International Shipping From Australia: What Ecommerce Sellers Need to Know

Selling to customers overseas can open your business up to a much larger market, but international shipping involves a few more steps than sending a parcel within Australia. Your shipment needs to cross borders, clear customs, and meet the import requirements of its destination, which means factoring in more than just the courier and the delivery price: customs paperwork, duties and taxes, and packaging that can handle the extra distance.

The good news is that once you understand the process, it becomes straightforward to manage. Here's how international shipping works, and what Australian businesses should know before sending their first parcel overseas.

What Is International Shipping and Why Does It Matter?

International shipping is the process of moving goods from one country to another. For an ecommerce seller, that means fulfilling a customer's order across borders, which introduces customs requirements, duties, taxes and tariffs that simply don’t come into play with domestic orders.

In a global market, offering international shipping is no longer just an added benefit, for many ecommerce businesses, it's becoming part of staying competitive. Australia Post's own research found that 40% of Australian ecommerce businesses already sell internationally, while another 40% plan to expand overseas within the next two to five years.

For businesses yet to make the move, knowledge remains a significant barrier, with 63% citing a lack of understanding of international markets as a key challenge. Learning how international shipping works can help businesses approach overseas expansion with greater confidence. Sellers who incorporate international delivery into their wider shipping strategy can put themselves in a stronger position to reach new customers and support future growth.

How Do I Ship Internationally From Australia?

To ship internationally from Australia, you need to package and measure your parcel, choose an international courier, provide the required customs information, decide how duties and taxes will be handled, and correctly label your shipment for collection.

Before your first international order goes out the door, there are five things worth understanding.

• Customs documentation: Every international parcel needs accurate customs documentation, including a commercial invoice containing detailed product descriptions, HS codes, country of origin and reason for export. Depending on the destination or goods being shipped, additional documents such as certificates of origin or special licences may also be required.
• Product packaging and labeling: For most international shipments, a sturdy double-wall corrugated box provides reliable protection throughout transit.
• Courier selection: Not every courier suits every parcel. The right choice depends on speed, budget, product type and how much customs support the courier offers.
• Duties and taxes: International shipments may be subject to duties and taxes on arrival, depending on the destination, value and type of goods being shipped.
• Tracking and communication: Once your parcel is in transit, visibility matters. Automated tracking tools and branded tracking portals keep customers updated at each stage, helping you build a better relationship with them and improving the overall post-purchase experience Good communication builds trust and cuts down on those "where is my order" (WISMO) enquiries.

Nine International Shipping Tips to Get It Right

1. Pack for the Distance

International parcels can pass through multiple handling points, so sturdy packaging matters. A double-wall corrugated cardboard box is a reliable choice for protecting most goods in transit.

• Cushion your item with padding on all sides to prevent movement and absorb knocks along the way.
• Avoid overfilling the box, as bulging or warped sides can affect the parcel’s final measurements.
• Measure and weigh your parcel once it is fully packed and sealed. Measure the widest points, including any excess packaging, and round dimensions up to the nearest centimetre and weight up to the next 0.5 kilograms.
• Keep the outside of the box neat, with no loose tape or packaging sticking out, as conveyor belt scanners automatically measure and charge based on the parcel's largest dimensions.
• Take photos of the packed parcel with a measuring tape showing each dimension, and a photo of it on the scale showing the weight, both matching the figures you've recorded, so you have evidence to dispute the charge if a courier records different measurements.

Oddly shaped items need a bit more thought. Items such as guitars, golf bags and suitcases can be difficult to measure accurately in their original cases, which may lead to measurement discrepancies and additional courier charges. Pack items like these inside a sturdy cardboard box before shipping. This provides a more consistent shape for accurate measurements, helps avoid additional handling fees, and gives your shipping label a secure surface to stick to, reducing the risk of it coming loose in transit. A cardboard box also provides better protection as the parcel moves through courier sorting systems and conveyors.

