Introduction
In the current globalized world, shipping goods across borders is now a fundamental aspect of both personal and business transactions. Be it shipping a gift to someone sending out your e-commerce store products or relocating some stuff to a friend living in another country, the most cost-effective method to ship internationally becomes quite crucial. International shipping may sometimes appear expensive, but there are various strategies and services that can help you save money while ensuring that your packages reach their destinations on time and safe.
In this blog post, we’ll go over the practical ways on how you can secure cheap international shipping while avoiding breaking the bank.
1. Choose the Right Shipping Service
One of the easiest ways to save on international shipping is by choosing the right courier service. International shipping rates vary depending on the carrier, the size of your package, and the destination country. Here’s a quick overview of some popular shipping services that offer affordable international options:
Postal Services: National postal services, like Deutsche Post in Germany, usually have lower rates for international shipping compared to private carriers such as UPS or FedEx. The catch is that they often take longer and do not provide as many tracking options. Using a postal service is an excellent way to save money when sending small packages or not-so-urgent shipments.
Courier Services: When speed is paramount, private courier services such as DHL, FedEx, and UPS can be much faster, though often more expensive. However, many of these providers offer discounts to businesses, bulk shippers, or regular senders, so international shipping is often less expensive in the long run.
Freight Shipping: For bulky items or a large volume, freight shipping-air or sea may be cheaper for the unit weight or volume. This is really helpful for business firms that will have to move large quantities of products across borders.
To reduce the cost, it is necessary to compare prices of different carriers and get the best deal according to your shipping requirements.
2. Use a Package Forwarding Service
Shipping from Germany or any other country that charges lower shipping fees means you can save a lot of money through package forwarding services. myGermany would be one good example in this regard for its affordability and reliability to ship internationally at non-premium rates.
Here’s how it works: myGermany provides you with a local German address where you can send your packages. Once your items arrive at this address, myGermany consolidates your packages and ships them to your destination at a fraction of the price you’d pay for international shipping directly from the original seller. This method allows you to save money on individual shipping fees by combining multiple packages into one shipment, significantly reducing overall costs.
Besides, services like myGermany provide other perks, such as lower rates for international shipping, multiple shipping options, and more advanced tracking, so your packages are always well taken care of and arrive on time.
3. Benefit from Shipping Discounts and Promotions
Most international shipping companies provide promotions and discounts that you can use to save money on your shipments. For instance:
Frequent Shipper Discounts: With most courier firms, discounts are always offered to repeat customers. A small business that sends goods in bulk across various countries can apply for this category of discounts easily. It only requires signing a shipping account or loyalty program at the company.
Seasonal promotions: Shipping companies usually offer discounts during the holidays or peak times. Be vigilant about the reduction in shipping fees and use some coupons, particularly around Black Friday, Christmas, or Back-to-School sales.
Shipping Insurance Bundles: Some offer discounted rates for combining services such as tracking or shipping insurance with an international shipment. If you are shipping products that are fragile or of high value, paying a little extra for insurance can be cost-effective and reassuring in some cases.
Don’t hesitate to inquire about any available discounts or special offers when shipping internationally. A little research can go a long way in securing cheap international shipping.
4. Consider the Size and Weight of Your Package
Shipping costs are often determined by the size and weight of the package, so minimizing both can help reduce your shipping expenses. Here are some tips to consider:
Use Smaller Boxes or Envelopes: Select the smallest packaging that will fit your items comfortably. This will reduce the volume and weight, which are key factors in determining the shipping cost. Avoid using oversized boxes unless absolutely necessary.
Pay extra and opt for flat-rate shipping: Some companies offer flat-rate boxes, you can ship everything you want to weigh as long as it fits that box size you pay a predetermined amount. Provided your items aren’t heavy they are compact opting for flat shipping costs less.
Pack Wisely: Ensure your belongings are packed strongly but not necessarily overstuffed. Protect fragile things using bubble wraps, foam peanuts, or air pillows, while being careful to not overpack a box too much, for it will add a lot of extra weight and make it bigger unnecessarily.
Being smart with the packaging sizes and weight saves you hundreds on shipping dollars.
5. Economize With Economy Shipping
If time is not of the essence, consider opting for economy or standard shipping methods. While they may take longer to reach their destination, these options are typically much cheaper than express or expedited services.
Many times, economy shipping services are provided by national postal services and private couriers. For instance, services such as Deutsche Post’s Economy International Shipping or DHL’s Economy Select offer lower-priced shipping for less time-sensitive international deliveries. Sometimes taking several weeks to arrive, economy shipping is a good choice for those wanting to save money.
6. Consolidation Services
Consolidating multiple shipments into one helps in reducing shipping costs internationally. You can even make purchases of the same goods from different sellers; instead of sending each, you can group them all and have them all delivered in a single shipment. It is usually best for regular international buyers since it helps deliver many orders altogether.
Services like myGermany offer package consolidation, which may reduce the shipping cost per item by a great deal. Moreover, it gives you the chance to avail yourself of bulk shipping discounts, and this further lowers the cost of shipping internationally.
7. Track Your Shipments to Avoid Extra Costs
Tracking your shipments will assist you in saving time or a surprise fee arising from an unnecessary delay. Others may charge some extra fee as a result of the wrong shipping address or just because customs procedures have caused your package to slow down. These can be completely avoided by always having correct shipment information and watching your package movements.
Using a shipping service such as myGermany allows you to track details of your package, so at any given moment, you know the status of where your shipment stands.
Final Thoughts
Shipping internationally is not expensive when you choose the best courier, especially when you leverage package forwarding consolidation services, also use shipping discounts, and minimize the size or weight of a package. Services such as myGermany help one get the best prices for shipment around the world most cheaply and efficiently. It certainly does not take too much planning and research to finally save money while shipping internationally.
These tips are sure to help you save money when shipping while ensuring that your experience of delivering packages internationally is provided with the best value. Happy shipping!