The International Shipping Guide Every Small Business Needs

There is no such thing as a simple first shipment. Every business that sends goods across a border for the first time discovers several things it did not know about documentation, duties, and carrier reliability. This international shipping guide exists to shorten that learning curve — because the mistakes are expensive, and most of them are preventable.

Step One: Know What You Are Shipping

Before you choose a carrier or route, you need two things: the HS code for your product and its declared value. The Harmonized System (HS) code is a standardized number that customs authorities worldwide use to classify goods. Furthermore, the declared value determines what duties the recipient will pay upon arrival. Undervaluing a shipment to reduce duties is a customs violation — and the fines are far worse than the duties you were trying to avoid.

Get both right before you book a shipment. The US International Trade Commission’s HS lookup tool is a reliable starting point. Moreover, most freight forwarders will verify your HS code as part of the onboarding process — so that international shipping guide step is a good early test of whether a forwarder knows their business.

Step Two: Choose Your Shipping Method

Air freight is fast and expensive. Sea freight is slow and cheap. Road freight is practical for continental moves. The right answer depends on your product, your margin, and your buyer’s timeline. In general, goods worth more than $5 per kilogram tend to make sense by air. Below that, sea freight economics usually win. However, time pressure changes the calculation entirely — a product that misses a retail season is worth less than the shipping cost you were trying to save.

Read our full comparison in the air freight vs sea freight guide before committing to a method.

Step Three: Understand Your Incoterms

Incoterms define who is responsible for the goods at every stage of transit. The two you will encounter most often are DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) and DAP (Delivered at Place). Under DDP, the seller handles everything including import duties. Under DAP, the buyer handles customs at the destination. Consequently, the choice you make directly affects what your customer experiences when the shipment arrives. A buyer who receives an unexpected customs bill is rarely a repeat customer.

See our detailed breakdown in the DDP shipping guide. In addition, if you are unsure which Incoterm to use on a specific shipment, this is exactly the kind of question our coordination team handles.

Step Four: Prepare Your Documentation

A standard international shipment requires at minimum: a commercial invoice, a packing list, and a bill of lading or air waybill. Some commodities and destinations require additional certificates — a certificate of origin, a phytosanitary certificate, or an import licence. Therefore, check the destination country’s requirements for your specific commodity before the shipment leaves. Missing a document costs time at customs. And time at customs often means storage fees.

This international shipping guide covers the basics, but specific country requirements change. Always verify with your carrier or freight forwarder before ship date and check US Customs and Border Protection for current import requirements.