The beautiful aspect about e commerce today is that there are no borders. You can sit in Singapore, have stock in China and find a seller in Canada. It’s all possible with international shipping carriers. When you start reaching out to customers abroad, there are a few shipping strategies to follow that will help you in the long run:
Be informed about legal restrictions
There are several laws and legal restrictions that come into play if you ship things abroad. And each country has its own laws. Even if something looks innocuous to you, the destination country might have restrictions in letting in. For example, New Zealand is extremely restrictive about letting in grains and edible products in their territory. You will lose money and get into legal tussles if you try to ship certain things to certain countries. So, read up on what to send where. Your shipping carrier will know such rules best. Take his help!
Promise delivery with a buffer time
International couriers take time. They need to be flown in and then be subject to stringent checks before being sent to the destination. So, when you promise a delivery deadline to the customer, you need to factor all such roadblocks. Do not make the mistake of promising delivery very soon. The customer will not be happy if you promise delivery within 10 days and he gets it after 20 days.
Package with caution
International couriers go through a lot of duress (unless it is between two small European countries connected by a road). So, ensure that your packaging is tough enough to handle tough handling, weather mishaps and humidity changes. Otherwise, you will be sending the customer a damaged product.
SMART PACKAGING = LESS SHIPPING COST
Mention the right shipping costs upfront
Needless to say, shipping across borders is an expensive affair. There will be extra taxes and duties to be paid for. So, invest in a real time shipping cost calculator that gives the customer a fair idea of shipping charges beforehand. He can decide whether to go ahead with the purchase or not. It is not a good idea to shock him with a shipping bill broken into a hundred parts and all in fine print, a second away from payment.
Promise returns only if you can handle it
International shipping is tough. Returns are tougher. Unless you have a liaison centre in the destination country, it can become a problem. So, mention to the customer in bold and before he places the order that returns are not possible if you can’t handle them.
Related:
What is the real cost of delivering packages late to your customers?