It goes without saying, the online world we live in today, has made it much easier to expand your target audience and sell your products almost anywhere in the world. If you are running a physical store, it will be limited by the geographical area that you can service, but with an eCommerce website, you can sell your products and services across the world. The entire world is your playground, where you can sell your complete range of products without any geographical limits.
But for many small online retailers the task of actually shipping a package internationally and understanding all of the associated rules, regulations, and risks can be EXTREMELY daunting!
I have recently been doing some research for one of my clients, on some of the best solutions for local businesses in Warrnambool to ship their products to overseas buyers in International markets and thought I would share this information with you all.
If you’re willing to believe the financial experts who suggest the AUD will be heading lower in the near future, we should expect to see an increase in interest of Australian products from overseas buyers looking for a bargain. There are some great opportunities on offer, but there are still a couple of checkboxes we need to tick.
HELP! I NEED A NEW WEBSITE
Choose Products Wisely
Not everything that a retailer sells is a good candidate for international trade. Try to focus on relatively small, light, and easy to ship items.
Understanding Country-specific Regulations, Requirements
Vietnam makes it illegal to import foreign calendars — yes, calendars — for commercial purposes. This means that online retailers based in Australia may not send quantities of more than 100 calendars to customers in Vietnam. Doing so is a crime. This is just one example of the dozens, if not hundreds, of country-specific regulations that can make international shipping seem complicated.
Target Specific Countries
Given the rules and regulations described above, it can be a good idea to learn, if you will, about international ecommerce by targeting specific countries first. Pick one or two nations and become good at shipping there. Then step-by-step, expand into other nations.
Know What the Shipping Costs
Understanding the total cost of sending an order internationally is referred to as the “landed cost” and it is important that retailers understand this cost before sending an order.
Listed below are some international shipping companies, which provide some great resources on shipping products overseas. I would strongly recommend you have a read through some of the different options available to you and perhaps even have a chat to someone at Australia Post instore who should be able to assist you with finding the necessary documents for your international shipment, finding out important regulatory information specific to your shipment and the duties and taxes that will be levied against your international shipment.
AusPost: http://auspost.com.au/business-solutions/international-shipping-and-logistics.html
UPS: https://www.ups.com/content/au/en/shipping/time/service/shipping/index.html?WT.svl=PNRO_L1
FedEx: http://www.fedex.com/au/smallbusiness/
Compare Shipping Companies: http://www.baggagefreight.com.au
It has taken years for us to not have any issues with International shipping, but if you follow these steps there is no need to shun international sales any longer. Yes, it’s time consuming, but it can be extremely worth the trouble.
I hope this helps you in your future international shipping endeavors. If you find this guild helpful, please remember to let us know in the comments below. I know it can be a lot to take in and scary to start off with, but shipping overseas, really isn’t any different to a local customer, albeit there are just many many more potential customers overseas.
