For example, free standard shipping working day delivery alongside table rate or live rate shipping options for those who want their items delivered sooner and are happy paying for it. When shipping internationally, you need to have a good understanding of the rules and regulations of the countries you want to ship to. Ask yourself:Are your products suitable for travelling long distances? And if they are fragile, are you prepared to go the extra mile to make sure they are protected in transit?
Do you have the order management processes in place and the know-how to execute this properly? If your answer is no, you may want to spend a little bit more time planning before expanding your business globally, as committing too soon could end up with bad customer reviews that leave you with a damaged reputation. Once you have decided to go ahead, you need to make sure you take the following shipping restrictions into account before you begin strategizing your international shipment methods.
You will need to have the ability to enable restrictions for products based on the origin or destination of shipment, as you may find that some of your products are legally restricted from being imported or exported from certain countries. And, of course, customs always has the final say and the right to stop the shipment of any package at any time if they suspect the items to be more valuable than you claim.
Therefore, never misrepresent or under-declare the value of your shipments or you could find your parcels confiscated or delayed as a result. You will need to make sure you select a suitably sized box for the job. Ideally, it should be big enough to hold your items but still with enough room for protective materials. Any more than this and you run the risk of your items moving around too much in the box. If possible, choose a double-walled corrugated box, especially if your items are heavier, as these are the strongest variety.
In addition, take care not to overfill your box with too many protective materials, as this could have the opposite effect either bursting or crushing the items or making it difficult for the recipient to unpack safely.
You need to use a tape that is strong, robust and at least 2 inches wide, such as pressure-sensitive plastic tape, nylon-reinforced filament tape or vinyl tape. Moreover, shipping labels should not be placed across a seam in the box, in case the package needs to be opened for any reason during transit.
Make sure you also include a return address and contact details outside as well as inside the box, in the event that your goods are broken and need to be sent back at any point during transit. A commercial invoice is a document that contains all the relevant information about the goods you are shipping, and is also used to create a customs declaration. It is not usually required for sending to EU countries, however there are some exceptions, such as special territories like San Marino and Gibraltar, so make sure you check this beforehand.
There are a few reasons you are required to provide a commercial invoice for the international shipment of goods:. You can find downloadable templates online, or you can simply make your own, either way you will need to include the following information:.
There are plenty of new fees to be aware of and information to provide such as valid and accurate contact and address details for your customers. This is where shipping management software comes in. With the ability to automate shipping processes, such software can eliminate input errors by allowing you to automatically import orders from your various marketplaces. And, by integrating your international shipping couriers with all your selling channels, you can manage your entire order fulfilment process from start to finish, from one location.
Furthermore, shipping management software allows sellers to secure the cheapest rates by comparing quotes from a range of international couriers for each order, meaning you can purchase discounted postage and accurately and automatically print labels too. In addition to this, you can quickly locate orders and track international shipments from a single, centralized dashboard, helping to streamline your fulfillment operations.
Having easy access to all this information means any issues with customs can be handled smoothly, making for a more predictable international shipping experience for both you as the seller and the customer. Shipping management software can help you to avoid being suspended from marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay, by reducing the risk of late dispatches.
And with automatic shipping updates and bulk printing of relevant shipping labels and documents, you can ensure fast order fulfillment every time. These include automatic allocation of courier services based on specific conditions, such as weight, dimensions, order value, channel, destination and more, as well as the ability to assign orders to locations, like fulfillment centers or dropshippers.
Overall, order management software is reliable way of streamlining your shipping processes, which is particularly important if you want to expand your business globally as you need the infrastructure in place to succeed. Understanding the cultural details of each country you expand into is essential for a smooth, hassle-free international shipment of your products. Using a native translation service means this can be taken care of. These native services work with international transport and freight companies, as well as a number of ports, docks and railways to provide shipping translations of paperwork, records, phone calls, returns and refund documentation.
By employing a native translation service, you can feel confident that there will be no language confusion during transit that could lead to shipping delays. This way, the tone, inference and expression can be conveyed in the way you intended and one that specifically matches your brand.
