forwarder links incoming packages to your account and then sends them to Medellín when you say go.

Real-world test

In these cases, I feel that having an apples to apples comparison is the best way to move forward. I decided to create accounts with the four top freight forwarding services that deliver to Medellin from the US. I used Aeropost, MyUS.com, Shipito and Caribbean Shippers. I had four very different experiences with them and I'll explain the test here. I ordered three items from Amazon to be delivered to all four of the warehouses of the top freight forwarders. The items were simple, a 16oz bottle of moisturizer, a 10 pack box of Hidden Valley Ranch packets, and a 15oz bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos. All items that do not exist in Colombia. For the record, those packing peanuts sprinkled with watered down flamin hot seasoning doesn't count. Sorry.

The weight of all three is under 2lbs, total. The total retail value of all was $73. I ordered the exact same things and sent them all to the lockers for the sites. One thing to note is that Amazon shipped the items separately every time. This resulted in 12 individual shipments coming from Amazon. This isn't ideal, but it really showed me how the four businesses handle your packages and the differences were stark. The moisturizer arrived 10 days after the other items which is a real thing that can happen, so it showed some major differences in the services.

I'll give the results of the test at the end, but I'm telling you this now so there is some context.

The four you can trust in 2025

After exhaustive research and burning ChatGPT, I found that there are 4 legitimate places who will receive your packages and not help themselves to the contents, according to Reddit threads and independent review sites. Here are the four I chose, in no particular order:

Aeropost

What they do
A region-focused forwarder with a Colombia site and a calculator that shows your landed cost. You can choose home delivery or pickup in select points. Their customer interface is incredible. I will give them their flowers there. Proper cool.

Best for
People who want predictable totals and a simple flow. If you ship one or two items at a time, it is easy and reliable.

Speed and price feel
Solid and steady. If you let several small packages go out on their own, costs add up. If you plan consolidation, it becomes more competitive.

Medellín use case
Weekly basics. Small electronics. Shoes. One or two items per shipment with a clean, all-in price you can see up front.

MyUS.com

What it does
A serious U.S. warehouse with long free-storage and strong consolidation controls. You pick carriers like DHL, FedEx, or USPS based on speed or savings.

Best for
Power shoppers who buy from many stores and want one clean box every two weeks or monthly.

Speed and price feel
Express can be fast to Medellín, and you pay for that speed. Economy options exist and can cut the bill if you are not in a rush.

Medellín use case
Bigger hauls. Multiple stores. You want photos on arrival, choices on carriers, and tight control over how the box goes out.

Shipito

What it does
Large network. Multiple U.S. warehouses. A clear express path to Colombia. Good self-service tools.

Best for
Rush jobs. Birthday gifts. Replacement parts. Situations where two to five business days matters more than saving 20 bucks.

Speed and price feel
Quick when you pick express. Like Stackry, the faster you want it, the more you will pay, and it's the most expensive of the bunch. Their 2 day service, means 2 day service.

Medellín use case
Last-minute orders that need to hit your apartment door ASAP.

Caribbean Shipper

What it does
Miami forwarder with hands-on support. Consolidation is the core move. WhatsApp and phone support, human and fast. Very seamless and no issues. Actual humans to talk to is a huge plus. The girls there are very friendly, and know what is going on.

Best for
Lowest out-of-pocket on small to medium boxes when you plan consolidation and keep values smart.

Speed and price feel
This is where Caribbean Shippers shines, fair pricing with accountable service. That is tough to beat at this weight class.

Medellín use case
Regular Amazon buys, streetwear, supplements, and smaller electronics that stack well into one sturdy box.

2 lb snapshot to El Poblado

Specs for comparison
2 pounds. 12 x 9 x 6 inches. Declared value 175 dollars. Residential delivery in El Poblado.

• Caribbean Shipper - One consolidated box in our test. The box was packaged incredibly well, and they waited until all packages came in to consolidate and ship. The total was $31.50. THe box arrived in 4 days, and it was the most seamless transaction.

• Aeropost - If you consolidate, expect a single mid-30s total for a two-pound box of this size. They were rigid about shipping the boxes after a week. They consolidated the Cheetos and ranch seasoning, and shipped that. This alone was less than a pound with a declared value of $16, and the cost for just this was $27.38. The lotion arrived two days after the original box left and that box was $34.77. The total was $62.15 for shipping. This feels excessive to me. Not worth the slick GUI in my opinion. The box arrived in 6 days, and was a little squished, but wrapped in black plastic cling wrap, so I know they tried, that's not on them - nothing they could do there.

