If you’ve never sent something internationally, sending a package to another country may seem like a very complicated and troublesome task to do. However, postage services these days have advanced quite a lot, which means you can do everything with a few clicks of a button.
Whether you want to send parcel to Germany, Italy, the UK or any other country to your friends or business partners abroad, it’s very easy to do if you have a competent courier service that’s willing to deliver your items quickly and efficiently.
In order to do so, however, you need to consider a few things if you want your shipment to be successful. In this article, I will talk about the 5 easy steps in order to send a parcel to another country rather than your own.
Is my parcel allowed into the country?
While most EU countries follow standard procedures for the items that they allow and disallow, certain countries have some exceptions on restrictions, even for less obvious items. For example, did you know that the UK doesn’t allow to import perfume from other countries, or that Germany disallows video games to be sent into the country?
This is just a few examples of what each country restricts. While normally, shipments from the EU are exempt from special customs duty, before sending something to your family or friends living abroad, study the customs office of the country and what item restrictions they place.
An official website will be your best bet for this type of information.
What are the usual shipping prices for parcels?
After you’ve made sure that your item can indeed be shipped without any problems, you’ll want to of course know how much the shipping itself will cost. I will tell you this, I know for sure that the cheapest way to send a parcel is through a parcel delivery company.
All you have to do is visit their website and get a quote. Most shipping companies nowadays work with different delivery partners, which means that you’ll get a selection of offers to choose from for a shipment to a country.
If you want to ship quickly, many companies will offer express options that will allow you to send a parcel much faster, however for a bigger price. Otherwise, if you’re looking for an economy option, there’s that, however it will take a bit longer to deliver.
Some other things to know are your parcel dimensions and value. More valuable as well bigger items dimensions wise can also have an influence on the price, depending on the firm.
Many firms offer online calculators to calculate the price that you’ll get for your parcel.
The importance of invoices
International delivery often means more paperwork to be carried out in the form of invoices. Such a document is needed for the customs officers to see the contents about your package as well as the key information about your package.
Usually, the company that you’re sending with will provide a few spaces for you to enter the necessary information. This means that the invoice is generated automatically, based on the things you’ve filled out.
Lastly, you need to print it out and attach it to the item you’re shipping.
Correctly packaging everything
You have to ensure that your package is sturdy, secure and has the correct labeling. Since your shipment will be making multiple stops until it reaches your destination, it’s mandatory to do so in order to avoid damage to your parcel and minimize the chances of your packages to be lost.
Also, consider the climate of the country. Extreme cold, heat or rain can leave an effect on your package, so keep this thing in mind before sending it out.
Clear contact details for both parties
Your contact details as well as for the person on the other end is necessary to ensure a safe and secure delivery.
Don’t forget to include the correct phone number, email address and so on. If some questions arise or your package gets damaged, this info will be used to contact your or send the shipment back.If everything goes well, then you’ll ensure a safe delivery.
All in all
I’ve talked about 5 things to ensure a good delivery to another country. Just follow these simple instructions and I’m sure your delivery will go smoothly.