The Importance Of Understanding International Shipping Regulations

 

The internet and ecommerce have empowered all the brands to break the geographic boundaries. While there are many advantages in selling one’s products beyond the national boundaries and reaching international territories, it certainly presents a number of challenges to the brands. Adequate preparation, groundwork and planning are integral parts of building a successful international brand.

One of the areas that is often forgotten while building an international brand at least initially is the international shipping regulations. Some brands first start as national brands and they grow to become an international brand. While making that switch, they fail to take into account the shipping regulations to be followed. You cannot apply the same shipping rules that you have been applying for local shipping because it could put you in trouble down the line.

For example if you are using wooden crates for shipping your products then you cannot use the regular wooden crates but you should use heat-treated wooden crates. You should then start asking, where can I get wooden crates that are suitable for international shipping needs and identify a manufacturer that has adequate experience in supplying shipping supplies that are compliant with international shipping needs.

If the shipping supplies that you use do not comply with international shipping regulations, then they would not be allowed to cross the international borders and your consignment would be rejected at the ports and sent back. This could invite irreparable losses that your startup company may not be able to deal with. You need to keep these factors in mind and even if you are using foam rolls in your packaging you should first ask where can I buy foam rolls that are suitable for international shipping.

Initially, product manufacturers struggle because they do not have the required experience and knowledge regarding above factors. They just presume things and that could prove to be the biggest issue. Therefore, if you do not want to run into such issues, you should invest enough time to understand all the shipping regulations pertaining to international shipping. Further to that, you should start sourcing all your shipping supplies from the most reliable suppliers in the industry that have several years of experience. It works the best to build a long-term association with your shipping supplies manufacturers so that you do not have to hunt for a better supplier each time you need to stock your shipping supplies inventory.