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International Shipping Guide
International Shipping Guide

Some tips for creating international labels on Pirate Ship

Updated this week

Pirate Ship makes it easy to create labels for all of your international shipments 🛫

In this International Shipping Guide, you’ll find some tips on preparing your packages and shipping them properly to avoid any issues!

Check for any shipping restrictions

Before creating your international label, you should ensure your items aren't subject to any shipping restrictions. Depending on what you're sending, USPS or UPS may not allow you to ship your package at all!

Fortunately, USPS and UPS provide resources that you can reference to see if you're able to ship your item.

Check the USPS Individual Country listings

Here's how to check to see if you're able to ship to your destination country with USPS:

  • Check the USPS Individual Country Listings: When shipping with USPS, we suggest browsing the USPS Individual Country Listings to look into your destination country. Some countries prohibit certain items, and you can use this to see if your country allows for the importation of what you're sending 👍

  • Be Aware of Size & Weight Limits: The USPS Individual Country Listings will also show you if the country you’re shipping to has any specific weight and size limits you need to be aware of. Size and weight limits vary by country.

Check the UPS Import/Export Regulations

Similar to USPS, UPS prohibits and restricts certain items addressed to certain countries. Before you buy your international UPS label, we suggest visiting the UPS Import/Export Regulations and checking the following boxes:

  • Choose the United States as the Origin Country: As we highlighted in the above screenshot, be sure to choose "United States" as your Origin Country or Territory.

    • Once you have selected the U.S. as your country of origin, check the boxes: "Commodity Specific Stipulations," "Prohibited or Restricted Commodities," "Special Clearance Requirements," "Value Limits," and "Weight and Size Limits"

  • Show Regulations: When you click the Show Regulations button, the UPS website will display all of the guidelines you'll need to abide by, along with any prohibited and restricted items.

You May Be Subject to Additional UPS Restrictions on Pirate Ship

You aren't able to ship any item with UPS on Pirate Ship that UPS restricts, prohibits, or requires a special contract for (including shipments containing hazardous materials).

For more information, see the list of items UPS prohibits.

Properly addressing your international packages

Some international addresses are tricky, and may not be the most obvious when it's time to make your label (we're looking at you, Thailand). Here are some things to keep in mind if you run across a tricky international address:

  • Contact Us for Help Formatting Addresses: If you need help formatting an international address, just let us know! Our pirates are ready on deck to help with that 💪

  • International Address Validation: Pirate Ship doesn't validate international addresses, so it’s important to confirm any address information with your recipients before you make your labels.

Use your recipient's full legal name when entering your label information

A big part of properly addressing your international label is to use your recipient's full legal name.

  • USPS Requirements for Recipient Names: When entering your recipient info for an international shipment, the USPS website states that your label "must indicate the addressee’s full legal name." If you don't include this information, your package may get sent back to you 😅

  • Using a Recipient's Full Name for All Carriers: Including your recipient's full legal name is best practice for sending any international labels, regardless of whether you're shipping with USPS, UPS, or using Pirate Ship's Simple Export Rate® service.

Formatting APO/FPO/DPO addresses

Here's what you need to know about shipping to U.S. Military destinations such as APO/FPO/DPO addresses:

  • Don't Include City or Country Names: If you're shipping to an overseas APO/FPO/DPO destination, do not include the city or country names in the shipping address! This will keep your package from entering any foreign mail networks.

  • Include the Unit & Box Numbers: When shipping to these destinations, include the unit and box numbers for APO/FPO/DPO shipping addresses (if assigned).

Choosing an international shipping service

When it's time to ship, your international packages can be sent with either USPS, UPS, or through our own Simple Export Rate® service! Here's a breakdown of all of your options for shipping internationally on Pirate Ship:

  • USPS International Services: For overseas shipments, USPS offers Priority Mail International, Priority Mail Express International, and First Class Package International.

  • UPS International Services: UPS offers UPS Standard (to Canada & Mexico), Worldwide Expedited, Worldwide Saver, and Worldwide Standard to most countries around the world.

  • Simple Export Rate: For lightweight shipments under 4 lbs, Pirate Ship's Simple Export Rate® service is the cheapest way to send lightweight parcels to international destinations.

Which international service is the cheapest for my shipment?

Pirate Ship's software automatically chooses the cheapest international service for your shipment! However, you can always choose a different service if you prefer.

Here are some things to consider when selecting your international service:

  • USPS Insurance: For USPS, only Priority Mail International and Priority Mail Express International services include automatic insurance. For international shipments, you're covered up to $200 with USPS insurance.

    • Any USPS service you use outside of Priority Mail International or Priority Mail Express International does not include insurance.

  • UPS Carrier Liability: All international UPS services come with $100 of built-in carrier liability.

  • Simple Export Rate: This invite-only service is similar to First Class Package International. While it doesn't include any insurance, it offers the cheapest rates you'll find on the Seven Seas 💰 Chat with us if you'd like to try it out!

Consider adding insurance and extra services

Some countries' postal services aren't as reliable as USPS, so we always recommend adding insurance to international shipments. If you’d like to protect your packages with insurance, this guide will show you how: Does Pirate Ship offer insurance?

Here are two things to be aware of before purchasing insurance on your international packages:

  • Read the Shipping Insurance Terms & Conditions: Before purchasing insurance on your items, be sure to familiarize yourself with the Shipping Insurance Terms and Conditions from our partner, Shipsurance. Depending on what you're sending, your item may not qualify for insurance coverage per the Terms & Conditions!

    • In addition to excluding some items from coverage, Shipsurance also does not cover shipments going to certain countries such as Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, and others. However, while insurance coverage doesn't apply to shipments traveling to those excluded countries, you can still ship to them!

  • Maximum Value for International Shipments: The maximum value you can declare for insurance on an international package is $2,500.

    • The reason for the maximum value of $2,500 for international packages is that the U.S. Census Bureau requires shippers to register with the Automated Export System (AES) when sending an overseas shipment containing goods valued at $2,500 or higher.

  • Alternatives for High-Value Shipments: Pirate Ship cannot support international shipments that need to register with AES...hence the maximum value.

    • If you need to send an international shipment with a value higher than $2,500, shipments, you'll need to register with AES through the U.S. Census Bureau and use a carrier outside of Pirate Ship. Learn more about registering with AES for high-value shipments.

Creating customs forms along with your label

All international shipments are subject to customs fees and import duties. Any time you create an international label, Pirate Ship generates customs forms so you don't have to 🎉

  • Customs Documents to Include: Most international shipments only require a single integrated customs form (in other words, your label doubles as your postage and customs form)

    • For some international shipments, you may need to print multiple documents for your customs forms. You can read more about how to create customs forms here.

  • Label Restrictions for Customs Forms: You can only print customs forms on standard 4x6" label sizes, not 2x7" labels

Customs forms with prohibited items and/or vague descriptions may lead to returned packages or errors

Attempting to ship dangerous/prohibited items or entering vague item descriptions in your customs form may lead to returned shipments or prevent you from buying your label altogether 🙈 Here are reasons why you might encounter errors when purchasing your label:

  • Dangerous or Prohibited Items: If you're attempting to ship a dangerous or prohibited item, you may see the error message: “This item is prohibited from being shipped internationally. Review the rules & regulations.”

  • Vague Descriptions: If your item description in your customs form isn't specific enough, you may see this message: “This is too generic of a description and would be returned undelivered. Customs requires an exact list of what’s in your shipment. Learn more."

Additional Resources

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