It happens to almost everyone. You fly to the States with a half-empty suitcase and every good intention. Three weeks, two outlet malls and one Target run later, you are sitting on the lid in a hotel room, trying to work out what the airline is going to charge you.

American shopping is hard to resist. The range is huge, the sales are relentless, and plenty of brands are simply cheaper there. The problem is not buying it. It is getting it home.

Why excess baggage hurts so much

Airlines charge for extra weight and extra bags on long-haul routes, and on a flight across the Pacific those fees add up quickly. Worse, you often only find out the real figure at the check-in desk, when there is no time left to do anything clever about it.

Buying a cheap extra suitcase at the last minute is the usual fix, but it just moves the cost around. You still pay for the bag, and you still pay the airline to carry it.

A smarter way to travel light

The trick many seasoned travellers use is to stop carrying their shopping at all.

Services offering parcel forwarding from the US to Australia give you your own American address. While you are on holiday, you can use it in two ways. Online orders from US stores go straight there instead of to your hotel. And anything you buy in person can be posted to that address from any American post office on your route.

Everything waits at the warehouse while you travel. Once you are home, it is all combined into one box and sent on to you, often for less than the airline would have charged.

Carry some, ship the rest

The smart approach is not all or nothing.

Australian travellers get a duty-free allowance of A$900 per adult for goods carried in their luggage. So carry your most valuable purchases home with you, where that allowance helps most. Send the bulky, heavy, low-value things, like shoes, clothes, homewares and gifts, by forwarding.

Keep in mind that each shipment to Australia has a value limit of around A$1,000. For a big haul, it is easy to split it into two boxes.

What is worth sending

Heavy and bulky items give the best value, because they are what push a suitcase over the limit. Think boots and sneakers, jeans and winter coats, kitchen gadgets, books, and toys for the kids back home. Christmas presents are a classic, since they can stay wrapped and out of sight until they arrive.

A few items need extra care. Perfume can be shipped but falls under dangerous goods rules, while aerosols and other flammable items face tighter restrictions, so check before you post.

A few tips for the road

Sign up before you fly, so the address is ready to use from day one.

Keep receipts together, since you will need item values for the customs paperwork.

Pack anything fragile carefully before posting, or ask the forwarder to add protection when they repack your items.

On shipments under A$1,000, GST is collected before your parcel leaves, so there is no surprise bill at the door.

Enjoy the flight home

Walking past the check-in queue with one light suitcase, while your shopping makes its own way home, is a small travel luxury. And it leaves you plenty of room for that last-minute airport buy.