Whether you’re running a business, moving house, sending a gift or selling some of your old stuff on an e-Commerce site like eBay, one day you may find yourself having to ship more niche items overseas. For example, bikes, car parts, exercise equipment, appliances or musical instruments. Depending on the size and shape of these products you may need to carefully consider how you’re going to send these.

This can feel like a quite a task given that many of these items can’t just be popped in a box and taken down to your local post office. But the good news is, thanks to technology and the growing number of sophisticated courier services, shipping overseas can actually be really simple.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at how you can properly package and send niche items overseas to make sure they reach their destination safely.

Be sure to package them up carefully

When things are fragile, have small breakable parts or simple don’t fit in your generic postage boxes, you might need to get creative with your packaging. Make sure that you wrap everything properly and very carefully so that it doesn’t get damaged during the shipping process and be sure to mark anything that’s breakable as ‘fragile’. This way the courier knows to be extra cautious with it when handling.

Cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, cable ties and packing peanuts can all be useful when it comes to packaging up niche or difficult items, so be sure you have plenty of materials to effectively wrap everything you’re sending.

Do your research

Before you send anything overseas, you need to make sure there are no restrictions or hidden charges for shipping your particular items to the chosen country. To give you a better idea of what we mean, below are some of the stranger shipping prohibitions and restrictions from around the world that you may not have heard of:

• Pairs of shoes cannot be imported into South Africa, Mexico or India
• Kinder Eggs are banned in the US and trying to send these in could cost you a $2,500 per egg!
• You cannot send car horns into Saudi Arabia
• The import of wheelbarrows is banned in Nigeria
• You are not allowed to ship plastic toys into Italy (only wooden ones)
• It’s illegal to import babies feeding bottles into Venezuela
• You cannot send fashion magazines over to Iran

 While these restrictions may not affect you directly, it’s worth noting that every country has different rules and regulations. As such, it pays to do a bit of research beforehand so you can make sure your item will definitely be able to reach its destination.

You may also find in some cases that you need to fill in certain paperwork or obtain customs documentation before sending. So make sure you’ve covered all basis and that you’ve done everything you need to do before you finally send the parcel. This way you won’t face complications later on.

Consider the best option for you

Often the weight of the parcel will have some baring on the type of delivery service you choose, as will the time-frame in which you want it to arrive. Usually, if you want items to arrive quicker you’ll have to pay more and choose a courier service that can guarantee faster delivery times.

The best thing to do is plan backwards. Work out when you need the item to arrive by and then work from there. Services such as Royal Mail, Parcel Force and DHL all offer international shipping, but these can differ in price, size of the item and time to arrive. Many courier services allow you to drop off your parcel at your nearest Post Office or their local depot.

But for more reassurance you can also choose a courier service that offers door-to-door drop off. They come to your home or chosen location to collect the parcel and then travel to the appropriate destination and deliver the parcel in person to the correct address.

Most courier services will also offer tracked delivery so you can keep tabs on where your parcel is. This will help you to get a better idea of how long it’s going to take to arrive and also where it is in the world at any one time. It also means if your parcel is delayed or perhaps even lost you can track it down more easily.

Overall, the best thing to do is to shop around and look at all your options. Visit courier websites or call them directly if you need more information. Once you’ve compiled a list of potential delivery service providers, you can weigh up the cost and time-frame to choose the best option for you. Don’t rush into making a decision or you could regret it later.

Decide whether you need parcel insurance

Depending on the nature of your niche items and how much they are worth, you might want to consider insuring your parcel. Some couriers will offer you the chance to add insurance as part of their service. For example, Royal Mail and Parcel Force both offer international compensation for your packages. But if your chosen courier doesn’t provide this protection, there are plenty of other insurance providers out there that can offer you cover and give you peace of mind.

It might cost you a little extra, but it can be worth every penny should something happen to your parcel. If it is broken in transit or lost, you’ll be thankful you spent that little bit more to cover you and ensure you get your money back on that item.

Book your courier slot

Finally, once you’ve chosen your courier and sorted your insurance, you need to book in your delivery and ensure all the details are correct. You might also need to book a collection slot if you’re using a door-to-door service provider. At this stage, you can also select your online tracking and you’ll be provided with a reference number. If you’re dropping your item at the local depot or post office be sure to obtain proof of postage, this will often come with your tracking number on it.