Often, a shipping translation service will go through four stages of checks and edits from multiple linguists, to ensure high quality and complete accuracy. When choosing the right international shipping service for your business, there are a couple of important factors to take into account.
Boxes for shipping can be reused but should be disposed of before they lose their strength and structural integrity. If sustainable packaging is important to you, there are many environmentally friendly options on the market.
Pick the right sized box. Empty space gives the contents of your box sufficient space to move around in the event of a hard jolt , just as the box being thrown or dropped. This makes the contents more likely to be damaged. For more fragile and delicate items, use a void filler like tissue paper or wood wool. Note: Lightweight documents and artwork can be sent securely in a cardboard envelope.
Sealing a Packhelp mailer box for international shipping has an extra level of security, thanks to the sealing tabs. Once closed, packing tape around two edges as you can see below is more than enough to keep your box sealed.
Apply packing tape across the longest edge both top and bottom and then along the outer sides. Shipping insurance is an option that can give both you and your customer peace of mind , and more often than not, the customer is more than willing to pay for such a luxury. Finding the right courier to suit your needs is essential to ensuring that you can trust your products will be delivered in a safe and reliable manner. You will also want to do some research to make sure you find the most cost-effective shipping solution for you without compromising on delivery time and reliability.
There are a number of factors to consider when weighing up your delivery partners. Some couriers are better at what they do in certain areas than others. Assess prices from all couriers over all countries. Customers that are willing to wait may be ok with sea mail for example.
Some other customers may be willing to pay for speedier shipping. Either way, offering a speedy and slower service means you can cater to both types of customer. Remember holiday shipping deadlines can significantly alter delivery times.
If international parcel delivery is turning out to be too much for you, then consider enlisting the help of another company. Third party fulfilment companies can take the pain out of sending internationally.
A third-party fulfilment service 3PFS is essentially a giant warehouse that you send large quantities of your product to. When you have an order in your online store, this 3PFS gets the postage details and will send your product anywhere in the world. Both options offer in the amount of work you need to do, but can considerably cut down on the costs and frustrations of international shipping. Automating your international shipping process will make your life significantly easier.
More and more couriers are offering fully integrated and automated systems to help speed up the fulfilment and delivery process. The ecommerce world and fulfilment world work very very closely. Shipping options should be made available on both your product page and check out page.
Similarly, showing a customer the date their item will be delivered and for what cost can make them convert quicker, too. We all know a higher conversion rate is good for your back pocket. Showing real-time shipping costs and times it a great way to lower your abandoned cart rate and improve your ecommerce conversion rate. Higher than expected shipping costs are one of the reasons that many ecommerce buyers abandon their cart before checking out.
The rules are consistent within a country and packages get to where they need to go without the hassle of customs and other delays. The differences are monumental.
Domestic shipping is when goods or documents are shipped from A to B within a country's borders. Often, these services can be extremely fast, and sometimes same-day delivery is available from certain carriers.
Two-day and three-day delivery options are common. Compare this to international shipping, where two-day and three-day delivery times are exceptional and often more costly. In addition, while delays in domestic shipping are uncommon, international shipments can be held up at borders of either the exporting or importing country for customs inspection.
Occasionally you may pay for things to be certified , tracked, or handled carefully, but those services are optional. Export documents, in most cases, are absolutely required. International shipping lets you access thousands of potential customers and significantly extend the potential of your company.
International shipping is the process of importing and exporting goods between different countries via ocean, air, or over the road.
International shipping is a complex process of moving freight over borders, accompanied by many rules and regulations. To successfully import or export freight, businesses have to know and follow specific policies of international shipping and collect paperwork so your freight passes the customs clearance.
Unlike domestic shipments, international transportation is more intricate since every country has its own regulations and laws. Some countries have stricter policies than others and completely forbid importing certain products. For example, Canada has a list of prohibited items to import and has specific tax regulations.
Depending on the size of your package or freight and the shipping mode, international shipments can take anywhere from two days to four weeks.
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