The Best Fashion to Ship from the US to the UK

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To farther grow your ecommerce business organisation, the Great britain (United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland) is a slap-up state to market to . Every bit you start making more international sales, you might notice orders coming from countries in the United kingdom. As one of the world'due south leading economies that has nifty trade relationships with the United States (US), UK consumers are a neat customer base to sell to.

In this UK shipping guide, we'll go over the rules, rates, and shipping services that volition assistance you begin shipping your products to the UK.

Carriers who ship from the United states of america to the UK

Who ships to the Britain? There are lots of carrier options bachelor, merely the large four are USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL. Below nosotros break downward the differences in service levels for shipping to the United kingdom, including price and transit times for the carriers.

Only USPS offers flat rates to send from the US to the UK. All other prices were calculated using the respective carrier'south pricing calculators for a 2 kg package in Nov 2019. Prices are subject to change.

Note: These are general options for consumers shipping orders. To know what ShipBob offers when shipping to other countries similar the UK, please asking a quote hither .

ShipBob's verbal rates for customers will vary equally we charge an all-in 'total fulfillment price' that includes picking, packing, and shipping, among other factors.

Service Price Delivery Fourth dimension
USPS Priority Mail Limited International $64.25 iii-5 concern days
USPS Priority Mail International $35.65 half dozen-10 business days
USPS First-class International Service Depends on postage pricing 11-xx business days
UPS Worldwide Expedited $45.43 2-5 business organization days
UPS Worldwide Saver $39.84 6-ten business concern days
FedEx International Priority $47.74 3-five business days
FedEx International Economy $twoscore.82 vi-10 business days
DHL International Express $51.38 three-6 business days

one. USPS

USPS is a slap-up choice for Britain shipping due to its flat charge per unit aircraft so you can easily forecast aircraft costs . Similar to other carriers, USPS rates depend on the weight of the package and delivery timeline.

At that place is one major con to using USPS for aircraft to the UK: tracking packages no longer works once they leave the United states of america. USPS packages are transferred to Royal Post one time they accomplish the UK. This may take anywhere from a few hours to days or even weeks and can filibuster commitment times.

USPS pros:

  • Flat rate aircraft
  • Many locations in the The states for dropping packages off
  • Ability to transport larger parcels price-effectively
  • No pickup fees

USPS cons:

  • Packages are transferred to Imperial Mail once they go far, which can add a few extra days for commitment
  • Your tracking number no longer works once the package leaves the United states of america
  • Tracking options are express

Read more: USPS UK Country Conditions

2. UPS

UPS is a great pick for shipping to the United kingdom because of its worldwide logistics network. They can pick up packages in the United states of america and deliver them in the Great britain in as little equally three days. Different USPS, the packages are tracked from pickup to delivery through UPS'south tracking system.

However, UPS can as well exist an expensive carrier if y'all're sending heavier items that are over 10 pounds.

UPS pros:

  • Significant presence in the The states to make picking up or dropping off packages easier
  • Work with many shipping partners to reduce shipping costs
  • Can pick upward packages at your location
  • Ability to transport packages of all sizes
  • Great parcel tracking capabilities

UPS cons:

  • Generally higher aircraft costs
  • Tin can become a little fee-heavy

3. FedEx

FedEx is another option for shipping to the UK. Because their biggest competitor is UPS, they offer the aforementioned services and comparable shipping costs. They tin can besides pick up packages in the US and deliver them to addresses in the UK in every bit little every bit 3 days. FedEx is a good option if yous're shipping large amounts of packages.

FedEx is by and large more expensive than the USPS but offers competitive pricing with UPS and DHL. If you lot're shipping a pocket-size amount of packages, USPS is often a better pick due to cheaper pricing.

