I’m trying to get my head around sorting out international postage, and I’ve got a couple of questions. I’d like to post everywhere except the EU. The US is straightforward, and I think I’m going to put a shop announcement saying that the rest of the world can just get in touch for a price. But, how does that actually work? I mean, does someone from a country without a postage option actually have the ability to buy from the shop? So, if someone from, say, Australia wants to buy something, and contacts me for a price - can they then actually buy it through the listing page, or do I have to somehow do it manually, myself, not through Folksy? Does that make sense? Because I know (I think) Folksy calculates the tax etc, and I wouldn’t know how to do that.
Also, can anyone point me towards a decent template for commercial invoices? I’ve been following the Folksy blog post (link below) to selling overseas after Brexit, and there’s a link to a template there, but it doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Is there a more up-to-date guide I should be following?
I sell everywhere except for the EU as I can’t get my head around that one and believe it costs us to ship. I have a note in my announcement
Saying I dont ship to the EU.
I just have postage values on my items for sale for UK, US and elsewhere, I think my everywhere else is the same as US. I have left EU blank but apparantly people can still buy from us so we would need to refund and cancel any orders that come from the EU. Not an ideal situation, I would hate to have to do that but there’s no other way on Folksy.
This way if someone from Australia wants to buy from you the postage will be added on as set in your everywhere else postage box exactly the same as someone buying from the US.
I always send a refund if I overcharge on postage.
@Bearlescent Ah ok, that would work. I was just put off doing that after reading the thread a while ago where somebody had a customer from Austria (I think it was), and had to cancel and refund the order. I’ll do my best to make it loud and clear that I can’t post to the EU.
From the Folksy guide I posted above, I gathered we have to attach three copies of a commercial invoice (with your EORI number etc) in a document pouch to the outside of the parcel, to help it get through customs without additional charges. Is this not essential then? Or is it enough to use the Folksy receipt, or maybe a Paypal invoice?
I might be wrong but I thought the 3 invoices were just for the Eu, one of the things that put me off, all I do is attach form CN22 to the package and fingers crossed so far all have been ok. Perhaps Sasha Garret may be able to advise on that one as she know all about the postage. Sorry I’m on my phone at minute and it won’t let me tag her.
I do put my EORI number at the top of the cn22 label and add the numbers for the item type in the box on the label (mind gone blank can’t think what it’s called lol )
If you’re sending via Royal Mail, you don’t need to attach a commercial invoice unless the order is over £270. You just need to stick a CN22 customs form on the outside of the parcel.
If you do need a commercial invoice (I do add 1 (just 1, not 3) to the back of the parcel when sending to the EU) you can just print the order form from Folksy and attach that to the back of the parcel in a clear plastic wallet.
I do wonder how I’m going to be able to stick all this to my large letter parcels. The boxes aren’t very big, only 16 x 11cm - a RM address label takes up the whole front of it. If I do want to add a commercial invoice in a wallet on the back then I’ll need to shrink the CN22 and address label right down so they can both fit on the front.
If I upgrade to bigger boxes just to accommodate all the labels then the jewellery will be lost in there, which customers don’t tend to like either. Any tips from other sellers of jewellery or small items?
I don’t currently post internationally any more but when I did, I put even the smallest items into a box or envelope that would fit all the labels on the front. Partly to make it easier for postal workers (or robots) to scan them and partly because rightly or wrongly I felt that a larger package would be harder to lose!
I just downloaded a CN22 form for a proper look, and I see now they say it has to be that size and can’t be shrunk down. Looks like I’ll need to invest in bigger boxes then.
I stick my CN22 on the back due to lack of space on the front (I’m also sending jewellery) and have never had an issue. It is preferred for it to go on the front but after a discussion with RM customer service they admitted it can go on the back.
Invoice gets shrunk down to a5 size then folded up into a small plastic wallet so it and the CN22 are about the same size and fit on the back (but only just), postage label goes on the front. Because I’m sending using RM international tracked service the barcode is part of the postage label so on the front of the package, if you are using the non tracked post services then the CN22 needs to have a barcode which makes it bigger.
If you do your postage via RM’s Click and Collect, you can fill in all the CN22 detail there and when you go to print your postage, the CN22 is created too (and everything is shared electronically). Download the file as a PDF and then shrink it to 75% and print (double sided uses less paper!). Once cut out, I find that the postage and CN22 fit onto my smallest large letter boxes (16 x 11cm) with room for the Air Mail sticker.
As Ali said, unless you have an overvalue order, there’s absolutely no need to stick anything else on when you use RM, so you should be fine
Ok, thanks everyone. I’d rather leave off the plastic wallet and be able to use the boxes I have, rather than having to invest in (and store) even more packaging. I hadn’t even considered airmail stickers! What a minefield it all is!
Some of my items are C5 sized and I buy my postage labels through RM C&D. Holding the item in portrait mode, I stick the portrait 6”x4” postage label on the front top left, I stick the portrait 6”x4” CN22 form below it over the bottom of the postage label and fold it on to the back (so only the top half of the CN22 is on the front) Then the A4 invoice (which I only attach for EU orders) is folded into 4 and put in a plastic wallet on the back. It all fits on fine. I don’t stick on an airmail sticker, they’re not required if you buy your postage online
