How a package forwarding price is calculated
A Shipify price is four things added together: shipping to the destination, priced on the chargeable weight of everything sent in one consignment; €2.50 for each package received at your Hungarian address; €2.50 for each extra package merged into that consignment; and any optional extras you choose. Nothing else is added — customs duty and destination-country VAT are collected by the carrier, never by us.
Updated: 2026-09-10 · Indicative prices in EUR. The binding amount is calculated at forwarding, from the parcel as measured in our warehouse.
The formula
Written out once, so there is nothing hidden in it:
total = shipping(chargeable weight, destination)
+ €2.50 × packages received
+ €2.50 × (packages merged − 1)
+ extras × packages
Shipping
By chargeable weight, to the destination country
The largest line. Every destination has its own stepped weight curve, so the price is looked up for the whole kilogram rather than multiplied out from a single per-kg rate. Packages you forward together are priced once, on their combined weight.
Intake fee
€2.50 per package received
Charged once for each parcel that arrives at your Hungarian address: signing for it, matching it to your customer identifier, weighing and measuring it, and holding it until you decide where it goes.
Consolidation
€2.50 per extra package merged
Only applies when several parcels are merged into one shipment. The first package carries no consolidation fee; each additional one repacked into the same consignment costs this. It is almost always far less than the shipping it saves.
Optional extras
per package, only if you ask
Bubble wrap, a fragile label, insurance, photo documentation or priority handling. Nothing is added by default — the price without extras is the price you pay.
Chargeable weight: the scale or the box, whichever is bigger
A van runs out of space before it runs out of payload, so couriers charge for volume as well as mass and bill whichever comes out higher. The volumetric weight of a box is length × width × height in centimetres ÷ 5000. This is the most common reason a quote lands above what a weight table suggests — and why a small, well-packed box is worth the effort.
Normally packed — the scale wins
5 kg in a 40 × 30 × 20 cm box
- Actual weight
- 5 kg
- Volumetric weight
- 4.8 kg
- Charged on
- 5 kg
- Shipping to Germany
- €42.43
Light but bulky — the box wins
3 kg in a 60 × 40 × 40 cm box
- Actual weight
- 3 kg
- Volumetric weight
- 19.2 kg
- Charged on
- 19.2 kg
- Shipping to Germany
- €69.90
Same destination, and the lighter parcel costs €27.47 more — because it takes up 4× the space. If you know the box size, put it into the shipping calculator: without it, any quote assumes the parcel is not bulky.
Consolidation: why 3 parcels cost less than 3 shipments
Parcels waiting at your Hungarian address can be repacked into a single consignment and shipped together. Shipping is then priced once, on the combined weight — and because every weight curve flattens as it climbs, tripling the weight never triples the price. The same 3 × 2 kg to Germany, sent both ways:
| Line | Sent one by one | Consolidated |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping | 3 × €37.40 = €112.20 | 6 kg = €43.51 |
| Intake (3 packages) | €7.50 | €7.50 |
| Consolidation (2 extra packages) | — | €5.00 |
| Total | €119.70 | €56.01 |
€63.69 saved on three small parcels. The more that are waiting, the wider the gap — which is why it pays to let orders collect before forwarding.
Optional extras
Per package, added only when selected.
| Extra | Price per package |
|---|---|
| Bubble wrap | €3.00 |
| Fragile label | €1.50 |
| Priority | €2.00 |
| Insurance | €2.00 |
| Photo documentation | €2.00 |
Size and weight limits
Per package. Above these a parcel may be refused, or quoted individually.
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum weight | 31.5 kg |
| Minimum weight | 0.1 kg |
| Longest side | 175 cm |
| Girth (length + 2 × width + 2 × height) | 300 cm |
What may not be shipped at all is listed in the Terms, and machine-readably at the API docs (/api/restrictions).
What the price does not include
Customs duty and import VAT. Within the EU there is none — a parcel forwarded from Hungary to another member state arrives like a domestic one. Outside the EU the carrier clears the shipment and collects any charges from the recipient before delivery. Those amounts are set by the destination country and never reach Shipify. The rules country by country are in the customs and taxes guide.
What you paid the shop. The webshop bills you directly; we only ever charge for receiving and forwarding the parcel.
Pricing FAQ
How is the price of a forwarded parcel calculated? +
Four parts added together: shipping to the destination country based on the chargeable weight of the whole consignment, an intake fee of €2.50 for each package received, €2.50 for each additional package merged into one shipment, and any optional extras selected per package. Customs duty and destination-country VAT are separate, and are collected by the carrier rather than by Shipify.
What is volumetric weight and when does it apply? +
Couriers charge for the space a box occupies as well as for what it weighs, and bill whichever is greater. Volumetric weight is length × width × height in centimetres divided by 5000. A 60 × 40 × 40 cm box has a volumetric weight of 19.2 kg, so a 3 kg parcel packed in it is priced as 19.2 kg. For a normally packed parcel the scale reading is the higher of the two and the box size changes nothing.
Is it cheaper to combine several packages into one shipment? +
Almost always, because shipping is then priced once on the combined weight instead of once per parcel. 3 parcels of 2 kg each to Germany cost €112.20 in shipping sent separately, but €43.51 as a single 6 kg consignment. After the €5.00 consolidation fee that is €63.69 saved.
What is the intake fee for? +
€2.50 per package covers receiving the parcel at the Hungarian warehouse: accepting and signing for it, matching it to your customer identifier, weighing and measuring it, and storing it until a forwarding is started. It is charged per package received, whether or not the parcels are later consolidated.
How heavy and how large can a package be? +
Up to 31.5 kg per package, with a longest side of up to 175 cm and a girth (length + 2 × width + 2 × height) of up to 300 cm. Above these limits couriers add surcharges of the same order as the freight, so we quote such a parcel individually: its forwarding request waits for the quote, and nothing is charged until you accept it. A parcel longer than 150 cm (or with a middle side over 76 cm) carries the courier's handling surcharge, passed on per package. It is worth asking before ordering something large.
Are customs duty and VAT included in the price? +
No. Within the EU there is no customs clearance at all, so nothing is added. For non-EU destinations the carrier clears the shipment and collects any duty and import VAT from the recipient before delivery. Those amounts go to the destination country, never to Shipify.
Building on this? The same figures are available as JSON from the public API — /api/quote prices a job, /api/services lists the fees and extras.
Price your own parcel
Weight, box size and destination — the calculator uses this exact formula.