FedEx pros:

  • Significant presence in the US to make picking upwards or dropping off packages easier
  • Many aircraft partners to reduce aircraft costs
  • Tin pick up packages at your location
  • Prices can exist good if shipping in bulk

FedEx cons:

  • They may accept a lot of fees
  • Community can tiresome down package commitment times

four. DHL

DHL is well known for its expertise in international aircraft for U.s.a.-based businesses. They take an HQ in Germany, so they are closely located to the UK which makes transportation even easier. If you want to ship overseas, DHL is your go-to carrier.

However, they don't take as big of a presence in the The states compared to UPS and FedEx, so you might have to become out of your way to discover a DHL location to drop off packages. The shipping costs can get somewhat pricey due to some higher fees.

DHL pros:

  • Expansive international presence
  • Express delivery for many countries
  • Price-constructive air and sea commitment options
  • No pickup fees

Disadvantages of DHL:

  • Limited US presence, so driblet-off locations are harder to detect compared to USPS, UPS, and FedEx
  • Generally college shipping costs due to international focus
  • Typically more fees compared to other carriers

Equally a non-EU member, you'll face up some big tariffs

Because of the costs associated with international aircraft and trade agreements between countries, shipping from the US to the Uk can get pricey. Different the trade agreements with the UK and the Eu, the US and UK trade agreements lead to large tariffs for shipments . The Value Added Taxation (VAT) for these products can become every bit loftier as 20%.

VAT on common items

VAT tin can be effectually xx% worth of the goods you send over, which is pretty loftier. Common VAT items include:

  • Alcoholic drinks
  • Biscuits (chocolate covered only)
  • Bottled water (including mineral water)
  • Calendars and diaries
  • Carbonated (fizzy) drinks
  • Chocolate
  • Clothes and footwear (excluding those for children nether 14 years old)
  • Confectionery and sweets
  • Delivery charges (postage and packaging)
  • Fruit juice and other cold drinks (not milk)
  • Nuts (shelled, roasted or salted)

VAT on uncommon items

Items like children's habiliment and energy materials are taxed anywhere from 0-5%. Uncommon items include:

  • Children'due south clothing (nether the age of 14 years old)
  • Fish (including live fish)
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Alive animals for human consumption
  • Meat and poultry
  • Milk, butter, and cheese
  • Newspapers, magazines, and journals
  • Nuts and pulses (raw for human being consumption)

Update aircraft policies for U.k. shipments

In guild to not be slapped with large VAT charges, make sure your shipping policy clearly states whether you or the buyer is entitled to pay the tariff. Customers may cancel their orders if the VAT charges are likewise loftier, so make sure they can encounter an accurate cost of shipping and taxes to help inform them of the costs. In that location are benefits to taking on the costs of tariffs yourself, though you volition take to charge more for products to make upward for the costs. This is known as commitment duty paid (DDP) shipping (equally opposed to commitment duty unpaid or DDU, which requires the end customer to pay the duties incurred in one case the package enters the destination country).

Learn how DDP shipping can help you with international shipping costs.

Mutual slowdowns in the United kingdom

The Britain has robust infrastructure for shipping and deliveries. Even with the ascent of ecommerce and improved logistics operations, commitment delays can happen due to traffic, geography, atmospheric condition, and general customs procedures. When shipping to the Uk, proceed in mind exactly where you're aircraft so customers can look accurate delivery windows.

All USPS shipments are handed off to Regal Postal service

USPS packages are transferred to Royal Mail once they reach the Great britain. Because of this transfer, it may take anywhere from a few extra hours to days or weeks for the package to be delivered.

Common weather patterns

Weather condition, like heavy pelting, sleet, and snow are very common in the UK, particularly in the north (Scotland). Gene in slowdowns for these atmospheric condition conditions before you lot ship, and communicate to your customers when they do.

Customs

Because of the transition from USPS to Royal Mail once the packages attain the UK, deliveries tin be delayed by a few hours to a few weeks depending on how long it takes to consummate the transfer.

Shipping to the United Kingdom? A 3PL can assistance!

