Delivering Internationally
Ever wondered what the international shipping process looks like? Wonder no more. This post explains everything that happens after users checkout until they receive their parcel. From your warehouse to their door, we cover the entire journey.
As you’ll see, international shipping is a little more complicated than delivering items to UK consumers, but it isn’t as scary, stressful or expensive as it seems. It’s certainly no reason to stick to serving UK customers only.
Ready to go on a journey? Then let’s begin.
Daily Collections From Your Warehouse
The journey of an international parcel starts the moment you process a customer’s payment. Back-end systems belonging to you, your warehouse and your logistics provider leap into action immediately.
Either you or your warehouse operator will need to package that day’s sales to get the show on the road. At the same time, your international parcel delivery partner will send you labels to affix to each package. Some carriers will send you multiple labels depending on where products are going and who’s responsible for the final mile. Others, like Pro Carrier, send one label that contains all the information carriers need.
With the labels attached and packages ready, it’s time for your carrier to collect your products. This will typically be scheduled for a specific time each day, but you’ll get much more flexibility if you work with a managed line haul provider. They’ll let you reschedule and expedite collections to ensure you get as many packages out the door as possible.
With the packages loaded, it’s off to the depot.
Sorting, Weighed and Processed at the Depot
Once collected, your packages will join thousands of other packages from retailers across the country at your carrier’s UK Depot.
Here, packages are sorted by their end destination. Each of them is weighed, photographed, and measured before a final mile label is attached. This work is important for several reasons. Firstly, it ensures packages are shipped to the right location in the most efficient manner possible. Second, it allows the products to be scanned to pallets so they can be accurately tracked throughout their entire journey. And third, it means information can be sent to customers in advance to speed up the process.
With that, it’s off to the port or airport.
Clearing Customs
Once at the port or airport, customs will scan your products to check for restricted items and approve custom forms before each pallet is loaded onto the ship or plane. Having customs documents in order is key for successful international delivery. Any issues with paperwork can cause significant delays — which is why carriers like Pro Carrier send information ahead of time.
Customs checks don’t end there, however. Once your package has touched down in a foreign country, it’s checked again by customs. The process is similar to the one undertaken by UK customs, but with one important difference: customs duties will be assessed and recorded.
The vast majority of products sold abroad will carry an import tax duty. Retailers working with a 3PL or 4PL logistics provider won’t have to worry about paying the right amount of tax, but they will have to decide how it’s collected. There are two options:
● Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) means you (the retailer) pay all taxes due when shipping internationally. Your carrier will pay these fees on your behalf and bill you accordingly.
● Delivery Duty Unpaid (DDU) means the customer must pay import duties. It’s vital to make customers aware of this obligation before shipping. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a string of complaints.
Customs are one of the biggest hurdles to cross-border delivery, and delays are depressingly common. These can be minimised or avoided entirely by working with a company that specialises in international delivery and customs clearance. At Pro Carrier, for instance, we have decades of experience and a network of connections that allows us to implement time-saving strategies like scan-to-pallet that reduce custom delays and accelerate clearance.
The Last Mile
Once clear of customs, your package will head to a final sorting centre run by an international carrier like DHL. Here it will be checked and sorted, ready to be transported to your customer. That could happen the day after it arrives, but it could take several days. In any case, the final carrier will notify customers about the state of their parcel at every step of the journey.
The last mile of delivery from an international warehouse to your customer’s door is where 3PL and 4PL providers come into their own. They grant retailers access to a range of international carriers that can provide fast delivery, a localised offering, and an easy returns process. What’s more, economies of scale means even small retailers can access first-class carriers at an affordable rate.
Start Your Own International Shipping Journey
See, international shipping isn’t scary or complex at all. Everything will run smoothly as long as you work with the right international parcel delivery service.
Start your own journey today.
Find out what to look for in an international parcel delivery service or speak to a member of our team for more information on how Pro Carrier can help you ship across borders.
