International Shipping: Top 5 Challenges & Possible Solutions

International Shipping with eCourierz

E commerce Business has opened up the floodgates of opportunity for e-com sellers across the globe where billions of transactions take place each day, online, in non local markets. Now assuming you are all set to ship a Parcel to an International destination. You have taken all necessary steps and followed all the steps in Packing, Labeling and Sealing the Parcel, which you are sending to your consignee in a different country because the worst thing that can happen to a business is that the goods that have been delivered to the consumer can be damaged, if the packaging and labeling is not as per standards.

Hence merchants need a reliable shipping solutions that provides duties and tax options, online tracking, postage savings and the flexibility to choose the shipping service that meets their needs and still is able to turn a profit.

Here are the top challenges of international shipping & quick tips on how to fix these.

1) Choosing the Right Courier Partner
International Shipping can be the biggest Challenge when it comes to sending an e-commerce parcel.When you just start your online business, you may rely on one carrier to handle all your shipping needs. But, as you grow, you will want to find the best shipping channel for each of your shipments. Small businesses need to make sure they have a lot of choices. We suggest you go for third party shipping providers who can offer discounted rates from a range of parcel carriers and who can provide you better assistance/support throughout the shipping journey of your parcel. Using the services from eCourierz.com, an online shipping solution provider for e-tailers, you can find the fastest or cheapest delivery services, all depending on the package weight and dimensions.

Choose the right courier partner

Online Tracking – One of the Crucial Part of shipping your product to any international destination which the Seller should consider. Nowadays tracking isn’t the greatest problem since most of the Carriers or the Shipping Partners provide the real time tracking. Some of the Partners also send the notifications via emails or SMSs to the Seller & the buyer making it lot more easier to track the status of the parcel.

2) Shipping Rates and Transit Time

Your courier Partner should also be your shipping guide when you need a helping hand in choosing the best rates they offer in addition to the delivery transit time. eCourierz provides you an estimated cost & estimated transit time of different carriers before you ship the parcel, thus educating the seller about the services as well as reducing the pain of google-ing around various sites. This, in turn, will increase a seller’s efficiency of shipping an e-commerce parcel.

3) Prohibited & Dangerous Goods

Ecom Sellers are often new sellers in the market who are unaware of the Goods and Products which they can ship & which they cannot. These new sellers are often those people who are attracted with the online Selling & the Profits involved. They are very new to the Logistics Industry and hence they have no idea about the Process, Procedure & complexities involved in the Logistics. Only a handful of online sellers knows the word Logistics world. We suggest every seller ,reach out to the Shipping Partner to get assistance on the List of Goods which are Prohibited & Dangerous to ship.

4) Destination Duties & Taxes
Anything crossing a country’s border or shipped abroad must pass through customs duties and excise Department. Custom duties differ from country to country, meaning sellers must stay informed of the laws in the country they plan to export to.

                                            

As discussed earlier the Seller hardly knows about the rules & regulations involved in the International Shipping. Customs Duties & Taxes is something which is hard to predict before shipping. However, you can get an estimate of such costs with the help of some tools available online. Once the shipment reaches the destination country the officer examines the product & imposes the Customs Duty if applicable. Generally, these costs have to be borne by the buyer or the receiver. In case if the buyer fails to make the payments, the seller should be ready to absorb the charges

5) Return Cost

Most of the times the parcel gets delivered smoothly without any hassles. The consignment seldom returns to the Seller & the reasons can be various. Many Sellers ignore this kind of costs but regret later. We suggest the Seller, be prepared to sustain the Return shipping charges of your parcel and sometimes import duties as well.

Final Saying :

Associating with a logistics and shipping provider offering the right services options, technology and understanding the ins and outs of the logistics will help remove the challenges of global shipping so you can concentrate on growing your business.