What should you consider before sending parcels abroad?

Online shoppers know that most of the goods sold are shipped across Europe. This is probably one of the largest markets in the world where online shopping is as common as traveling to a simple physical store elsewhere.

Buyers bought as much as 7% more online from foreign traders in April, while purchases increased by as much as 42% in May 2021. Send parcel to Spain and you will understand how quick the logistics are.

Thus, with increasing sales in Europe market, a frequent seller faces shipping and customs clearance issues, so here’s a brief memorandum on what to know before shipping to or from Europe and how to prepare shipment documents to ensure smooth delivery to the customer and avoid delays.

1. Well packaged consignments

Take care of good and safe packaging of shipments. The packaging must be in good order, not torn, ensure that the items sent do not fall out or be otherwise damaged. An important aspect you need to pay attention to is the sealing of the package of the consignment. 

Don’t overdo it, as customs officers can open the package at any time to inspect the goods that are being shipped as consignments. Heavily sealed parcel packages may be damaged or otherwise damaged during the inspection, so adhesive tape-sealed parcel packaging will be the best choice.

You do not want the consignment to reach the consignee damaged, untidy and otherwise damaged when trying to open the package for inspection.

2. Appropriate documents for customs

All shipments to or from non-EU countries are controlled by customs. A commercial invoice for the consignment to customs is necessary for the smooth operation of customs procedures. The main things to keep in mind:

• The invoice must be in English;
• Detailed and clear description of the goods to be sent, avoid general descriptions such as "gift", "goods", etc .;
• Country of manufacture of the goods. Indicate the country in which the goods were manufactured and not the country from which they are dispatched as consignments;
• HS code of the goods. Each good has an international HS code under which customs consignments are carried out. You can find out the HS code of your product on the website of the Customs of Europe.
• Provide exact details and contacts of the sender and recipient.

3. FDA

If you are shipping to the United States, they strictly regulate imported goods as consignments, especially food, medicine, and cosmetics. FDA (US Food and Drug Administration).

Approval is required for the following goods sent as consignments:

• Food
• Medications
• Biological substances
• Cosmetics
• Medical devices
• Electronic devices emitting radiation

If you are shipping this type of item, you must register the FDA for the shipment before shipping the shipment. All this must be done on this website: https://www.fda.gov/

You must first register with the FDA system, and before sending a shipment, you must register a future shipment each time and obtain a PRIOR NOTICE number, which must be entered on the customs invoice.

4. Customs clearance costs

Because shipments across europe or shipments from the U.S. are under customs control, your recipient will have to pay customs and import service charges.

There is one exception - shipments up to € 800. The customs clearance procedures for such consignments are simplified. If your buyer purchased the goods for € 800 then he will not need to clear the shipments.

For higher value shipments - valuable shipments, normal customs clearance procedures are already in place and taxes are calculated in accordance with EU law. When sending higher value goods as consignments, warn the consignee that he will have to pay taxes such as import or export of the consignment, etc.

5. Additional requirements for specific goods

The EU has additional documentation requirements for some items. Below is more information about the requirements for some items to be imported into Europe as shipments.

Eyeglasses and sunglasses:

Shipment of these items requires FDA registration and a DROP BALL certificate, which confirms the impact resistance of the lenses.

Vehicles and their equipment:

A HS7 form is required for shipments to EU vehicles or their equipment. That is, if you sell and ship car parts and other equipment, arrange for shipments in the HS7 form.

Antique works of art:

When sending works of art older than 100 years, get a certificate confirming that the work of art is antique.

6. Delivery terms

As standard, shipments to the EU, or shipments from the U.S., are delivered via postal services or express courier services.

Estimate the shipping costs and choose the most suitable method of transportation, but pay attention to the delivery terms.

When using postal services, the recipient of the delivery may have to wait from 5 days to several weeks.

Delivery of express couriers is possible in just 2-3 days using the "express parcel" service, or within a week if the "economy parcel" service is used.

By properly preparing your shipment to or from countries such as Spain and taking care of the necessary documentation, you can be sure that your buyers will enjoy the shipment on time and will not experience any inconvenience. And if you have any questions or need help, feel free to visit Ecoparcel.eu and https://newscasse.blogspot.com/