A lot of people own a business that includes shipping packages internationally, but this particular job requires a lot of quick thinking and adjusting. As you’ve probably imagined, there are a lot of costs accompanied when doing something like this, and you need to find the best way of “coping” with them, which basically translates to paying less than needed.
It takes a lot of experience to know the absolute best protocol that will allow you to minimize the costs and avoid any extra and unnecessary delays. But, it’s all really manageable. In today’s article, we’ll talk about all the things that you need to keep in mind when shipping packages internationally.
So, if you’ve recently engaged in such business, or you are having difficulties with it due to the global pandemic, this is the right place to be. We suggest that you keep on reading until the end, and without any further ado, let’s take a look at what matters the most.
1. Always prioritize legal documents
You cannot ship anything internationally without filling out all legal documents and making sure that your entire procedure is transparent to the officials. You need to plan this carefully before each shipment because sometimes taking care of everything legal takes more time and it can interfere with the dates for all your shipments when not taken very seriously. Besides, by not taking care of this properly you might end up in legal trouble. For more information on DHL packages, you can do your research on multiple websites, but if you don’t know where to start, paket.se is one of them and we find it quite easy to use, especially if you are a beginner.
2. Be vary of custom fees
The customs department of each country will decide what types of fees you’ll pay for your international shipment. Usually, the value of the product itself that’s being transported will determine the fee. Obviously, for more expensive items, the fee will go up. But, the charts are not the same in each and every country. In fact, they are quite different for The States and for most countries in Europe. You’ll have to check the fees before starting the shipment procedure. Not paying enough attention to this will usually end up with unexpected and increased costs that might put your business out of balance economy-wise.
3. Are you transporting restricted items?
Restricted items are simply not allowed for shipping. But, sometimes people don’t know this, usually, those who are new to this business sphere. It happened quite a lot of times in the past for a shipment to be denied or canceled completely and the items in it confiscated. Whenever this happens, your business suffers a great loss and your customers are also going to be very unsatisfied. It also affects your reputation. Make sure to check the legal list of restricted items before issuing out a shipment. Ensure that none of those items are included in yours.
4. More forms are required if you are transporting animals
Some people transport animals overseas, whether for Zoo Gardens, Pet Shops, or Personal Purposes. In fact, this is quite common in 2024. But, if you want to do this yourself, there are some things that you need to know about before starting. One of the most important things to note is that there are extra papers you need to sign and regulate with your government before being able to issue out such an “organic shipment”.
This also applies to plants, not just animals. It’s very important to find a company that’s very skilled and careful when it comes to the transportation of animals. In 2024, the awareness of animal cruelty and everything regarding their safety is on quite a high level. If the animal-care-control companies notice that something is not properly set up regarding the comfort and safety of the animals while they’re being transported, you can get in a lot of trouble.
5. Insurance is very important
Transportations, especially ones that go overseas and are international, can often be “dangerous” for fragile items and plants. Even if the company does everything properly, there’s still a possibility for some of the items inside the boxes to get damaged. Even the slightest scratch can induce a lot of anger in a customer. You want to avoid any unwanted economic damages and penalties for your business, which is why we think that insurance is very, very important. We always encourage everyone to never consider skipping corners and cutting costs when it comes to insurance.
Some companies will set a higher price for their insurance regarding your international shipments, while others will keep it lower but they’ll offer less “quality”. This is not always the case but for the best results and the most safety, we recommend doing your own research. Communicate with local companies and find out what works the most for you.
6. The packaging itself varies based on the country
It sounds a bit silly, but even if you are the company that determines how the packaging needs to look like, the laws of the country still “overwrite” everything else. What we’re trying to say is that you need to keep in mind some countries require your packaging to look a certain way, and there’s no option to bypass that anyhow. But, if you are looking to do a personal international shipment, you can find a company that can pack your items accordingly, if you don’t know how or you simply don’t want to do it yourself. Everything needs to be labeled accordingly, otherwise, there’s a chance that your shipment won’t be accepted at all.
7. Things might be delayed now due to the pandemic
Last but not least, we all know how much of an impact COVID-19 had over airlines and businesses in general, including those businesses that operate in the shipment sphere. This is why we suggest that you keep these possible delays in mind, and plan accordingly. Send a few days or weeks earlier than what your arrival date is to avoid any unhappy customers.
Nina Smith