Postage to Germany from the UK: Online Sellers’ top picks

When it comes to e-commerce, one of the most important things that you need to pay attention to is postage or shipping. This is key if you sell physical goods, as shipping is the process that takes it from your warehouse to the customer’s agreed-upon pick-up location.

According to a survey by Bizrate Insights, the decision by a consumer to click the buy button on an e-commerce site, many times, comes down to the logistics operations of the retailer. A shocking 44% of online shoppers have abandoned shopping carts because the goods they were seeking to buy would not arrive on time. Another 20% abandoned an order because they were not clear about the delivery date. Getting purchases delivered early is of paramount importance to many consumers, which is why 28% of online shoppers are willing to pay for Express shipping to get their products faster. Another 30% preferred to order same-day delivery items from an e-commerce store, rather than wait for a few days.¹

The story that all these statistics tell us is simple, your logistics and delivery system is particularly important if you're going to succeed in the e-commerce game. In this article, we’ll take a look at how to send items from the UK to Germany, as well as some of the top couriers that online sellers have picked. This article will also cover ways to save on international payments using Wise Business so that your overhead cost remains low and you can enjoy maximum profit.

What to Keep in Mind?

When sending a parcel from the UK to another country within the EU, there are only a few restrictions, and the processes quite straight forward. This section of the article will cover everything you need to know and keep in mind as you ship your products from the UK to Germany.

The first question you're probably wondering is if you have to pay duties and tax when shipping from the UK to Germany. The answer is no. Because the UK and Germany are both EU members, goods circulating within the EU are classified as “in free circulation” which means that your parcels are not subject to customs clearance. Your packages can travel between countries in the EU without the customs invoice and the receiver does not have to pay any import duty to receive their goods. This may change after Brexit, but currently you are free to ship.

When it comes to restrictions on international postage, there are two things to be aware of. The first is courier restrictions. Courier restrictions are prohibitions on what you can send via courier and what you cannot send. Country import restrictions and prohibitions determine what you cannot import to a specific country and what you can. When sending a parcel to Germany from the UK it is important that you pay attention to both the courier and Country import restrictions so as to avoid your goods getting seized or returned.

Some of the items that you cannot send via courier include:²

● Hazardous items that are flammable, corrosive, or combustible. These include many household cleaning products such as bleach.

● Tobacco and alcohol

● Aerosols, nail varnish, and perfumes as well as some deodorants

● Furs and animal skins

● Money and other negotiable items.

Most couriers would screen every personal and extra luggages before exporting them from the UK to determine that they did not contain any prohibited or dangerous goods. Therefore, it is important that you check with your courier to ensure that there are no restrictions on the kind of goods that you are selling.

Even though you don't have to worry about customs clearance or delays, you still have to ensure that the product you are selling is allowed to be imported into Germany. Some of the goods that are prohibited from being imported into Germany include:

● All products that contain the biocide dimethyl fumarate (DMF)

● Any printed material or media, such as films Audio, CD, DVD, and cases that contain propaganda of a violent or aggressive nature, as well as materials that encourage aggressiveness towards free democratic ordinances and establishments.

● Asbestos fibers such as Crocidolite, Amosite, Anthophyllite, Actinolite, Tremolite are subject to the Rotterdam Convention.

● Goods that bear false origin statements, infringe on copyrights or trademarks are also prohibited.

Goods that are restricted from being imported into Germany include:

● Animal carcasses or products, birds, bees, and honey.

● Asbestos

● Furs, Hair, and Wool

● Hops and hops Products.

You can find a complete list of all the products that are restricted or prohibited from being imported into Germany here.

What Couriers can I use?

When you want to send a parcel from the UK to Germany, you’ll need a reliable courier. But which ones should you use? Let's take a look at the top 3 that you can use to send your package from the UK to Germany and their price ranges. When selecting a courier, you will want to pay attention to how long delivery will take, where the pickup service will be (do they offer door-to-door delivery services), how your shipment will be tracked (it's best if you choose real-time shipment tracking).

How to save money on your sales?

As an e-commerce seller that is selling to the international market, receiving or making payments in foreign currencies can be quite expensive. Most major payment gateways charge a lot of fees on their transfers. In addition, they usually charge a hidden markup on their exchange rate, such that you end up paying more than you otherwise would at the mid-market exchange rate.

With Wise, you can save money on sales using our self-service business account that allows you to receive payments at the mid market rate. Wise provides you with an all-in-one platform for receiving money for free.

You can easily set up a Wise business account and even hold money in multiple currencies. And when you want to convert and receive money in your bank account, you are charged a small transparent fee on upfront.

Another way that Wise helps you save money is with their currency conversion. Wise exchanges currency at the mid-market rate, which is what you’ll see on Google or any other online currency converter which means that you’ll end up getting more for the money that you convert.

Start saving today with Wise