What is the best provider for international shipping out of the US?
Asked 6 years ago
We’ve been using USPS but many of our parcels never arrive. What shipping/postal service do you use? DHL? FedEx?
Ido Talmor
Friday, June 22, 2018
International shipping is a complex subject. It depends on several factors - your customers, merchandise, the size and weight of your packages, where you’re sending from and where to, how much your customers are willing to pay, and what tracking options you want to provide them. Hence there are many opinions and several different options. UPS and FedEx are very expensive for international shipping, but they do have excellent tracking. Many merchants use USPS, and it’s best to use their First Class, Priority Mail, and Express Mail. In terms of price, they are good, but their shipping times can sometimes be long (depending on the destination), and I’ve heard people complain about lost parcels. Also, using USPS outside North America is difficult. DHL are available everywhere around the world. They have proper tracking and excellent service. They charge a higher price than USPS but take care of customs fees (unlike USPS), so at the end of the day, you pay pretty much the same. You should also consider that the merchant’s preferred method isn’t necessarily the customer’s preferred method, because the motives can be different. For example, some Canadian shoppers say they would never buy a product if USPS is the only shipping provider available, but others say they’d never order if it’s DHL. The bottom line is, you really need to allow your customers to choose what’s right for them; otherwise, you’ll lose sales. Some customers will not purchase if you offer only a shipping method that they don’t like.
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