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How to Solve 6 Common International Shipping Problems

Jul 30, 2024 | Cloud-Based Shipping, Ecommerce, International Shipping

a parcel with U.S. Customs and Border Protection documents for customs declaration in international shipping

Table of Contents

  1. Commercial Invoices and Filing Customs Documents 
  2. Dealing with Customs Delays  
  3. Managing Shipping Costs and Service Selection 
  4. International Shipping Tracking 
  5. Inefficient Shipping Processes 
  6. Handling Lost or Damaged Items 
  7. Key Takeaways

If your business faces international shipping problems, you’re not alone. Many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) find that expanding globally is a logical next step to growth. However, shipping overseas can be complex and pose challenges. 

This is where international shipping software comes in. It helps you (and your products!) navigate the waters and reach the right destination. The right technology alleviates the pain points associated with common international shipping problems while improving your business profitability. 

Let’s take a look at the six most common international shipping problems experienced by small to mid-sized businesses and how international shipping software can help.  

1. Commercial Invoices and Filing Customs Documents

The Problem: Handling customs documents and Electronic Export Information (EEI) filing for different countries can be challenging given the number of details often required for each country and the variations between them. Not only is filing customs documents a time-consuming task, but errors in commercial invoices and other customs documents can lead to extra fees and shipping delays. 

The Solution: Leveraging electronic trade document handling (ETD) via international shipping software helps you correctly file all the required customs forms, preventing delays and penalties. An ETD system ensures that you include all the necessary information, and the shipping software automatically files the EEI with the AES (automated export system) for you. Automating these processes saves time and prevents costly errors. 

A complicated customs process document and customs declaration form for U.S. Customs and border protection for international shipping

2. Preventing Customs Delays

person on the phone sitting at a desk in a warehouse full of parcels trying to resolve customs delays for international shipping

The Problem: Sometimes, international shipments get stuck in customs due to incomplete or incorrect information on the commercial invoice. Customs delays and confusion over trade terms can cost you more money, take more time to resolve, disrupt your delivery schedule, and frustrate customers. 

The Solution: Ensure that the commercial invoice contains accurate and detailed customs information and meets all requirements for the destination country. International shipping software provides templates to help you include the correct information, and it shares the details of your commercial invoice with the carrier electronically, quickly and reliably. This reduces the chances of customs delays.

3. Managing Shipping Costs and Service Selection

Stacks of coins with bar graphs and statistics representing shipping costs
The Problem: International shipping can be expensive, and finding the most cost-effective shipping service for each order can be time-consuming. Both of these factors may negatively impact your business’s bottom line. With international shipping carriers, you may struggle to negotiate reasonable rates successfully, as many carriers prioritize discounts for larger businesses that ship more volume.  

The Solution: One way to solve this problem is to use free software to access discounted shipping rates and compare rates from multiple carriers to find the cheapest option. Shipping software helps you find the best international shipping option for each order. Plus, it can automate service selection based on customizable criteria, which reduces labor costs by eliminating tedious, repetitive manual work.  

4. International Shipping Tracking

unhappy warehouse manager trying to locate a missing package resulting from poor international shipping tracking
The Problem: Updating your ecommerce platform and your customers with international tracking information is an important but time-consuming step in the shipping process. A lack of tracking visibility can cause anxiety for customers, and they will reach out to you wanting to know where their orders are. To mitigate this problem, you need quick and easy access to tracking information.  

The Solution: Leveraging international shipping software that integrates with ecommerce platforms like Shopify will help your business provide customers with international order tracking info. Not only does the software email your customers their tracking information upon shipment, but it also automatically updates all your sales channels with tracking information for easy reference. 

5. Inefficient Shipping Processes

A person with a clipboard and pen scanning warehouse shelves to find the right item to ship
The Problem: Having a large number of manual shipping tasks that need to be completed as part of the ongoing process can have a big impact on efficiency and throughput when shipping internationally. These processes can range from paper-based operations to manual data entry, label printing, service selection, rate shopping, and order confirmation.  

The Solution: Speeding up some of the key shipping tasks with software and automation rules is a great benefit of adopting free international shipping software. It allows you to dedicate your team to higher-return activities that help your business grow. Another benefit outside of the obvious time savings is virtually eliminating human error that often occurs with manual shipping processes during busy seasons.  

6. Lost or Damaged International Shipments

person holding a parcel that has been damaged in international shipping
The problem: Items lost and damaged in transit are among the most common (and irritating) issues when sending items abroad. The great distance a parcel travels from your warehouse to its destination provides many opportunities for things to go wrong. While this may seem impossible to avoid with international shipping, your business’s preparation can often shape the end customer experience. That’s where software can assist you.  

The Solution: Leveraging shipping software with reputable international shipping insurance will help you mitigate potential losses and make the claims process easier. Additionally, pre-defined business rules can automatically apply insurance to orders according to your custom parameters, saving time. This will cover you and the customer commercially while avoiding frustrating back-and-forth exchanges with carriers. 

Key Takeaways

  1. Don’t let the cost and complexity of international shipping keep you from expanding your ecommerce business. Software can help. 
  2. Many common international shipping challenges can be lessened or avoided by leveraging the right software features to streamline operations. 
  3. Free software is a great, cost-effective way to test international shipping for some orders while you grow your global market.  

What does Descartes XPS offer for international shipping?

a happy woman opening a parcel containing an ecommerce order delivered via international shipping
To help you ensure customer satisfaction and successfully navigate international shipping, Descartes XPS shipping software offers a user-friendly platform with many helpful features. It can mitigate the most common problems while helping you control shipping costs.

 

  • 100% free to get started 
  • No restrictions on shipment volume–print as many labels as you need 
  • Files electronic trade documents for customs (EEI to AES and others) for you 
  • Discounted rates from USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL–save up to 89% on shipping 
  • Easy rate shopping to find the best shipping service for each order
  • Automation rules to reduce manual labor and fulfill orders faster 
  • Integrations with 90+ carriers, sales channels, and other programs 
  • Shipping insurance from our award-winning partner XCover 
  • Free live support for all customers via chat, email, and phone 
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Johannes Panzer, Head of Industry Solutions for Ecommerce, Descartes Systems Group

About the Author

Johannes Panzer is the Head of Industry Solutions for Ecommerce at Descartes. With over 17 years in ecommerce fulfillment and shipping SaaS, Johannes brings a wealth of experience in uniting ecommerce business leaders with the right tools and techniques to overcome logistics challenges and drive profitable growth. 
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