Is there a good resource for shipping internationally from the US?

I just started selling here on Tindie, I’m based in the US. I’m wondering about sending packages internationally, as I’ve already got an international order. What is a common service people use to get all the proper shipping and customs forms?

Is the USPS website sufficient for this? I see I can purchase shipping labels on there, but my packages are typically 5" x 7" - how large are customs forms? I’ve been looking through the USPS website and there’s a bunch of different restrictions and rules for shipping items internationally, so I don’t want to screw it up!

Thank you, and sorry if this topic is elsewhere on here. I wasn’t able to find it.

In the past, I always used USPS for international shipping.
When you select “International Shipping” at the start of the online form, you just fill in the information .
At one point, it will ask about the type of product and description, then another in more detail.

There is a “drop-down” menu for selecting the “type” of customs, which I always selected one at random (probably the first one listed) - it sounds amateurish, but it always worked for me! My products always got delivered. I’ve sent to Taiwan, Ireland, Great Britain, Australia, Scotland and a military base in Saudi Arabia.

-Louis

Thanks for the reply!

When I go to the USPS site for ordering shipping, I try to pick the First Class Package International option, which is the cheapest. It then says it’s temporarily unavailable for online purchase. Emailing them and asking gives a predicably canned response of “it’s unavailable at this time, it might be added in the future” which tells me little. I can go get it in person at the post office but that’s kind of inconvenient!

The other options like priority express all estimate to be over $30 for even a small 4 oz package.

Just wondering, have you tried picking that shipping option lately? I can’t tell if the option only recently went away. USPS suggested I use something like Stamps.com to buy that option online, but I want to avoid yet another monthly fee for something I might not use a whole lot.

I just went to the USPS website to see if anything had changed. It all appeared to be the same.
If you registered and have a profile, Look for International Shipping button at the top. Select “Print a Label” and it will take you through the steps of entering addresses, package size/weight and shipping method (I choose “Priority International Shipping”).

Click continue at the bottom and fill out the customs information - NOTE: on the right hand side, it will ask for license information for Commercial Users, just leave those blank!
Lower on that page, under “ENTER EXPORT INFORMATION” it will ask for the “AES” information from a drop down menu. I select the first one which states something like “exempt under $2500” .
I’ve never had a problem doing this

Hope this helps.

USPS International.JPG1026×466 59.7 KB

Thanks again, I know that I CAN get shipping, it’s just that the shipping costs for Priority International is so much more than First Class International. No one is going to want to pay $30 in shipping for a $10 order.

This is the error I get when I try to buy the cheaper First Class option:

Screenshot_20200314-163010~2.png1080×432 41.9 KB

I use pirateship.com

Easier to use web site and better prices than on the USPS web site. You have to create an account and pre-load it with some money, but there are no extra fees.

For international shipping, try to stay under 8oz to get reasonable pricing (USD 14-16 depending on country). Above that prices jump to USD 26+.

PS: In my experience, Priority International is about the same speed as First Class Package International.
PS2: Note that end-to-end tracking is only available for certain countries with Priority and First Class mail:
https://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc2_022.htm#ep2899642