Why a Delaware Warehouse? How a Tax-Free US Address Saves Shoppers Money
US stores charge sales tax by delivery address. Here is why a Delaware warehouse gives a package forwarding service a built-in price advantage.
October 19, 2026 · 3 min read
When someone abroad shops in an American online store through a forwarding service, the order is delivered to the forwarder's US warehouse first. That small detail has a big effect on price, because of how sales tax works in the United States.
How US sales tax works for online orders
The United States has no national sales tax. Instead, most states — and many cities and counties — charge their own. When you buy online, the store calculates sales tax from the delivery address, not from where the store is based.
In practice that means the same order can cost noticeably more or less depending on the state it ships to. In many states the combined state and local rate is somewhere around 6–10% of the purchase price.
A handful of states charge no general sales tax at all. Delaware is one of them.
What that means for forwarding customers
If a forwarding service's warehouse is in a state with sales tax, every order its customers place is taxed at that state's rate — before the parcel even leaves the US.
If the warehouse is in Delaware, US stores charge 0% sales tax on orders shipped there. The customer pays the price on the shelf, nothing more.
A simple example: a pair of sneakers at $150.
| Delivery address | Sales tax (example rate) | Customer pays |
|---|---|---|
| Warehouse in a state with ~8% tax | $12 | $162 |
| Warehouse in Delaware | $0 | $150 |
On one pair of sneakers the difference is modest. On a laptop, a phone, a season of clothes for a family or a Black Friday haul, it adds up quickly — and customers notice.
Why this matters for a forwarding business
For an operator, a tax-free warehouse is more than a nice detail:
- It is an easy selling point. "Shop US stores with 0% sales tax" is clear and concrete. Customers understand it instantly.
- It protects your margin. You can price shipping competitively while the customer still saves on the purchase itself.
- It suits big-ticket items. Electronics and other high-value orders are exactly where customers compare total cost most carefully.
Things to keep in mind
- Sales tax is not customs duty. A Delaware address removes US sales tax, but the customer's own country may still charge import duty or VAT above its duty-free threshold. A good forwarder explains this clearly and helps with documents.
- Some items are restricted. Airlines and customs limit certain goods (aerosols, batteries in some forms, weapons, perishables). Customers need a clear list of what can and cannot be shipped.
- Storage time matters. Customers often wait for several orders to arrive and ship them together. A free storage period at the warehouse — Pesoto offers 31 days in Moldova, for example — makes consolidation easy and saves on shipping.
How Pesoto uses Delaware
Pesoto's US warehouse is in Newark, Delaware. Every customer receives a personal suite number at that address the moment they register, and shops US stores and auctions without paying sales tax. Parcels are received, checked, consolidated if needed and flown on regular weekly flights.
Partners who join the Pesoto franchise offer their customers the same tax-free Delaware address from day one — without having to open a US warehouse of their own.
Request the franchise terms to see what launching in your market would look like.
Want to launch package forwarding in your country?
Get the full Pesoto franchise terms from your personal manager.
Request franchise info