01
Schedule
Book your luggage shipment online or by phone. Tell us when you want your bags delivered and we’ll give you several pickup date and pricing options.
Pack your luggage, gear, and bags for shipment. Read more about preparing your luggage .
DOORSTEP TO DESTINATION™
Ship Luggage to South Africa
Pickup at your door, customs paperwork prepared for you and a double money back on-time guarantee.
How do I ship luggage to South Africa?
To ship luggage to South Africa, book online or by phone in about three minutes. Luggage Forward schedules pickup at your door, sends your luggage tags and prepares the paperwork for South African customs. Standard delivery to Cape Town from New York takes about 10 business days, with tracking until your bags reach your hotel, villa or home.
WE’LL TAKE IT FROM HERE
Your Trusted Global Luggage Shipping Service
Travel Light
Breeze through the airport and avoid paying extra airline baggage fees. It’s like a travel agent for your bags, so you can carry less and travel light.
Track Your Bags
Once your bags are on their way, our proprietary system monitors key milestones in their journey to ensure everything stays on track. As soon as delivery is complete, we’ll notify you by email so you can enjoy peace of mind knowing your luggage is ready and waiting for you.
On-Time Guarantee
Relax. When you send your luggage with us, it is guaranteed to arrive on time or we’ll refund you double what you paid to ship the bag.
Premium Service
From hassle-free pickups to on-time deliveries, our white glove service ensures your luggage arrives at your destination stress-free, allowing you to focus on your journey.
SAFE, CONVENIENT, GUARANTEED
Shipping luggage to South Africa
South Africa offers safaris in Kruger National Park, hikes along the Wild Coast, wine tours in the Cape Winelands and shopping in Johannesburg. Ship your luggage ahead, skip the check-in line and the baggage claim, and spend that time exploring.
South Africa rates
Shipping luggage to Cape Town starts at $384 for a small bag, $679 for a standard bag and $899 for an oversize bag, quoted from New York. Your price is set by your bag category, origin and delivery speed. If a bag exceeds its booked category, the rate adjusts to the next category. See what goes into the cost to ship luggage.
South Africa guarantee
Every bag shipped to South Africa is backed by our double money back on-time guarantee. If a bag picked up on schedule arrives after its guaranteed delivery date, we refund double the transportation charge. Customs holds and weather delays are excluded.
What to know before you ship to South Africa
We prepare and submit the customs paperwork for every bag bound for South Africa. Your suitcases travel as personal effects, the classification for traveler-owned luggage, and our specialists oversee clearance until delivery.
Your part. Give us an accurate list of what is in each bag, along with any documents we ask for. Incomplete documentation can delay clearance and voids the on-time guarantee. Any duties or taxes South Africa charges are billed to you separately.
Ship bags unlocked. Customs may open a bag during screening, and a locked bag may have its lock broken. Use zip ties or other removable fasteners instead.
Food, alcohol, tobacco, medication, currency and lithium batteries cannot ship internationally. Read how international luggage shipping works, or call +1-617-482-1100 about a specific item.
“This company has been shipping clothes and sports gear like skis for more than 10 years. Pack your clothes in bags the same way you would for air travel and then have Luggage Forward pick them up from you. And the company will complete and submit all customs documentation.”
THE NEW YORK TIMES
MORE THAN LUGGAGE
Ship luggage, sports gear, bikes and more
Call us or book online, and we will collect your bags at home and deliver them to your hotel, villa, house or cruise ship in South Africa. Golf clubs, skis and bikes ship the same way.
International luggage shipping
South Africa is one of more than 200 destinations we serve worldwide. See how international luggage shipping works, customs included.
Ski and snowboard shipping
Breeze through the airport without hauling bulky gear by shipping skis.
Ship strollers and car seats
Your hands are already full traveling with kids. We’ll pick up and deliver everything you need.
Mobility devices
Shipping wheelchairs and mobility devices makes travel accessible to all.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING
Luggage shipping reviews
We have the best clients in the world. Using an independent third-party review site, we gather feedback to see how we’re doing. Read what real users have to say about their experience shipping bags with Luggage Forward.
ABOUT LUGGAGE FORWARD
The Most Reliable Luggage Shipping Since 2004
Luggage Forward was born out of the simple idea that we should all be able to enjoy the journey as much as the destination and a great vacation does not begin at the baggage carousel. Or worse yet, with lost or late arriving luggage or sports equipment.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US:
- Streamlined Customs
- Double Money Back On-Time Guarantee
- Scheduled Doorstep Pickup
- Complimentary Value Protection
- Luggage Tags Delivered To You
- Excellent Customer Support
HOW IT WORKS
How to ship luggage to South Africa
02
Ship
You tell us where and when you want your luggage picked up. We’ll pick up from your home, office, hotel, cruise ship, golf course and more.
