How to Effectively Calculate International Shipping Rates?

Nowadays there are a lot of online stores and individual entrepreneurs who sell their products, arts and crafts and other stuff over the Internet. Many small businesses, bloggers and startups rely on sending products to customers.

More often than not, a lot of these customers are overseas, especially in Europe. Since these small businesses and individuals don’t have a lot of capital to work with, it is essential that they know exactly how much international shipping is going to cost them. Fortunately, you can always calculate international shipping rates here.

That way, you’ll have a clear picture about what it takes and how much it costs to send a package to your customers. You can also see the cheapest way to ship to Europe so that your packages can reach your customers efficiently. With that in mind, here’s how to effectively calculate international shipping rates.

Destination matters

Depending on where you plan to send your package to will determine the cost of shipment. Sending a package to Europe from the U.S., for example, is not the same as sending the package from the U.S. to South Africa, for instance.

The longer the distance your package has to travel the pricier it is going to get. Therefore it is vital that you check how much is the average shipping rate for sending packages to a foreign country based on the distance alone.

Contents matter as well

Another factor that can greatly impact the international shipping rates is the size and the weight of the package, as well as its contents. Naturally, the larger and heavier the package is the more it will cost to ship it overseas.

When it comes to contents, some products cost more to ship than the others. There are fees and taxes for certain products that will inflate the shipping price. How much those fees and taxes will be depends on the rules and regulations of the country you’re sending the package to.

The importance of packaging and documentation

Every package has to be properly packed, labeled and it needs documentation with information about the sender and the recipient. Lacking any of those may result in fines or your package may be sent back, meaning you’ll have to pay double shipping for it.

Therefore, it’s very important that you research what documentation is needed, as well as how your package must be labeled and packed before you can ship it out. Keep in mind that the country you’re sending the package from may have different rules than the country you’re sending the package to.

Closing Words

International shipping rates vary based on a plethora of factors. Calculating those rates can prove to be a real challenge. Fortunately, there’s always a way to simplify the process and make it more seamless. You just need to find the right solution.