What Shippn is
Shippn is a Turkish-founded peer-to-peer marketplace for package forwarding, launched 2015. Instead of running a warehouse, Shippn signs up individual "hosts" — regular people in the US, UK, Germany, and other source countries — to register their home or apartment address as a receiving point. You pick a host in your destination state, ship to their home, the host reships internationally to you. Shippn takes a marketplace cut on each transaction.
Strengths: lots of country options on both source and destination sides, low minimum spend (a $5 host transaction can be the cheapest option for a single low-value package), the marketplace lets you pick a host whose reviews look good.
The peer-to-peer model has structural risk
- Your package goes to a stranger's home address, not a commercial warehouse
- Hosts are not professional logistics staff — handling, repacking quality varies
- Hosts can quit, travel, or stop responding mid-shipment, stranding your package
- Disputes are marketplace-mediated, not directly resolved by a business behind the package
- Insurance varies by host plan — most are not commercially insured at warehouse standards
- Customs declarations rely on a host's experience, which can range from expert to first-shipment
What Selectido does differently
Two structural differences from Shippn's peer model.
1. Single professional warehouse. Selectido operates one US warehouse facility in the Twin Cities. Same people, same insurance, same handling protocol every time. You're not picking a stranger; you're using a single US business with a single liability profile. If something goes wrong, you don't navigate a marketplace dispute — you talk to us directly.
2. Live video shopping. Selectido sends a real shopper into Costco, Target, Trader Joe's, Sephora, anywhere — joining you on a video call so you see the shelf before they pay. Shippn's hosts don't shop for you; they receive packages you ordered yourself. Anything that requires walking into a store (Costco non-members, Trader Joe's, store-pickup-only items) Shippn can't reach.
When your package leaves Selectido's facility, it's been inspected by trained staff, repacked to minimize volumetric weight, photographed for your records, and customs-declared by people who do this every day. None of that is guaranteed in a peer-to-peer model where your host might be doing their first international ship. For high-value, fragile, or customs-sensitive items, the warehouse difference matters.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Shippn | Selectido |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving location | Stranger's home | Pro warehouse |
| Handling staff | Individual host | Trained team |
| Per-package price | $5–20+ (host-set) | $14.99 flat |
| Monthly fee | $0 | $0 |
| Reliability across shipments | Host-dependent | Consistent |
| Insurance | Varies by host | Commercial |
| Live video shopping at US stores | No | Yes — $75/hr |
| Costco / Trader Joe's / grocery | Can't (no online order) | Yes |
| US returns end-to-end | Host-dependent | Yes |
| Multi-language support | English + Turkish | 9 languages |
| Dispute resolution | Marketplace-mediated | Direct with us |
| Country coverage (source) | Many (US, UK, DE, more) | US only |
Who each one is right for
Shippn makes sense if SHIPPN
- You need forwarding from a non-US country (UK, Germany, etc.) Selectido doesn't cover
- You only ship low-value, single-item orders where a $5 host beats $14.99 flat
- You're comfortable with the peer-to-peer trust model and host variability
- You don't need professional repacking, photos, or commercial insurance
Selectido makes sense if SELECTIDO
- You're shipping from the US specifically and want a real warehouse, not a stranger's apartment
- You're shipping high-value, fragile, or customs-sensitive items where handling matters
- You want Costco / Trader Joe's / Sephora / Target store-only items Shippn can't get
- You want to see what you're buying on a live video call before they pay
- You ship regularly and want consistent service across every shipment
- You shop in Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, or Korean and want a native-speaking shopper
Frequently asked questions
Shippn is a Turkish-based peer-to-peer marketplace. Hosts register their home addresses as receiving points. You pick a host, ship to their home, they reship internationally. Shippn takes a marketplace cut. It's the Airbnb model applied to forwarding.
Shippn vets hosts and offers a basic guarantee, but you're trusting an individual stranger with your package in their personal residence. Reviews flag occasional delays, lost packages, and hard-to-resolve disputes. Selectido is a single US warehouse — different risk profile entirely.
Sometimes. Hosts set their own prices — some offer $5, some $20+. For a single low-value package, a cheap host can undercut. For reliability across multiple shipments, professional handling, and the live shopping bundle, Selectido wins on consistency.
No. Shippn is forwarding only. You order yourself from US retailers. Selectido is the only service that combines forwarding with live video shopping at any US store.
Shippn provides dispute resolution but recovery depends on the host. Packages stuck in an unresponsive stranger's home are difficult to recover. Selectido's liability is direct — you talk to us, not a marketplace.
No. Same as warehouse forwarders — you order online, your host receives. Stores that don't ship at all (Costco non-members, Trader Joe's, most grocery) are out of reach. Selectido walks a shopper into the store.