Christmas is practically around the corner and it is the season to be jolly and give as well. This means packing gifts is going to be on people’s agenda. It also means shipping those gifts will also make it on people’s to-do list. Even if you are not shipping gifts, but shipping things for commercial purposes, you will need shipping supplies. The following are a few things to keep in mind when doing so.
First, let's get the
obvious things out of the way and one of the first things that come to mind are
the legal side of things. There may be hundreds of shipping companies, but when
it comes to what is legal and what is not, the rules are carved in stone. So,
check with them and find out what is considered to be illegal. The reason why
this important is because there may be things most people would see as
something harmless. But the shipping companies have their own rules on top of
international rules, when deciding on these things.
Time is of the essence
when shipping things, especially for holiday-related shipping. This is because
most shipping companies will have cut-off dates when it comes to guaranteed
delivery. After all, what use is it if the recipient gets their gift a week or
two after the big day. On big holidays, things can get very hectic and busy
over at the shipping company, so, don’t tempt fate by shipping at the last
minute.
Once this is understood it
is time to start looking for the right shipping company. There are many of
them, but a quick look at their website will let you know which ones look good
and which do not. Take a look at their quality rating as well as customer
testimonials. Nowadays it is even possible to automate your shipping process.
With just a few clicks it is possible to print shipping labels as well as to
connect your business to a shipping company.
This can save you countless hours. In fact, there is another service similar to this and it is called drop shipping. The only difference is that it is put in place for customers to send a gift directly to the recipient. This is a popular option for international senders. Since the company in charge of sending the item will take care of the nitty-gritty details. You can even keep an eye on things by signing up for tracking.
This brings us to the next
item on the list and that would be international shipping. Compared to domestic
shipping, international shipping requires a few extra formalities. These can
include GST, VAT, and other associated taxes. There is also customs forms to
fill out so that when the goods reach the destination airport, authorities will
know who is shipping what to where.
There are a few smaller
things to keep in mind when sending, especially if it is through overnight
shipping. Keeping an eye out for the size and weight is extremely important
since this can affect the cost of shipping quite a bit. It is not uncommon for
people to wait until the last minute to ship something only to find out that
they cannot afford the shipping cost.
