How to Ship to Europe: A Detailed Guide for eCommerce Merchants

European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany provide a robust market for eCommerce merchants with a large volume of packages shipped to Europe from the US every day.

The European eCommerce market is projected to generate over $390 million in revenue in 2020, with fashion the leading segment. This provides ample opportunity for eCommerce merchants to expand their customer base, and grow profits. But in order to gain a strong foothold in the European market, business owners need to understand how eCommerce shipping trends have changed.

Today, many customers have come to expect free or cheap shipping.

A smart shipping strategy can make the difference between a successful sale and an abandoned cart. Therefore, it’s crucial to implement shipping strategies that will offer the fastest delivery times and the cheapest shipping options from the US to Europe.

But how can merchants achieve that?

This is where Easyship can help. We have helped many online sellers find the best solution shipping to Europe, and can help you too. Our shipping rates calculator simplifies the process of determining the most cost-effective and efficient options for shipping packages to Europe, assuring customers remain satisfied and improving the bottom line.

What to Know About Shipping to Europe

Europe is a large and sprawling zone. Shipping times and costs will depend on the specific country you are shipping to within the Eurozone.

Three main factors will determine the cost of shipping to Europe:

• The size and weight of the package
• The destination of the package
• How fast the package needs to arrive.

Although Europe has excellent transport links, the shipping time will largely depend on the destination country. With expedited courier services, a package can arrive in 1-3 business days from the USA. It may take anywhere between 10-16 business days when send parcels with economy delivery services.

Shipping to Europe with UPS, USPS, and FedEx

UPS, USPS, and FedEx offer various international services shipping to Europe from the USA. Whether seeking the cheapest shipping options or expedited shipping, discover service and budget with these major couriers to suit your business objectives.

Here are the services offered by each of these couriers for shipping to Europe.

FedEx Parcel Delivery Services to Europe

FedEx offers the following services:

• FedEx International Priority: Packages delivered within 2 business days upon booking of the shipment.
• FedEx International First: Parcels arrive within 2 business days upon booking of the shipment
• FedEx International Economy: packages take up to 4 days upon booking of the shipment

UPS Parcel Delivery Services to Europe

UPS provides these three services:

• UPS Expedited: your customers will receive the goods within 3 days upon booking of the shipment
• UPS Saver: Packages will arrive within 24 hours upon booking of the shipment
• UPS Express: just in a day, your shoppers will receive their items

USPS Parcel Delivery Services to Europe

USPS provides the following services:

• USPS Priority Mail International: packages are delivered within 8 days upon booking of the shipment
• USPS Priority Mail Express International: it takes up to 4 days upon booking the shipment for your customers to receive their packages

DHL Parcel Delivery Services to Europe

• DHL Express Worldwide: packages are delivered within 2 days upon booking of the shipment

What’s the Cheapest Way to Ship from the USA?

An eCommerce merchant in the USA shipping packages to customers in Europe needs to ensure they offer the most affordable options to remain competitive.

Using a shipping rate calculator provides an efficient overview of the rates charged by different couriers and third-party agents, assisting in finding the cheapest way to ship from the USA.

Make sure to take time comparing different services offered by the various shipping companies, as well as the shipping times attached to each service.

Also, don't forget to compare other value-added services like free weekend deliveries, free packing, free drop-off, package tracking, and any other essential options offered that will streamline your experience.

Here is an estimated cost for shipping a 10in x 5in x 5in 5lb package from Brooklyn, New York, to Berlin, Germany with DHL, UPS, USPS, and FedEx.

