With the capabilities of online selling, start-up businesses like yours have a broader reach than ever before. Not long ago, a new company had to establish themselves well in one community before expanding to another. Now, you can sell to anyone you like with the click of a button the moment you set up shop.
As such, many companies jump straight into the world of international shipping. Forget keeping it local; the world is your enterprise oyster. You want to reach as many people in as many places as possible, and you want to do it now while the iron is hot.
As much as it’s essential to act fast, though, it’s also crucial you make sure you get into international shipping in the right way. After all, having the ability to ship worldwide won’t help you if you don’t know the technicalities of sending your products out. The orders will come in, and you won’t have any idea what to do with them. It’d fast spell curtains for your company, that’s for sure.
To make sure you don’t find yourself in that situation, you should think about every aspect of going international. Lucky for you, that’s precisely what we’re going to look at in this article. Read on to find out how to make the right name for yourself across the world.
Consider your transport options
Before tackling anything else, you need to consider your transport options. You could argue that these are most important of all. Your products won’t be going anywhere if you don’t tackle this. To start with, it’s not unusual to ship packages from your local post office. There’s nothing wrong with that. When your company is small, it’s unlikely you’ll get excessive orders. As such, this makes the most sense money and practicality-wise. What’s more, it’s a method you can keep on top of without worry. The chances are you already know how to use a post office, after all.
But, when the orders start rolling, you may reach a point where this is no longer cost-efficient. After all, you’ll pay for each order this way, and will have to charge sky-high postage prices. Plus, this doesn’t give you the chance to offer any specialized services, such as email updates. Your packages will arrive with the rest of the mail. Hence, you may reach a stage where you want to work with a private courier. Keep an eye on your profit margins to judge when this would be a sensible move, then start looking out for the best deal. There are many well-known courier companies you could make use of here. Take your time choosing one that’s right. It may even be worth playing them off against each other to reduce prices.
If business continues to boom, even a private courier may not be practical any longer. This is especially the case if you get a lot of overseas custom. In this case, you may want to consider cargo ships, or even cargo aircraft to take over operations. Again, it all depends on which options are most cost-efficient. After all, the more expensive your choice, the more your customers will pay for postage. And, prices there could make or break a sale.
Get to know your pricing
Of course, to be in a position where you can spot cost-effective options, you need to know your pricing well. Not to mention that you’ll struggle to charge the right postage and packaging fees otherwise. And, that could also leave you out of pocket. No matter which stage you’re at in your journey, it’s essential you take time to become familiar with prices. When using your post office, this should be simple enough. In most instances, you should even be able to request a price list. When you switch to a private courier, however, it’s likely you’ll pay per shipment, rather than per item. That can make things harder to work out. It’s worth keeping your post office pricing as a rough guide. Then, consider how much you can reduce it without leaving yourself at a loss here. After all, you want to cut those prices a little to stay competitive. But, you don’t want to end up paying for packaging yourself.
It’s also worth looking at what your competitors charge, here. Head onto sites of similar companies which are established, and purchase like a customer. Take note of, or even jot down, their pricing. Then, see how they compare to yours. If there’s a big difference, you may need to go back to the drawing board here.
How can you package this?
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All your efforts will be wasted if your products arrive broken. As such, it’s also essential you spend some time on your packaging. Bear in mind that your products could have a long way to go before they arrive. And, you can’t be sure how they’re handled during that time. Breakable items, then, should be packaged with padded envelopes and plenty of stuffing. It’s also worth placing a visible ‘fragile’ warning on the envelope or box. You can’t be sure anyone will pay heed, but at least it should go some way towards reducing damage. It’s also important to consider using options such as cardboard-backed envelopes if your items are at risk of bending. One thing’s sure; you’ll have to pay the replacements if your items don’t make it in one piece.
Where are people ordering from?
Though it might not cross your mind, it’s also worth taking note of where customers are ordering from. When it comes to international shipping, you’ll likely find your orders come from all over. Sometimes, though, you may receive a lot of custom from certain countries. By paying attention to this, you could find yourself in a position to establish your business in a foreign country as well. There will already be a demand for it, so hiring someone on the ground could save you money compared to shipping long-distance. And, you’ll never know unless you keep track!