For many online businesses in Canada, shipping to North America can be a huge concern as they receive a significant number of orders from countries in that region. The entire shipping process and paperwork coupled with delivery times and product safety can be very daunting for individuals who are just starting out in the realm of online businesses and e-commerce. Companies that partner with notable and renowned shippers, such as Flagship, can tremendously reduce the amount of stress involved in their business operations. This guide shall briefly cover most aspects of shipping to North America for an online Canadian business.
What should businesses keep in mind while shipping to North America?
An e-commerce business needs to figure out where its major market lies globally, and focus on its customer service to that particular nation or region in great detail. Canadian e-commerce businesses shouldn’t be an exception, and they should pay great attention to their market outside of Canada. While there are multiple aspects associated with shipping for your online business, while shipping to North America, which is a great market for e-commerce, Canadian businesses need to keep track of the things as below:
-
Banned or prohibited items
Companies need to make sure that they aren’t involved in shipping any prohibited or banned items to any countries in North America. They need to opt for shipping companies that are compliant with border protection departments, such as the United States Customs and Border Protection department, and hence they would also be up-to-date on this matter.
Companies should themselves take heed to such compliance and refrain from engaging in the commerce of items such as certain medication, weapons, alcohol, batteries and products made out of tobacco. Unless the companies have special licenses, shipping these items to almost every country in North America is not allowed.
-
Not to include false information
In all of the paperwork required in shipping, it is important that companies don’t involve in filling out any false or misleading information. This is because, if authorities find out that the information was misleading, chances are that they could be flagged and also have to pay a fine. If a company is flagged multiple times, the country’s customs department could launch a full-fledged inquiry into its shipping, and the company could also potentially get banned from shipping altogether.
-
Shipping rates and weight
While shipping orders to North America, companies need to be conscious of getting the lowest possible rates in the best possible service. Sometimes companies may take to let go of one of these demands and settle for either higher rates or poor customer service. However, if companies do their research regarding various shipping companies in Canada and enter this prepared, they are sure to bag the best possible deal.
Additionally, companies also need to be mindful of their shipping weights. Their packaging material needs to be light yet durable enough to keep the contents of the package safe from breakage or any other pertaining damage. The packaging also needs to adhere to the packing restrictions or rules set by your chosen shipping company to avoid any confusion or delays in the shipping process.
Delivering a product to your customer can be an increasingly exhilarating and satisfying experience. Companies need to ensure that this experience is mimicked by their consumers as well, and that their consumers feel equally satisfied and happy from their purchase. In order to do so, companies need to ensure that the product gets delivered to their consumer on time, without any damages and it exactly how it was described on their e-commerce website earlier.
