Are you thinking about international delivery for your business? If so then congratulations on reaching the stage where global expansion is a necessity. If you’re keen to get started with international delivery for your business, then there are lots of great options available and it’s simple to take the first few steps.

How to set up international delivery ?

The basics

• Identify your destination countries. Where are you going to be shipping to? This is important to know, as it will affect factors such as any customs tariffs that need to be paid, as well as the length of time it will take to deliver your packages.
• Decide who pays the postage. You’ll need to factor in the cost of the shipping itself, as well as any import duties and taxes that are required by the country that you’re shipping into. This can be paid by you, paid entirely by the customer or split between the two. If you’re going to split the delivery cost then it’s a good idea to work out now what percentage split you’re going to apply to each transaction.
• Investigate the options for international delivery. From standard shipping, to fully tracked delivery there is lots of choice in terms of service and price, and you may require more than one option for your customers.

Rules and compliance

• Read the shipping regulations. These will be different for every destination but you’ll need to be familiar with them so that you can manage your customers’ expectations when it comes to delivery. It will also be important to establish whether what you’re sending is going to get stopped by local authorities because it appears on any banned or prohibited lists.

Preparing for customers

• Give your customers relevant customs information. Payment of customs duties and local taxes usually falls to the customer in international delivery. And, until these are paid, the customers won’t be able to receive whatever it is that you’re trying to send them. If you want to ensure customers don’t feel they’re getting a bad experience with “hidden” charges and a lack of information, then it’s a good idea to prominently display customs information on your website.
• Make sure you have a detailed description of items you’re selling. You’ll need this for your website, as international customers often require more detail than those buying locally in order to get to the point of purchase. Key information, such as materials used and country of origin, will also be important for international customs documentation.
• Display prominent contact information. If something goes wrong with an international delivery, don’t make it difficult for global customers to get in touch and ask for help.

How to optimise your e-commerce business internationally

In this free e-book, we explain how to make your international e-commerce business work more efficiently and what you need to know.

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