• MyUS- This was the weirdest one in the test. They waited for the boxes, and once all three arrived, they quoted me a price. The Express with DHL or FedEx, which is usually the quickest, was $93.10. They have slower carrier options, which can bring the bill down if you are patient, but they quoted 10-20 days. I asked clearly in the email, they stated it is 10-20 days, and the price was $41.66. I chose the slower option because the express seemed to be excessive. It did not take 10-20 days, or even 10-20 business days. It took 36 days total. Not only this, the total went up to 44.50, which I didn't pay attention to when paying the invoice. That's on me, but when I asked about it, they said the carrier raised rates based on gas prices. I was never told about this, and they leaned on the TOU for justification. They also have a membership fee if you want to use them frequently. They have a free trial, but this is an added cost that none of the others have this added cost

• Shipito - Very similar story to MyUS minus the weird price shifting and monthly fee. If you choose express, it moves. If you choose economy, it saves. The express was the most expensive, but they guaranteed 2 day delivery. The cost was $118.00, however if the box didn't arrive within 2 business days they offered me a prorated refund, or so I thought, they offered me a credit on another shipment. The economy option was much less at $35.00, but that was 15 business days. I chose the2 day option, just to see what I got, and I will say that I got it in 2 days. No muss, no fuss, but I paid 138% of the cost of the items when it's all said and done.

Bottom line
The results of this were a bit jarring to be honest. In my mind the decision is simple. The best bang for your buck is Caribbean Shippers. Hands down. It's not even a competition. Aeropost has the best interface, but the way they rushed my shipment out, regardless of one being days behind the shipment ended up costing me extra money. MyUS was borderline shady with the pricing change and the fast salesman talk with the shipping time. Shipito was very good, the fundamental difference between price is huge. However, I was impressed with their delivery time. If I was ranking them, I'd rank them - Caribbean Shippers, Shipito, Aeropost and Stackery (MyUS). Respectfully of course.

The 200 dollar rule, made simple

Colombia gives a break to small personal shipments under a specific monetary value. If you keep the value of each shipment at 200 dollars or less, you will avoid duty. When the origin is the United States and you are inside that limit, you also avoid the 19 percent VAT. If you cross the $200 threshold, VAT taxes apply.

Practical tips

• Design shipments around 200 dollars.

• If your cart totals more than 200, split it before the warehouse generates labels.

• Remember how taxes are calculated if you go over: price you paid plus international freight plus insurance.

• Keep invoices accurate. DIAN checks values.

• Do not try to game it with commercial quantities. These services are for personal use.

This rule is why consolidation is powerful. You can combine items and still keep the total under 200. That is the Medellín cheat code.

Where each service shines, with examples

You buy one or two things a week and want a clean, predictable number

• Aeropost. Use the calculator. If you are not building a big box, it is simple and the prices are fair. You hunt deals across five stores and want one package twice a month. Make sure the packages all arrive to them within a week of each other or you will be in the situation I was in.

• MyUS. Let everything pile up in your casillero. Pick DHL when you need speed. Pick a cheaper carrier when you do not. You forgot a birthday or need a replacement part now, they will shine here. If you need a faster option this will be the best way. They are not good with economy shipping.

• Shipito. Express. Door delivery. Done. I was pleasantly surprised with the actual delivery time. Very well done. You will pay for the convenience, but they are very honest and upfront about it. Very easy communication as well.

• Caribbean Shipper. Plan the consolidation. Keep the declared value under 200. Let one airway bill carry the load. The price was the fairest of the bunch, and communicating with actual human beings on Whatsapp is very nice. The girls I worked with are all very nice and knowledgable. Best bang for your buck is HANDS DOWN Caribbean Shippers.

Design your shipments like a pro

Not all situations and shipments are the same, but in my experience, these are the easiest ways to get things through.

• Size
  12 x 9 x 6 inches is a friendly box. It passes through systems without fuss.

• Value
  175 dollars is a safe number. It keeps you inside the limit with room for freight and insurance if a calculator folds those in.

• Insurance. Buy it on higher-value items. If you ever cross 200, know that freight and insurance add to the tax base.

• Timing - If you need it fast, use express through MyUS or Shipito. If price is the goal, consolidate with Caribbean Shipper and give it a couple of extra days.

• Restricted items - Check the list before you order. Batteries, aerosols, and some supplements have their own rules. I think it goes without saying, but don't try and ship things that are illegal in Colombia. Ignorance is not a defense here. If you're trying to ship in a gun piece by piece, you're not terribly smart and will get hemmed up.

Decision guide

I know I said it before, but I'll make my case for each one in order of how I ranked my experience with them:

Pick Caribbean Shipper if: You want the lowest out-of-pocket for a small consolidated box. You like WhatsApp support and a human planning your consolidation.

Pick Shipito if: Speed matters more than price. You want a package at your door in 2 days.

Pick Aeropost if: You want predictable landed cost on one or two items at a time. You value an easy calculator and simple hand-off in Colombia.

Pick MyUS if: You shop across many stores and want one monthly box. You want control of carriers, insurance, and timing. If you want to use them frequently, they have a $10/month membership fee.

Here is how to find each one:

• Caribbean Shippers: caribbeanshipper.com

• Shipito: shipito.com/en/buy-from-US-ship-to-Colombia

• Aeropost - https://aeropost.com/BOG/en

• MyUS - myus.com/welcome/colombia/