We have many luggage pickup options to fit your busy schedule. Read more about luggage pickup .
03
Go
Head to the airport hands-free! Your luggage will be monitored closely by our team of shipping experts as well as by our predictive tracking technology to ensure on-time delivery. Learn more about how your luggage is transported .
Upon delivery, you’ll be notified via email, text or phone that your bags are awaiting your arrival. Read more about luggage delivery .
Shipping luggage to South Africa: common questions
Shipping luggage to Cape Town starts at $384 for a small bag (up to 25 lbs), $679 for a standard bag (up to 50 lbs) and $899 for an oversize bag (up to 75 lbs).
Those are quotes from New York for standard delivery with pickup booked about 10 days out. Origin, pickup date and delivery speed all change the price. South African duties or taxes, where charged, are billed separately.
Compare options on our cost to ship luggage page, or get a quote for your dates.
Standard delivery to Cape Town takes about 10 business days.
Preferred service is 2 to 3 days faster for an additional fee. Book early enough that your bags arrive before you do; we accept bookings up to 180 days ahead.
No. Luggage Forward prepares and submits the South African customs paperwork for you.
Your bags travel as personal effects. Send us an accurate contents list and any documents we request, and leave each bag unlocked. Any duties or taxes South Africa assesses are passed on to you.
Learn how international luggage shipping works from pickup to clearance.
Any hazardous or dangerous commodities are prohibited from all Luggage Forward shipments.
For shipments traveling between two countries, there are additional items restricted by customs.
You can not ship:
- Medication, OTC, prescription, or vitamins
- Food (Includes coffee beans and spices)
- Alcohol (including perfume and hand sanitizer)
- Tobacco
- Pressurized containers (includes sunscreen)
- Valuables or currency
- Electronics (excludes cables and converters)
- Lithium based batteries (includes tracking devices and range finders)
Upon booking, you will be provided with a list of common items that are disallowed. If you have specific questions, please contact one of our forwarding specialists or see our Terms of Service.
For additional items that cannot be shipped, please visit https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/.
Violators of the Federal Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR parts 100—185) may be subject to civil penalties of up to $75,000 for each violation ($175,000 if the violation results in severe injury or substantial destruction to property).
Choose a pickup date when you book and give us your pickup address in the US: your home, office or hotel. Luggage Forward schedules the collection, and a driver picks up your bags there.
We send your Forwarding Packet, with your itinerary, luggage tags and packing instructions, up to one week before pickup. For a last-minute booking, you can print your tags and documents from your account.
Yes. Every bag includes up to $500 of complimentary Value Protection for loss or damage beyond normal wear and tear. You can increase your Value Protection any time before your bags are picked up.
Some items are excluded, and disallowed items void value protection. See the value protection section of our Terms of Service.
Yes. You can ship golf clubs, bikes, skis and snowboards to South Africa.
We can deliver clubs directly to many golf courses and resorts, and there are no airline-style oversize fees for a golf or ski bag. A bike must be dismantled and packed in a corrugated box or hard travel case.
Details: golf club shipping, bike shipping and ski shipping.
Yes. We collect luggage in South Africa and deliver it to your home in the US.
Enter your South African pickup address and US delivery address when you book online, or call our forwarding specialists at +1-617-482-1100 for a quote.
If a bag picked up on schedule misses its guaranteed delivery date, we refund double the transportation charge.
The double money back guarantee does not apply to customs holds, weather delays, locked bags or incomplete documentation. See our Terms of Service for the full list of exclusions.
No, your luggage does not have to be boxed. You can pack your luggage as you normally would for airline travel, no additional packaging is necessary.
One of the advantages of using Luggage Forward is that your soft and hard sided luggage can be shipped as is. However, sporting equipment should have adequate padding around any fragile or precision parts to ensure that they are protected during transit.
For more on preparing and packing your order, see our guide to what you can and cannot ship.
Every bag includes complimentary Value Protection of up to $500 (or the item's actual value, if less) for loss or major damage beyond normal wear and tear. Some items and types of damage are excluded; see the Value Protection section of our Terms of Service. You can increase your Value Protection any time before your bags are picked up.
Domestic shipments: Bags traveling within the United States must be locked. Failure to lock them voids your right to file a claim for lost or missing contents.
All other shipments: Bags must be unlocked, because they may be opened during customs or security screening.
If bags are locked, including TSA approved locks, and customs cannot open an item then the lock or seal may have to be broken.
Locking any item traveling internationally can cause extended delays and will void Luggage Forward's industry leading on-time guarantee.
Let’s Get Started
Get instant door-to-door rates to ship luggage on your next trip.