TIPS TO SHIP OVERSEAS

For manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, shipping products quickly and reliably to clients and customers is a major concern. But transporting goods by ground, sea or air domestically or internationally can be a complicated operation for business owners who haven't explored every shipping method and the cost associated with them. 

Although shipping internationally can be daunting, it really isn’t any more difficult or confusing than shipping within your own country. Here are tips to smooth the process:

Research Costs

Just like with local shipping, it’s important to get the costs right so you don’t lose money or customers. However, that doesn’t mean you need to know the cost of shipping to every single country in the world. I recommend checking online or taking a sample package to your local Post Office and finding out these key pieces of information:

• How much would it be to ship to the country with the highest shipping cost?
• How much would it be to ship to a few of the most likely destinations?
• How much extra would it cost to get tracking and/or insurance?
• What is the process for sending international packages? 

With this information you can start by setting up just 1 or 2 different international rates, using the highest cost to be sure you don’t lose money. As you get orders from other countries, you can research those as you go and expand your settings by adding rates for those countries, if they are very different.

Customs Regulations

Every country has different regulations regarding import taxes and acceptable import products so it’s unreasonable to expect you to research them all. It is standard practice, with retailers large and small, that the customer is the one liable for any import fees and duties. That being said, it is worthwhile to include that information in your FAQ section so it doesn’t take the customer by surprise when they suddenly get a bill for extra charges.

You should be aware of any regulations regarding the import (and export) of your specific product, at least for the countries you most-commonly ship to. 

Be sure to fill out any forms accurately and in detail. If customs have to seize a package because the description of the contents isn’t detailed enough or doesn’t seem to match the contents, this will mean long delays on shipping times or even the destruction of the package. It is also illegal to mark an item as a gift when it is not. Customers may ask you to do that so they don’t have to pay import taxes, but you will be the one liable if it is discovered.

Insurance

Tracking and insurance can mean a significant price increase on international shipments, depending on the shipping provider. However, the risk of packages getting lost in international transit is typically higher because the package is usually transferred from one shipping service to another. Providing the option of tracking at an additional cost to the customer is one way to mitigate this. Alternatively, you can build sufficient leeway into your pricing such that you are able to replace the occasional package when it goes missing. This option may work out cheaper in the long run, depending on the additional cost of insurance and the frequency at which packages go missing.

Don’t be freaked out if your shipping costs turn out to be quite high once you have done the research. Obviously, it’s great if you can find cheaper solutions, but there’s no point cutting costs if it’s just going to lose you money. International customers are usually well aware that they will have to pay high shipping costs and they are happy to do so to get hold of the products they really love and can’t find anywhere else!