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The Internet does not only give us opportunity to make money or even start our very own business from the comfort of our homes, but it also gives us the opportunity to touch virtually every market in the world – that is, the entire world itself!
As an e-commerce entrepreneur, you have the choice to sell locally or to sell internationally – be it selling to selected foreign countries or to virtually every country in the world.
If you are planning to sell internationally, you have probably consider cross-border shipping. But what exactly is cross-border shipping?
What is Cross-Border Shipping?
Cross-border shipping is simply the process of delivering your products to your customers from another country without the need to store or establish inventory or warehouses on that particular destination country. From your warehouse and your country’s customs, the products will go through the destination country’s custom, then to the courier for last-mile delivery, and finally, to your customer.
The beauty of cross-border shipping is that, you only ship products once the sale was made. Since you don’t need to stock up inventory on the destination country (the “local distribution model”), you don’t need to carefully calculate the demand of your product on that country and, hence, virtually remove yourself the risk of stock-outs and oversupply (at least, regarding the inventory you would otherwise build for the destination country).
Essentially, cross-border shipping model is followed by many e-commerce stores because it is relatively more convenient compared to local distribution model, where you need to store inventory on your destination country.
If you are planning to sell globally, here are some of our tips when doing cross border shipping.
6 Practical Tips for Cross-Border Shipping
1) Partner with a reputable fulfillment center
Working with a fulfillment center is very important for global e-commerce because they’re the ones who will settle for your business’ shipping, warehousing and logistics needs. Therefore, finding a good fulfillment center is very crucial for your success!
Here at Fulfillmen, we our dedicated to help our clients grow their businesses. If you need a fulfillment center, we can help you in that matter! Get a free consultation.
2) Consider customs, taxes and duties
Customs, taxes and duties are always there, so always be prepared for it and make sure to properly calculate its costs to ensure that you’ll gain a profit and not take a loss.
Fulfillmen can assist you with tax and duties. Learn more here.
3) Work with reputable shipping and local couriers
Shipping is the lifeblood of global eCommerce. Buyers expect their goods to arrive on time and at affordable shipping rates. You need to work with reliable and well-connected couriers that can help you achieve exactly that.
After fulfillment companies, shipping and local couriers are your next crucial partner in your business. Customers expect their products to arrive safely and on time, so working with reputable and reliable shipping and local couriers is very important to avoid delays and deliver your products safely to your customers.
Here at Fulfillmen, you can choose your shipping lines to maximize your shipping efforts and avoid potential delays and other shipping problems. Learn more here.
4) Double-check on your recipient’s address
The last thing you’ll want is to have everything in line but at the end of it, your shipping has failed simply because the address is incorrect or inaccurate. Double-check your recipient’s address and confirm if the address is correct or not.
5) Check for prohibited/restricted goods
In every country, there are list of prohibited or restricted goods, so be sure to know them and see if your product is allowed or not on that country.
Sure, products like illegal products are clearly prohibited, but do you know that products like meat and plants could be prohibited in certain countries too? So, check for the destination country’s prohibited and restricted goods because even “innocent” products could be prohibited in your destination country.
6) Cover your product’s insurance
Although we’d always like to think that our products will be successfully shipped to our customers, the reality is, there are possible losses in every shipment you do. So, to avoid or lessen your losses, have the proper insurance to secure your products and shipment in case something happens.
Go Global with Fulfillmen!
Fulfillmen is dedicated to helping e-commerce entrepreneurs grow big and go global in their businesses! If you need a fulfillment center you can help you grow your business, Fulfillmen is here to help you!
If you want to know more, contact us and get a free consultation (link). Our dedicated team will help you in your inquiries!
+86 752-2313067