USPS Shipping Cost to Europe

• USPS Priority Mail International $63.25 in 8 days
• USPS Priority Mail Express International: $81.95 in 4 days

UPS Shipping Cost to Europe

• UPS Expedited: $184.15 in 3 days
• UPS Saver: $196.84 in 1 day
• UPS Express: $199.99 in 1 day
• UPS Worldwide Express Plus: $204.89 in 1 day

FedEx Shipping Cost to Europe

• FedEx International Priority: $201.00 in 2 days
• FedEx International First: $249.64 in 2 days
• FedEx International Economy: $184.59 in 4 days

DHL Shipping Cost to Europe

• DHL Express Worldwide: $59.59 in 2 days

5 Tips and Mistakes to Consider When Shipping to Europe From the USA

Liaising with the best couriers and landing the best shipping deals is a must-do to ensure successful shipping to Europe.

But that is not all that is there to do. To gain a foothold into the European marketplace, there are specific shipping tips you need to implement and a few key mistakes to avoid.

They include:

1. Understand customs, taxes, and duties: Make sure to research and understand the customs requirements and regulations for each country. Duties and taxes may also apply when importing certain products to Europe. So make sure to decide who should pay for these – you or your customer.

1. Beware of differences between certain EU countries: In most instances, additional documentation is not required when shipping to Europe. But a few locations such as The Channel Islands, Andorra, San Marino, the Vatican, Gibraltar, and The Canary Islands are technically within the EU that require extra documentation.
2. Address packages correctly:  Address packages by selecting the name of the specific country you are shipping to, for example, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, England. Check the recipient's address to avoid errors and delays in package delivery.
3. Beware of shipping restriction: Europe has a list of restricted items that can’t be shipped in the zone. Be aware of the rules regulating what can and can't be shipped to Europe. Though this will vary from country to country, take time to ensure that all shipments comply with the destination country's laws.
4. Covid-19: Countries in the Eurozone have implemented various regulations and restrictions in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic. This has affected international shipping, forcing some couriers to suspend certain shipping routes and services. Be aware of the COVID-19 restrictions in different countries to avoid unnecessary delays when shipping to Europe.

Shipping a Package to Europe with Easyship

To help manage the costs and hassles of international shipping to Europe, a well-established and well-connected shipping partner like Easyship can streamline the shipping experience and lower shipping costs.

There are several advantages of using Easyship.

Using Easyship to ship parcels to Europe connects eCommerce merchants to the best-discounted shipping rates, helping to cut costs and widen profit margins.

The Easyship platform eliminates all the headaches by generating automatically filled customs forms. In addition, the shipping rates calculator in our platform makes it simple to compare our discounted rates with over 250+ couriers to see how much is saved when accessing the major courier services.

Here is pricing estimated from different couriers when sending a 10in x 5in x 5in 5lb package from Brooklyn, New York, to Berlin, Germany through Easyship.

DHL Time and Cost of Delivery Estimate to Europe

• DHL Express Worldwide: $57.06 in 1-2 working days

USPS Time and Cost of Delivery Estimate to Europe

• USPS Priority Mail Express International: $80.26 in 3-5 working days

APC Time and Cost of Delivery Estimate to Europe

• ParcelConnect Expedited: $54.87 in 10-15 working days
• ParcelConnect ePMEI: 58.53 in 10-15 working days

How Easyship Can Help

The way shipping is handled can make or break an eCommerce business. Finding the best way to ship packages to Europe will help you stay ahead of the competition, attract more potential customers, and widen profit margins.

Easyship is committed to simplifying international shipping to Europe with over 550+ fast and cost-effective courier services.

Sign up for a free Easyship account now and take advantage of our shipping tools to turbocharge shipping to Europe.

Shipping to Europe FAQ

How long is standard shipping from the US to Europe?

Shipping may take anywhere from 10 to 16 business days for standard shipping.

Why is shipping to Europe so expensive?

Your shipping cost may be impacted by fuel surcharges, duties and taxes, and other factors like such.

Looking for more shipping tips and guides? Here are some other blog posts you may enjoy:

• The Guide to International Shipping
• What’s the Cheapest Way to Ship Shoes?
• How To Deal With Shipping Delays (and Keep Your Customers Happy)