Shippo supports international shipping globally. Shipping across borders can get complicated, so we've worked hard to make the process easy. Here's how to manage international orders, declare customs, and get your packages moving across borders successfully.
Managing international orders
Cross-border shipping takes a few extra steps, but Shippo makes the process easy.
To get started, select an international order from the Orders page, or create a new one.
Declaring customs items
A Customs Declaration is how you declare the items you're shipping across international borders. Items crossing borders are generally subject to import/export taxes, customs duties, and fees.
| Warning: Without the required information entered, your package may not be accepted through customs. |
Select an international order from the Orders page. Orders synced from one of your stores get pre-filled with items from ecommerce or CSV orders by default, as long as the order has line items.
If you're creating an international label manually, you'll need to add customs items yourself:
- Open the Customs Items dropdown and click Add customs item.
- Enter the following:
- Description of the item
- Quantity
- SKU (if your item has one)
- Weight per item
- Value per item
- Country of origin
| Note: If the shipment qualifies for Paperless Trade, you'll see a banner at the top and won't need to print a physical commercial invoice. |
| Learn more: Learn more in our in-depth article: Item-level Customs Information. |
Customs options
Required fields
Content type: Describes the items in the shipment. Shippo defaults to Merchandise. Options include:
- Documents
- Gifts
- Sample
- Merchandise
- Return Merchandise
- Humanitarian Donation
Incoterm: Determines who's responsible for collecting any duty, tax, or VAT. Shippo defaults to DDU (bill recipient). USPS doesn't support DDP, so all USPS international shipments go out as DDU.
- DDU (bill recipient): Carrier policies can vary. Some carriers may bill the shipper if the recipient refuses delivery, can't be reached, or doesn't pay required duties and taxes.
- DDP (bill sender)
- FCA (Free Carrier): The seller fulfills their delivery obligation once they hand over the goods, cleared for export, to a carrier named by the buyer at an agreed place or point. The seller usually isn't responsible for shipping costs, and the buyer must specify the exact delivery point in the contract of sale or carriage.
Name of the authorized person: The person responsible for the customs details, generally whoever fills out the declaration. For USPS, this defaults to the Sender Address name and can't be changed.
| Note: Tax ID/VAT codes determine how a merchant is assessed for tax purposes. See our article to learn whether your shipment requires one. |
Commercial invoices
Once you've purchased your international label, you can download and print both your label and your commercial invoice. A commercial invoice is a physical document generated from your Customs Declaration, used to declare the items in your shipment.
Generating your commercial invoice
Once you've purchased your international label with declared customs:
- Find the purchased international order on the Orders page.
- Click the "More Options" ellipsis to the right of the order.
- Select Download Commercial Invoice.
How Shippo delivers your commercial invoice
- Included as part of the shipping label itself.
- Included as a separate page (or pages) with the shipping label download.
- Sent electronically through a process called Paperless Trade, where you don't need a physical copy. Shippo sends the customs declaration data to the carrier electronically.
What to do with your commercial invoice
USPS: You don't need to include a commercial invoice with USPS international shipments, so you won't see a download button for one. All necessary customs information is built into the label automatically:
- USPS First Class Package International labels are a single page, with customs details right on the label.
- USPS Priority Mail International labels vary by shipment:
- Sometimes a single page, with customs details on the label.
- Sometimes two pages: the first is your label to apply as usual, the second is a copy for your records.
- Sometimes three or four pages: put the first page (the label) on the box, include the second (and third) in a pouch on the outside of the package, and keep the last page for your records.
UPS: Print the entire file you download, since the label and commercial invoice are bundled together. The first page is your label. The next three identical pages are the commercial invoice, which you'll attach to the outside of the package in a clear pouch. Keep the fourth page for your records.
UPS labels that print "EDI" are eligible for Paperless Trade.
Other carriers: FedEx, Canada Post, and DHL Express don't include the commercial invoice with the label. Click Download Invoice after downloading your label to get it separately.
Best practice: print three copies of the commercial invoice, sign them, and include them in a pouch on the package. DHL Express labels also come with an "Archive Doc," which isn't required but is sometimes requested by DHL employees, so it's worth keeping on hand during drop-off or pickup.
| Learn More: Learn more in our in-depth article: Customs Declarations and Commercial Invoices for International Packages with Shippo |
Additional resources
For more on international shipping, check out:
- Carriers Supported by Shippo
- Generate a Commercial Invoice
- Using Tariff Numbers and Harmonized Codes
- Paperless Trade Documents
- Troubleshooting International and Military Addresses