One of the main questions when opening an online shop or business is this: should I go international? We know that offering international shipping for your e-commerce site can feel daunting, but with the right courier partner and the best international shipping for marketplaces, going global could be the key to expanding your business and improving your bottom line. Find out how to offer international shipping for your online shop or e-commerce site and how to cut down your international shipping costs with Eurosender.
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Follow our steps to set up logistics for e-commerce and start shipping right away. Teaming up with an online logistics platform is one of the best and easiest ways for arranging shipping for online shops.
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E-COMMERCE GLOBAL DELIVERIES
GETTING READY
Offering worldwide shipping for your e-commerce site can be the key to put you ahead of the competition. Adding international shipping is worth it for e-commerce and marketplaces that plan to expand their operation and reach a wider pool of clients, worldwide.
Before you set up international shipping on your e-commerce site, you should think about:
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DISADVANTAGES
GOING GLOBAL
The first thing to do is making sure you have all the necessary documents and authorisations for shipping internationally. For this, you will need to register as an international seller with the relevant authorities to be able to import or export products from your country and offer global deliveries for your ecommerce. Depending on the country you are based, that means getting a VAT number, EORI number or other applicable certificate.
Second, you need to set up your logistics operations. The two most popular alternatives are managing all processes in-house or outsourcing with a reliable logistics partner.
You can choose to manage all logistics processes inhouse, but setting up international shipping for a small e-commerce business can be complicated without a partner. You will need to allocate manpower and budget to logistics management and may need to set up every step of the process (warehousing, distribution etc.) on your own.
Instead of comparing hundreds of couriers one by one, one of the easiest ways of offering worldwide shipping on your small online shop or e-commerce platform is to team up with a logistics partner.
To make things easier, many small businesses decide to join Amazon, eBay or AliExpress to be able to offer international shipping. However, you can remain independent and unique by getting your own logistics department online with us.
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OUR BENEFITS
Vetted logistics providers
One-stop platform
Real-time assistance
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NEED MORE INFORMATION?
Offering international shipping is not related to the volume of sales. In fact, it may be exactly what your business needs to expand and reach a wider audience. With Eurosender, it does not matter if you have a high or low shipping volume. Our platform is free to use, and you do not need a minimum order amount to use our dashboard for your global e-commerce shipping.
Yes, they can, but small businesses may not have the bargaining power bigger businesses have. You can cut down on international shipping costs by taking advantage of the services of a platform like Eurosender, that provide your small business with already negotiated quotes with leading courier companies.
Some courier companies offer flat rates for many different services, including international shipping. However, this depends on each courier company, and it may not be useful for your small business. A good intermediate solution is to calculate an average international delivery price based on your order history. For example, you can decide to offer flat rate international shipping for your e-commerce site, but only for a selected number of countries.
With Eurosender, you can get the best international shipping for your business or marketplace in just a few clicks. Simply introduce the details of your shipment on our booking tool, and you will get an immediate quote. You can check the delivery times directly on the booking tool and will later receive a tracking number you can provide your client with.
Generally, the buyers have to cover duties and customs fees that may arise because these are calculated once the package or packages enter the country of destination.
When shipping internationally, you will need to have the proper documents and permits, and this may include a VAT and/or EORI number if you are based in the EU or UK. Before you decide to go international, you will have to check the rules of your country or the marketplace site you are selling from. If you are a seller from the UK, you can check our e-commerce and Brexit page for more information.
Many marketplaces such as Amazon, Shopify or eBay give sellers the opportunity of shipping internationally. However, these international shipping solutions within marketplaces can be expensive and sometimes have strong restrictions regarding the size or weight of the parcel. If you want to learn more about selling and shipping from marketplaces, check our selling guides for more information.
Yes, most marketplaces and selling platforms allow users to arrange shipping on their own. If you have your own shop within a marketplace, you can use our platform to get the best courier services matching your needs. Get started right away and discover how we can make international shipping for e-commerce simple.
It can seem complicated, but offering international shipping is a matter of planning ahead. Before you start, you will have to get familiar with shipping regulations, taxes and import limitations. But the good news is that this is only done once, when you start! When you have figured that out, booking an international delivery for your e-commerce site can be done in less than 5 minutes.
Even though some online sellers may think it is hard to ship internationally, most businesses think it is worth it because it has the potential of opening up the sales to a much broader audience. In the end, Shipping internationally is not much more complicated than shipping domestically, and once set up, international shipping is definitely worth it for e-commerce and marketplaces.
For shipping internationally for e-commerce, the best carrier is the one that can get your parcel to your customers safely, steadily and on time. The best carrier is also the one that matches your business needs without charging you too much. Depending on the type of product and the urgency of the delivery, the ideal carrier can be one offering urgent deliveries such as DHL or a carrier offering freight services, such as Kuehne + Nagel. If you donโt know which carrier is best for the international shipping of your e-commerce site, we can match you with the best courier partner for your needs.
Once you have set up your own logistics operations, you can start considering setting up international shipping. You can decide to offer international shipping from the beginning or to add it along the road. The process of getting the proper paperwork can take up a few weeks. Once you are set up to ship internationally, our shipping engine will get a quote for you in seconds.