If you lot need help shipping products to the UK, consider working with a 3PL to help brand UK aircraft hassle-free and easy. ShipBob is a 3PL that offers an international fulfillment including in locations in Manchester, Birmingham, and much more.

With ShipBob, you can bulk transport your your inventory to our Manchester location and fulfill orders within the Great britain. You will only have to pay import duties once when yous initially transport your products to our Manchester-based fulfillment center location, rather than paying duties on each package.

Forth with customs, duties, and condign a not-resident importer, ShipBob volition walk you through the process of sending freight to our U.k. fulfillment center.

With ShipBob handling logistics and fulfillment for UK orders, you can rest easy knowing your products are being delivered to your customers. Here's why you lot should allow ShipBob handle Britain fulfillment and shipping:

Offer aircraft to Britain customers

With ShipBob, you tin can store inventory in i or more than ShipBob fulfillment centers based on where your customers are located. If you're interested in expanding into England or the United kingdom, ShipBob tin can assistance you enter this market easier and more than affordably.

For each package, ShipBob'due south technology automatically searches rates from each of the pinnacle mail service carriers, and finds the cheapest and fastest road. That way, yous and your customers get the all-time shipping option for each packet without having to lift a finger.

The average transit time to all of the United kingdom is one-four concern days using Imperial Mail and DPD. We likewise plan to add together more carrier options and shipping destinations.

ShipBob has worked with thousands of brands all over the world to scale retail fulfillment, lower logistics costs, and boost growth. Partner with united states and you become faster fulfillment and shipping while saving time, coin, and energy.

"Every bit we expand our online presence internationally, both directly and selling through marketplaces, nosotros knew we needed a trusted fulfillment partner with a physical presence overseas.

From our history through the years with ShipBob, it was a no-brainer to expand into other markets with them. We know  they have done their due diligence to run into the ShipBob standard."

Marc Fontanetta, Director of Operations at BAKblade

We'll piece of work with your current carrier or freight partners, or you lot can leverage ShipBob'southward relationships with cantankerous-border freight aircraft specialists.

Relieve fourth dimension and coin

By partnering with ShipBob, y'all don't demand to manage warehouses, aircraft operations, or hire labor. Working with ShipBob can actually plough logistics and warehousing into a revenue driver because yous can increase acquirement and offer the shipping options and delivery speeds that customers want.

Y'all also save time by outsourcing fulfillment tasks to ShipBob. You won't have to spend time packing orders, waiting for pickups, or leasing and finding extra warehouse space. Working with ShipBob gives you time back to focus on more strategic initiatives, such as customer service and product development.

"We ended up shipping to 55 different countries and all 50 states. There's a pair of Ombraz on every continent, and then international shipping is very important to us — not but in terms of costs but also the client experience."

Nikolai Paloni, Co-Founder of Ombraz Sunglasses

Leverage industry expertise

Running an ecommerce business means being responsible for marketing, sales, customer service, shipping, logistics and more. Yous don't have the time to become an expert in every detail of your ecommerce business, especially for time-consuming warehousing and shipping tasks.

That's where ShipBob comes in: staffed by ecommerce shipping professionals, we are knowledgeable and upwardly-to-engagement with the latest manufacture trends and complexities — and then yous don't take to exist.

ShipBob also has the technical resources and partner network — including carrier partnerships, custom packaging providers, and more than — that allows u.s.a. to constantly brand improvements to the supply concatenation and help drive your ecommerce success.

"Our Account Manager has worked difficult to understand our needs and offered more flexibility than other 3PLs. They take used their expertise to give us business-specific solutions that accept really made a difference."

Pablo Gabatto, Business organisation Operations Manager at Ample Foods

Conclusion

Aircraft to the U.k. from the US doesn't take to be complicated, peculiarly if you partner with a 3PL. By fulfilling orders within the Uk, yous significantly save on costs while speeding up transit times for international orders.
If you need assistance aircraft to the UK, learn how ShipBob can brand shipping even easier by filling out the form below.

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