international sales opens your business to a much bigger customer base.
But there is one part of the customer journey that businesses often overlook,
Educating the customer about what happens after they click “Buy.”
A customer in Nigeria buying from a UK business, or a customer in France buying from Germany, may have very different expectations about delivery, customs, taxes and returns.
If those expectations aren’t managed upfront, a smooth sale can quickly become a frustrating delivery experience.
And here’s the thing, your customer doesn’t necessarily blame the courier.
They blame the business they bought from.
That is why customer education should be part of your international shipping strategy.
Here are seven things businesses should explain before sending a parcel across borders.
- Delivery times aren’t always guaranteed
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is treating an international delivery estimate as a promise.
A parcel might be expected to arrive in five working days, but several things can affect that timeline.
Customs inspections, weather, public holidays, airline capacity, port congestion, incorrect addresses and other operational issues can all cause delays.
This doesn’t mean businesses should avoid giving delivery estimates.
Instead, be clear about the difference between an estimated delivery time and a guaranteed delivery date.
For example, estimated delivery: 5–7 working days.
Customs clearance may affect delivery times.
That one sentence can prevent a lot of unnecessary customer frustration.
- Customs duties and taxes may apply
This is perhaps the most important conversation businesses need to have with international customers.
The amount a customer pays at checkout isn’t necessarily the only cost associated with receiving an international shipment.
Depending on the destination, product, value and import rules, the recipient may be responsible for customs duties, VAT/GST, handling fees or other charges.
The EU’s customs reforms are a good example of why this matters.
Since 1 July 2026, the EU has removed the €150 customs-duty exemption for low-value imports and introduced a temporary €3 customs duty for eligible consignments up to €150. (European Commission)
For businesses selling internationally, this means landed cost transparency is becoming increasingly important.
Customers should know whether duties and taxes are included in the price they pay or whether they may be asked to pay them when the parcel arrives.
Don’t leave them guessing.
- Explain what information you need from them
International shipping requires more than a name and a postcode.
Depending on the destination and carrier, businesses may need information such as:
- Full delivery address
- Phone number
- Email address
- Tax or identification number
- Importer information
- Correct product descriptions
If you’re selling internationally, make these requirements clear during checkout.
A missing phone number or incorrect address may seem like a small issue, but it can create a major delivery problem.
The easier you make it for customers to provide the right information, the easier you make it for everyone handling the shipment.
- Tell customers what they can’t ship
Not everything can legally or safely travel across borders.
Products such as certain batteries, medicines, chemicals, food products, plants, cosmetics and other restricted items may be subject to destination-specific rules.
And some products may be completely prohibited.
This is why businesses shouldn’t simply assume:
“If I can sell it, I can ship it.”
Those are two different questions.
Before accepting an international order, businesses should check the destination country’s restrictions and communicate any relevant limitations to customers.
This is particularly important for businesses selling products across multiple markets.
A product that can be shipped to France may not necessarily be treated the same way in the US, UK or Nigeria.
- Explain tracking and its limitations
Customers want to know where their parcel is.
And understandably so.
But international tracking isn’t always updated in real time.
A parcel can move between airlines, customs facilities, sorting centers and local delivery networks before the next tracking scan appears.
That means a tracking status such as “In transit” doesn’t necessarily mean the parcel is stuck.
Businesses should tell customers:
- Where they can track their shipment
- What the different tracking statuses mean
- When they should contact customer support
- What happens if tracking stops updating
Good tracking information doesn’t just reduce customer anxiety.
It reduces support tickets.
- Have a clear international returns policy
Returns become considerably more complicated when the customer is in another country.
Who pays for return shipping?
What happens to customs duties?
Where does the customer send the product?
How long will the refund take?
Could the customer be responsible for additional import or return charges?
These questions should be answered before the customer buys, not after they decide they want a refund.
Your international returns policy should be easy to find and written in language customers can actually understand.
Because “we’ll figure it out when you return it” isn’t a returns strategy.
- Explain the customer’s responsibilities
International shipping is a shared process.
The business, carrier, customs authorities and customer all have different responsibilities.
Customers may need to provide information, respond to customs requests, pay applicable charges or ensure someone is available to receive the shipment.
Make those responsibilities clear.
For example:
Your order may be subject to import duties or taxes determined by your country’s customs authority. These charges may be payable by the recipient unless otherwise stated at checkout.
Clear communication gives customers the opportunity to make informed decisions.
Customer education as logistics strategy
International shipping isn’t just about moving a parcel from one country to another.
It’s about managing the entire customer experience around that parcel.
Think about the journey:
Discover → Buy → Pay → Ship → Customs → Deliver → Receive → Return
Every step creates an opportunity for confusion.
And every unanswered question can become a customer complaint.
That’s why businesses should treat shipping information as part of their customer experience, not something hidden away in a terms and conditions page.
What should businesses do?
Before launching international shipping, create a simple International Shipping Guide for your customers.
It should answer:
- Where do you ship?
- How long will delivery take?
- How much does shipping cost?
- Are duties and taxes included?
- What products can’t you ship?
- How can customers track their order?
- What happens if there is a customs delay?
- How do international returns work?
The goal isn’t to overwhelm customers with customs terminology.
It’s to give them enough information to know what to expect.
Because the best international shipping experience isn’t necessarily the one where nothing goes wrong.
It’s the one where the customer knows what to expect when something does.
And this is where better shipping infrastructure matters.
Platforms like Pigee can help businesses simplify the operational side of international shipping, from comparing shipping options to understanding customs, duties and shipment requirements.
But technology is only half of the equation.
Businesses also need to communicate.
The more informed your customers are, the fewer surprises they encounter.
And fewer surprises mean fewer complaints, fewer abandoned purchases and a better experience for everyone.
If you’re selling internationally, don’t just ship the product.
Ship the information your customer needs to receive it confidently.
Your next customer could be thousands of miles away.
Make sure the journey is clear from the moment they click “Buy.”
Making international shipping easier for businesses
This is ultimately what Pigee is designed to solve.
International shipping shouldn’t require businesses to juggle multiple carriers, manually research every destination and constantly chase shipment updates.
Pigee brings the process together.
Businesses can use Pigee to:
- Compare shipping options
Access shipping options across different carriers and destinations, making it easier to find an option that fits the shipment.
- Prepare shipment information
Create and manage the information required to send international shipments, including commercial invoice details and product information.
- Understand customs and duties
Use Pigee’s Customs, Duties & Commodity Lookup to research commodity codes, duties and taxes before shipping.
- Track shipments
Keep visibility of shipments after they leave the business, giving businesses a better way to monitor deliveries and communicate with customers.
- Ship across borders
Whether you’re shipping UK → France, Germany → Nigeria, Malaysia → Singapore or Nigeria → USA, the goal is the same, make moving goods across borders simpler.
Create a free pigee account here
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