To Ship or Not to Ship

[RomanticPrettyPieces]

So, I'm extremely leary of venturing into international shipping.

I think I could really benefit from it, but know nothing about it.

If anyone with international shipping experience could give advice or anything helpful on this subject, I would really appreciate it.

I know this is a bit of a broad topic, but I really don't know what questions I should be asking.

[Former_Member]

Hi Samantha,

I would recommend you to ship international. I live in Europe, and I have few orders from USA and one from Hong Kong :) . I sent all items with registered mail, and the postage prices are just the same if I ship them to Europe or USA.

Your items are jewelry, which very light, I think you should :)

Jenny

[FITnessBITsy]

Add 1 country and try it. It is no different, really, than your domestic shipment. You print the label the same. It looks different. That's it. We add countries when we get a request from someone. Then we look at the map that shows how many views you are getting from each country. We had a lot from 2 that were not on our list, so we added them in.

[Former_Member]

I added international shipping to my shop at the advice on this and other forums. Make sure you calculate the shipping very carefully as international shipping is very expensive. Most of my items weigh the same amount so I took a completely packaged item to the post office and had them weigh it and give me the postage cost for all the destinations I wanted to ship to. Your items are small but may weigh different amounts. When you go to the post office to figure out postage costs ask them the weight range for the items - for example if 2 oz package costs $5.00 ask what the maximum weight is for the $5.00 cost - it may be 1 - 4 oz. Underestimating postage can be very expensive.

Hope that makes sense and good luck.

[OneFairfaxRoad]

Hi Samantha,
I have shipped internationally many times with no issues at all. I only ship via Priority Mail Express either flat rate or in my own box, depending on the size of the item. You may know that USPS does not offer insurance for International First Class mail, so you may want to consider another insurance company like Shipsaver if you decide to go International First Class.

Also, there are some countries I will not ship to. I always check whether the country is on Shipsaver insurance "Prohibited Countries" list that they will not insure. Countries such as Brazil, Venezuela, Russia etc are not insurable through Shipsaver so I tell customers that I am unable to ship to their country.
Good luck!

Anne

[Former_Member]

Thanks to OP Samantha for starting this thread. I've been similarly leary about starting international shipping...worried that I'll grossly underestimate a shipping cost. But the advice here is pushing me forward.

[FITnessBITsy]

Etsy lets you estimate your shipping costs for each country. Go to shipping labels. It appears that you can only enter zip codes, but look up above that form and there is a different form/link for International Shipping estimates.
We found that adding a few ounces costs more, so we do add on $1 for each additional product for international. (We ship flat rate for domestic.)

[oldandnew8]

I too have shipped international and have never had a problem. I ask that out of the country shoppers contact me first for shipping prices.

[Former_Member]

I don't see why any shop would not ship internationally. Research how to price your items and set it up! Unless you sell perfume or hazardous materials - its a no brainer. Costs nothing to set up.

I recently sent a free sample to a customer and they loved it so much they immediately ordered a full size to send to their sister in S. America - I would have lost that sale if I did not ship internationally...

[RayOfLightJewels]

I use first class international with never a single problem out of about 400 international sales (in my other shop). One caveat- UK customers are having to spend a lot on customs fees so I have a warning in my policies, note to buyer and shop announcement. There have been two customers who were shocked by customs fees.

For my jewelry, I use a base price of $7 shipping for a two ounce bubble envelope and it works quite well for everywhere. I increase the price by $2.00 for each extra item.

I use the etsy postage which prints out the customs form. Just print, sign and date and you are ready to drop it in the mail. No harder than domestic shipping. With postal delays it might take a month to arrive.

[TheFatCatFactory]

Oh I remember the fear of international shipping when I first thought about offering it. Though now that you can print out the labels and custom forms here on Etsy it really isn't much different than domestic orders.

I would say, as soon as you feel confident with it, go for it. I think 30-40% of my orders are international.

There are some limitations to what you can ship to certain countries, perfume I think can get tricky - sorry I'm not too knowledgeable in the restricted items area. I sell one item and that's all I know.

But yes, I'd recommend shipping internationally! I promise it really isn't as scary as it seems!