Hi all,
I’ve noticed that half the people who’ve been looking at the photos in my shop are from the USA and after checking out costs etc I’ve decided to add it as a postage option. I just wondered if any of you lovely folk have any tips for things that I should be wary about or whether shipping abroad has improved your sales?
Thanks!
If you haven’t already got it then it is worth getting an EORI number and finding the relevant HS tariff codes (HMRC website can help with both of those).
USA is easy to ship to - nice high threshold ($800) so my customers have never had to pay any extra customs duties unlike for other countries. Not sure what method you plan on using for shipping but I’ve always found that my USA customers hate having to sign for stuff - they often live a long way from the depot so don’t want to have to go get packages.
If you decide to expand to shipping to other countries remember that an increasing number of european countries now have packaging laws so you need to buy a license or risk getting a fine.
Shipping to USA is still relatively easy - albeit quite expensive - I used to do it on (ahem) another selling platform and I’m kind-of considering adding it here as it would probably increase my sales. I have a click and drop RM account so I just added the tariff codes to my products on there (I think the US now uses the 6-digit version?). I sell mostly low-ticket items so have no worries about sending mostly un-tracked to keep costs down - some customers get a little worried by this (pretty much all US domestic post has tracking) but in a decade of shipping to the US I think I had one parcel actually go missing and a couple take a long time to reach their destination. I add tracking to large orders or custom things that I really, REALLY couldn’t face re-making if they got lost.
Shipping to the EU is now a whole other can of worms because of the packaging regulations (there is another thread on here somewhere about this) and for me personally it’s just not worth doing any more!
The most recently updated forum thread about the packaging laws is here: EU Packaging Laws: is there a definitive answer? - #60 by Knittingtopia
Thanks so much, Sasha that’s really helpful. And also so good to know that signed-for items can be a turn-off. I would never even considered that!
Genuinely appreciate this feedback it’s amazing!
I really hope shipping to the US will help lift sales but I’m not convinced as it costs just slightly less than the cost of one of my photos, but I’m gonna give it a whirl - so thank you!
And after hearing other people’s comments about shipping in Europe, I think I’ll give that a miss as it sounds like far too much hassle 
US consumers are used to paying higher shipping costs. What seems expensive to us is relatively standard for them.
I regularly send items to the US via my Etsy site and through commissions and other sales. My US postage costs can be 100% of item costs. It shouldn’t be a problem.
If you have the interest then set it up. Could be a fantastic opportunity!
Hi @TownAbout. It is really worth shipping to the USA (they are usually happy to pay for safe postage) and some other countries in the rest of the world as long as they don’t have excessive ‘import’ restrictions. I occasionally send small items and use Royal Mail International tracked and signed - the Post Office counter will give you lots of advice re: Customs forms etc. for various parts of the world.
It’s a really good idea to send items using the ‘tracking options’ - Customs and local conditions can mean delays and it’s great for your customer to see exactly where his or her package is at any time during transit.
HOWEVER I’ve got a long list of mostly European destinations I no longer ship to - all listed in my shop announcement. It is simply not cost effective to send to some European countries at the moment, as there are tight packaging restrictions that are different for each country. (I’ve never had many European sales anyway so it wasn’t a big deal to lose them).
Post brexit the legislation re ‘sending goods to the EU’ was not well thought through and for most small businesses it has become too expensive and simply not worth the hassle.
Thanks for taking the time to reply Andy. It’s really interesting to hear the difference in how the US treat shipping costs compared to the UK. I’m definitely going to give it a try and hopefully I can get a sale!
Hi, Most people on here have advised against sending packages to the EU, so it’s clearly more hassle than it’s worth.
But I really appreciate the guidance on the US, I’d never even considered it until this week when I noticed I was getting a lot of US clicks. I really hope it will turn into sales! 
Thank you for taking the time to share your advice, I really appreciate it!
This is a really great thread with useful info thanks for asking @TownAbout I’ve got a similar question so hope you don’t mind if I tag it on the end here. When I used to sell at the other site they would take sales tax etc off is this something that we have to do on our own websites and such when shipping to the US or Canada? Basically are there any other charges etc US laws we should be aware of when sending to there??
I cover myself on most items Jessica @Loadofolbobbins by saying in the listing ‘International buyers are responsible for any additional local taxes and customs duty that may be applied in the destination country.’ Hope this helps.
@Loadofolbobbins for the USA sales tax has a state threshold and the seller or marketplace only has to collect and remit that sales tax if they reach the threshold (it varies from state to state). For a site such as Etsy they easily reach the threshold so have to deal with sales tax but Folksy haven’t reached the thresholds yet so don’t have to do that. My US customers have never had to pay anything extra in terms of tax.
For Canada the sales tax/ import tax/ other duties are collected and remitted by Canada Post (or courier) if the parcel is over the CAN$20 threshold. My Canadian customers get a card through the door telling them how much they need to pay and how to do it and once they have done it CanadaPost delivers their item. Because of the low threshold it is important to make sure you put the sales invoice on the outside of the parcel so that they can easily find out how much was paid and work out how much tax is payable. I always warn my canadian customers that there will be taxes to pay before I send an item to make sure that they are happy to pay it.
USA and Canada don’t have packaging laws.
Hey Jessica, so glad you’re finding it helpful too - it’s such a minefield. Loving your follow-up question as well 
Thanks so much for clearing that up for me @SashaGarrett that is probably the clearest explanation I have ever seen on this issue! Been searching for answers on this for a little bit, more fool me should have come to the Folksy forums with it sooner you lot are always spot on! 
Hi Sasha. That’s a very helpful post. Thank you! I just wonder how visible my listings are to American Folksy browsers. I’ve just decided to make my knitted pieces available to the US (by adding US postage costs in the hope that this makes them visible!) but time will tell!!!
Wow, your knitted items are gorgeous - if you’re aiming them at the US market then definitely add sizes in inches as well as metric, my experience is that very few US buyers know how big a centimetre is!
Hi I ship to the USA, my customers are happy to pay the high postage costs often qround £20 or more. I had an order recently where the postage cost was two thirds of the item cost.
I send my items tracked but not signed for unless requested as the system is different iver there and they often have to travel a long way to collect signed for items if they are not in at the time of delivery.
Also make sure your public and product liability insurance covers you for the US, I pay more for mine through craft cover, not all insurance policies will cover as standard.
As others have said you need an EORI number and tariff codes, I have noticed since I have been adding them to the CN22 label my parcels seem to have reached their destination quicker.