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We live in a digital age of unprecedented connectivity, which has made everything from communicating across the globe to shipping packages from one continent to another significantly easier. However, even though speeds are faster, shipping to international destinations still comes with some important considerations.

With our global network of suppliers, partners and clients, we constantly need to ship furniture, fixtures and lighting products around the world. As such, we’ve learned the following four key lessons along the way about what to prepare for when shipping to international destinations:

1. Time of Year

Shipping prices, timeline and speed vary drastically based on the time of year. For example, shipping during high-volume periods like the major domestic and international holidays can affect your shipment in a variety of ways. Often, these periods cause major delays and limited options for shipping. Customs are often closed for business during national holidays and a long backlog can be created quickly. It’s important to have open communication and plan several months in advance about what’s needed and what’s feasible so that products get to their final destinations on time.

2.  Air vs. Ocean

Ground shipping is always utilized when shipping within a specific country. But getting it to that country always requires shipments via air or ocean, which come with several different pricing and timing options. Air freight is quicker but more expensive, considering that a cargo ship can carry more in terms of both volume and weight. When working on a project with clients, we develop a plan that accounts for these factors so that clients can stay on budget and on time. In the event something changes such as a deadline, we can try to change the shipping method to accommodate the new factors if we have enough notice. Ultimately, it is up to the client to direct us on when they need their orders; then we can plan accordingly.

3. Duties, Taxes and Customs 

Taxes and duties have no standard formula and have so many variables across several factors. It is important to work closely with a manufacturer that understands the freight landscape and can guarantee the proper delivery to the warehouse or location specified. Ideoli ships to over 20 countries around the world, each having their own rates, policies and customs. Like with shipping options, we help our clients account for duties, taxes and customs so that legal authorities around the world do not put projects over budget … or on hold.

4. Packaging

Lastly, clients need to consider how products are packaged for international transport. The size and delicateness of the items will affect their packaging, and they may need different packaging to fit efficiently in a container vs. a plane. Ideoli works closely with our partners around the world to ensure our products are packaged in a way that safely gets the items to their international destinations. It’s better to go the extra mile with packaging than have a product like a custom mirror travel thousands of miles only to wind up at its destination cracked.

Ideoli has a dedicated freight team that specializes in this for our clients. Thinking about these four factors will help ensure that our international array of products arrive at your space without surprises along the way.