How small businesses in Israel can ship Amazon orders worldwide
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From handmade jewelry to niche tech accessories, Israel’s small businesses have become a hub for creativity and many are expanding beyond their borders to attract international customers. While Amazon’s platform allows you to reach customers worldwide, it also demands efficient order fulfillment, which is where Amazon Israel shipping logistics come into play.
At first, it can be daunting for an entrepreneur without a big logistics team to determine the best carriers, paperwork, and pricing structure.
This guide reviews the action steps Israeli sellers can take to ship orders internationally without giving up any money or customers.
Setting up for international fulfillment
It’s imperative for small businesses to have a clear order fulfillment approach before they start sending orders internationally, regardless of how many. Some sellers decide to ship orders themselves, having their goods packed and sent directly from Israel, but some opt to join Amazon’s fulfillment program in order to store their goods in closer proximity to the customers from overseas. In order to select the suitable model for the sellers, it is important for them to understand the basics of amazon israel shipping that will help them to decide on which model they should go.
Certain items such as fragile goods or oversized items may be better suited for self fulfillment with a trusted courier than bulk warehouse storage overseas.
Choosing your best shipping partners
There are many different courier services that Israeli small businesses can use to send packages to other countries, such as Israel Post’s international services, and the global giants DHL, FedEx and UPS.
There are differences in the strengths of each carrier, ranging from more expedient transit speeds (at higher costs) to lower costs (for lighter parcels). If you are a seller that ships often, you might want to check out bulk shipping rates and start negotiating volume discounts when orders start to come in.
In addition to price, reliability and tracking visibility are equally important as foreign customers need to know where their package is at all times.
Navigating customs paperwork
Cross border selling involves making customs declaration for each shipment. It is crucial that small businesses get familiar with HS codes and the correct value declarations as well as the destination country’s product specific restrictions.
One of the most frequent issues that lead to package delays at customs is missing or incorrect paperwork, so it’s best to create a simple checklist for each and every outbound order.
Some vendors do this automatically using Amazon’s shipping software or 3rd party logistics software that automatically generates the necessary paperwork.
Cost of goods to pricing: Shipping costs
An issue particular to small sellers is pricing products in a manner which would cover the international shipping and not deter buyers.
In some companies shipping cost is included in the price of the product and they use the free shipping as a marketing strategy, but in others, the shipping cost is added to the price of the product, depending on the destination.
It’s possible to test both strategies and determine which one is more appealing to the target audience. Additionally, be aware of any return costs and currency exchange fees when determining final costs.
The handling of returns and customer service
International returns are more complicated than domestic, and will frequently be more expensive and take longer to reach Israel.
By having up-front clear return policies, the expectations of customers are managed and disputes are minimized. Lower valued items may be better suited to partial refunds, which saves some sellers the trouble and expense of having to return the item.
Customer service is another key factor in retaining high ratings on Amazon, particularly for any delivery inquiries.
As the number of orders increases, the scaling up occurs
The needs for shipping will change as a small company becomes successful overseas. Things that work for 10 orders a month won’t always work for 100.
As volume grows, sellers should review their carrier agreements, explore outsourcing, and re-evaluate their efficiency and packaging.
Being proactive about these changes helps to avoid shipping from stalling growth.
Conclusion
Sending Amazon orders to the rest of the world is totally possible for small businesses in Israel, but planning around the carriers, customs, pricing and customer service is required.
Small sellers can compete on a worldwide level without getting lost in the logistics, making efficient processes a priority, and knowing the shipping needs of amazon israel.
International shipping is not a barrier to growth, but rather can be a growth engine with the right international shipping systems in place.