Shipping internationally is more of a logistical challenge than domestic delivery and ParcelWorks makes the whole process much more simple for you. However, there are some things as the sender you can do to help ensure your parcel reaches its destination as quickly as possible. Below are our top tips for sending a parcel internationally.
Check the destination address is correct as without this the parcel will not reach its destination. Check email addresses and such like are correct. Make sure that your parcel is within allowed size limits. Do not try to declared a parcel as being smaller than it really is.
Make sure you are honest about what the parcel contains and what value it is. Also check the various in-country pages which will give you information about what you can and can’t ship to that country. Further you can check the country’s own specific customs website for more detailed information. Whilst at ParcelWorks we can give you a certain level of information it is up to the sender to ensure they are not trying to post a disallowed item.
Where possible it maybe wise to pre-pay any duty due on your parcel(s). For ad-hoc senders it is unlikely that there will be any duty due on single items (depending on Country thresholds) but where there is duty due if you pay it at time of booking and the item has been classified correctly it allow your product to move through customs quickly. Please note, however, DDP (Delivery Duty Paid) is not available in every country.
Read more about your duty management options here.
We really recommend spending some time to package your items as best as possible. Remember you parcel is not travelling a few hundred miles as with domestic delivery. Your parcel could be going thousands of miles away and will go through several depots, multiple scans, customs checks and be handled by lots of hands. Poorly packaged parcels is one of the main reasons items do not reach their destination. It is well worth making the extra effort.
Please print and attach your shipping label correctly. If the barcode(s) on your parcels cannot be read by a scanner this can result in a delay in the journey or could even result in a lost parcel should the label fall off. Make sure your printer has plenty of ink before printing and the label has printed cleanly before attaching to your parcel. When attaching the label please make sure there are no creases in it and there is nothing (tape etc) covering the barcodes or readable parts of the label.