What you need to know to send a parcel abroad

Whether you are sending a gift to a family member living in a foreign country or expanding your business into the international market, shipping across borders is not necessarily complicated, but it involves a wide variety of aspects that may be important to know. In this article, we want to list the basic elements that it is a priority to take into account.

InPost offers shipping to nine countries besides Portugal: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Poland. Sending a parcel to a foreign country with us is very simple: you only need to visit our shipping page, enter the necessary details and follow the instructions on the page. On the other hand, if you have a store and plan to ship commercially, you will also find a section on our international shipping for businesses.

Many of the most important restrictions on international shipping relate to cases where special care is obviously required, such as dangerous goods, weapons or animals.

The same applies to perishable products and those requiring special storage conditions. InPost does not transport perishable products in general, either abroad or domestically. See this page for a more complete description of the types of products we do not transport.

It is important to know the rules of the destination territory, which vary depending on each case, before proceeding with a shipment.

Customs controls monitor all goods entering and leaving a country. For countries outside the European area, a customs declaration is typically required, which contains a description of the nature and value of the goods in transit, and serves for the customs authorities to determine the duties to be paid and whether the goods in question may cross the border.

However, you never need to worry about customs matters in shipments with InPost, since our network focuses on countries in the European Economic Area for which shipments are not subject to special fees.

Shipping rates vary essentially depending on a few factors: the destination, the delivery method, and the size and weight of the parcel. The easiest way to calculate the cost is visit our shipping page, enter all the variables and check the resulting amount. Alternatively, you can consult our price list.

One of the most important decisions to make is between conventional delivery and delivery to a non-home location, via a pickup point, an option that is becoming increasingly popular due to an unbeatable price-quality ratio.

Delivery times for shipments abroad depend on the destination country. Our average delivery time to Spain is 4 business days, to France and Belgium 5 business days, and to Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Germany and Austria, 6 business days.

These timeframes align well with the usual expectations of e-commerce: statistics show that most people do not mind waiting a few days, and that there is, to some extent, some flexibility in the timeframe.

It is also important that we all keep in mind, as consumers, that the express delivery options available with some parcel carriers not only have the drawback of a higher price, but also of increased environmental harm.

Care with packaging is an overlooked aspect when it comes to parcel transport, affecting a range of levels, from shipping costs — due to weight and size — to the risk of damage during transit. Whether you have a store that ships regularly, or are simply planning to send a keepsake to a loved one, it is worth giving some thought to the most suitable packaging.

And when the shipment is to another country, these considerations become even more important; it is important to ensure that the contents are well protected to withstand the longer journey. Depending on the destination, the parcel may even have to go through various forms of handling, mechanical systems, etc.

If you sell online and intend to expand internationally, the present moment offers unique opportunities to do so. Technology and globalization open up a world full of possibilities for companies.

Few considerations will be as important to the growth of your business as shipping logistics, which has a profound and broad impact, from costs to customer satisfaction. See our international shipping offer for businesses and contact us today to take the first step toward more modern, reliable and efficient logistics.