It is understandable why many small ecommerce companies are very often reluctant to begin international shipping. One reason is that small company products are often shipped more locally, and fulfillment is handled totally in house. This is certainly okay at the beginning. Furthermore, depending on the type of business, many customers know and expect this limited reach from small ecommerce companies.
The other reason is that the taxes, the regulations, and the packaging required can seem pretty scary – or at least an expense that a small ecommerce company might not think they have to invest in at this stage.
Indeed, sometimes it is not wise for a small ecommerce company to get in on international shipping right away; for those first months, funds are typically tight. Balancing the books and attaining a stable cash flow is certainly more important. This is undoubtedly true if the company’s customers are not located overseas anyway.
However, here is the important thing: stagnation is the kiss of death for small ecommerce companies. In fact, it is a failure to seize the opportunity for growth rather than financial catastrophe that often spells the end for many small companies.
With this in mind, you should be looking towards investing in international shipping eventually, as it is one of the ways to scale up the business when the time is right. Preferred Shipping, experts in express international shipping, say that many of their customers are small ecommerce ventures just beginning to widen the scope of their operations.
Advantages of International Shipping
The major advantage of international shipping is certainly that it represents a company reaching more people. Another advantage is that it is scalable. For sure, you will not be sending massive bulk orders to hundreds of customers in Europe right at the start, and you do not need to pay all the expenses associated with that right from the start, either.
International shipping is well worth engaging in if you want your company to grow and, with the right advice and a good shipping service, you can begin to have a global reach and impress your customers with both this and the speed you can deliver your products around the world.
Tips for International Shipping
So, your company has attained a stable cash flow, profits are steady among your current customer base, and you have clear indications that interest further afield is there. If you are keen to add “now shipping internationally” to your website, here are some tips to follow.
Avoid Delays and Fines
Both can spell doom for the international ambitions of a small ecommerce company. Accordingly, you need to research the import bans and other regulations in the countries you could be shipping too. Algeria, for example, has a ban on imported dental products. If you send them there without knowing this, it could become a very costly endeavor.
Check Extra Costs
Specifically, we are talking here about import taxes (set by the recipient country), fees (from the shipping service), and duties (paid to governments). For political reasons, there could also be tariffs on specific goods from certain places. Create a list of these before you get started.
Economize on Packaging
Particularly, this means reducing empty space and weight that you simply don’t need. Pack tightly and securely and ship in bulk as much as you can. This will keep costs down.
Do all of this, and you could find that you begin to make larger profits from tapping into your niche all over the world. With this extra revenue, you have the ability to scale up the service.
