OptimalShip's Helpful Shipping Tips

Tragedy Strikes

We’ve all been there. Business was running smoothly. You’re making some strong sales and getting all your orders ready to go out to your customers. You’re excited! You’re on top of the world! You’re making your business dream come true, one package at a time. In the heat of all that fervor; tragedy strikes! Not too long after you have your product picked up to be shipped, you’re looking through the invoice information for your customer, and you realize that the package is going to the wrong address.

Have you ever shipped a large box that seems to weigh nothing, yet the invoice you get is higher than you expected? This likely has to do with the difference between dimensional weight and actual weight. We all know how to find the actual weight of our international packages; we just look at the scale the box is sitting on and read the number. But why does my 10 lb shipment in a 12x12x12 inch box cost less than those same 10 lbs in a 24x24x24 inch box?

All too often a simple error or a missing piece of information in an address can mean that your shipment will be delayed, or, in more extreme cases, never arrive at its destination at all. In this article, we will cover the proper way to format an international address to ensure that this does not happen to you.

We all hate it when our packages take forever to get to us! Not just because it's annoying, but because in our economy, time is money. Here are some common reasons why your delivery is taking longer than expected, and how to speed things up.

When a shipment crosses an international border, it goes through the customs clearance process where the country’s import laws are enforced, and duties and taxes are assessed. There are two types of invoices that can be created for an international shipment and this article will guide you through which one you need to make. Some shipments are obviously commercial since they are being formally purchased from another country and will be subject to duty and tax. Others have nominal value or are not for resale, regardless of their value; these shipments might not be subject to duty and tax. The biggest role that an invoice plays in customs is to aid customs agents in enforcing duty and tax laws.