Ship Internationally Faster and More Efficiently With Shippo’s New Cross-Border Improvements

International shipping creates a massive opportunity for growing your business. In fact, the global e-commerce market is set to reach $4.11 billion in revenue in 2023. However, shipping internationally can be confusing and expensive. That’s why at Shippo, we’re constantly innovating to make the process as smooth and affordable as possible.

We’re excited to share with you some new updates we’ve made to our platform to make your international shipping workflow easier than ever before.

Seamless International Orders Management

We’ve added customs forms to the Orders page side panel so you can now easily manage international shipment details directly from the Orders page. Also, to help expedite the label creation process, Orders items have now been consolidated with Customs items to improve efficiency.

Expedited International Label Creation

You can now set defaults for the following international fields: Incoterm, the purpose of shipment, and Tax ID.

When it comes to determining your default for incoterm, you’ll want to weigh the pros and cons of Delivery Duty Unpaid (DDU) and Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) or determine if “free carrier” (FCA) incoterms is necessary.

For the purpose of shipment, it will often be “merchandise” for e-commerce sellers. However, you can also select gifts, documents, samples, and other options as your default purpose for shipping.

And as far as the Tax ID goes, that will be determined by where you’re shipping from and where you’re shipping to. For example, U.S.-based merchants will likely use their Employer Identification Number (EIN), in order for customs agencies in other countries to correctly assess the taxes and fees onto the proper business. But, shipments originating from countries in the EU may use the Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) number instead.

No matter the case, by no longer needing to manually enter in this information for each shipment, you can save time and reduce errors.

Easy Customs Forms Filling

Whenever you’re shipping from the United States, Canada, or to/from the EU/UK, you’ll be shown the most relevant customs fields you’re required to fill out when creating your label, making the customs forms filling process much easier.

For any shipments originating from the United States, the field “EEL / PFC” which stands for Exemption and Exclusion Legend (EEL) code or a Proof of Filing Citation (PFC), will appear under “Advanced options” when creating a label. You only need to fill out this field for shipments with value orders over $2,500.

For any shipments originating from Canada, the field “B13A Option” will be shown at the top of the “Advanced options” panel. This refers to the B13A form that captures important information about the exported goods, the exporter, and the destination country. This form is only required for shipments with a value of CAD $2,000 and over.

Shipping to and from the EU/UK, the field “EORI number” is shown directly in the “Customs Options” section. The EORI number is a unique identifier assigned to businesses or individuals engaging in customs activities within the EU. Having an EORI number is great for customs clearance processes since it ensures proper identification and documentation of the parties involved with the shipment.

International shipping isn’t just easy on Shippo, it’s also cost-effective. You get seamless access to discounted international rates from a wide range of carriers, some of which offer additional benefits like customs clearance and paperless invoice for ultimate convenience. Ship internationally with ease and without the large bills.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to ship internationally within Shippo, click here.