If you’re sending more than one box, don’t strap or tape them together to create a single parcel. Each box must travel as an individual parcel and have its own shipping label.

When booking multiple parcels under the same order, particularly where weights or dimensions differ, make sure the correct label is attached to the corresponding parcel.

Our packaging dos and don'ts guide covers the full details.

2. Get Your Commercial Invoice Right

A commercial invoice is the customs document that lists what is in your parcel, its value and where it came from, and every field needs to be specific. Inaccurate or incomplete information can lead to customs delays, additional charges or the shipment being returned.

• Country of origin
• Your name and address, and the recipient's
• A detailed description of each item
• Quantity and weight
• The value of each item
• The HS code for each item
• Your reason for export
• Any identification or tax number your destination requires

Booking through Interparcel generates this for you as part of the process. You add your product details and HS code for each item, select why you are exporting it, enter the identification number your destination requires, and choose whether duties are paid by you or your customer. The invoice is then created automatically as a downloadable PDF. Our guide to filling out a commercial invoice walks through each field in detail if you want to see exactly what is expected before you book.

3. Choose the Right International Courier

The right courier for you comes down to your priorities for that shipment: how fast you need it there, your budget, what you’re sending and where it’s going. Comparing a few options helps you find the best fit each time rather than defaulting to the same courier for every parcel.

Courier	Strengths	Best For
UPS	Broad international coverage, express services and customs support.	Urgent or time-sensitive international parcels.
FedEx	International Priority and Economy options, customs clearance support and detailed tracking.	Businesses comparing faster express services with more economical options.
DHL	Express delivery across 220+ countries and territories, end-to-end tracking and extensive customs support.	Express shipments requiring broad international reach.
DHL Ecommerce	Economy international shipping at competitive rates, with final mile delivery handled by local postal partners.	Businesses prioritising affordability over delivery speed.
Asendia	Cost-effective international ecommerce services for shipments where speed is not the main priority.	Businesses prioritising shipping costs over express delivery speeds.

Interparcel gives you access to 19+ couriers, so it is worth comparing more than one option for your destination and choosing the service that best suits your business needs. Our comparison of the best international shipping services breaks a few more options down in detail.

4. Check Your Transit Cover

Most parcel delivery services booked with Interparcel include a basic transit warranty of up to $100. Services requiring a signature on delivery include this $100 cover automatically, with additional transit warranty available if you need a higher level of cover. ATL (authority to leave) deliveries and prohibited items are excluded from cover entirely, and restricted items are only covered for loss, not damage.

Before you book, check our prohibited and restricted items guide to confirm your item can be shipped within our network and see what cover applies if it falls under a restricted category.

5. Know the Customs Rules

Each destination has its own rules about what can and cannot cross its border, and these differ from country to country. Checking the destination requirements before you ship can help prevent delays, rejected shipments or potential penalties.

If you're sending goods valued at more than AUD $2,000, you'll also need to report the shipment to the Australian Border Force using an Export Declaration before it leaves Australia.

Customs clearance is part of every international shipment. The information you provide must satisfy the export requirements of the origin country and the import requirements of the destination. Accurate customs information helps minimise unnecessary delays.

6. Understand Duties and Taxes

International shipments may be subject to duties and taxes when they arrive in the destination country. With DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid), these are charged to your customer when the parcel arrives. With DDP (Delivered Duty Paid), the sender covers applicable duties and taxes, helping give the customer greater visibility over the total landed cost. Our DDU vs DDP guide explains the difference in more detail and what each option means for your business.

Duties, taxes and customs requirements vary considerably by destination and can change over time, so keeping up with the markets you ship to is important.

For businesses shipping to the European Union, our guides to the 2026 EU customs changes, PPWR packaging requirements, and ICS2 explain some of the latest requirements. If the United States is one of your markets, you can also read our guide to recent US tariff changes.

7. Set Realistic Delivery Expectations

International transit times vary considerably depending on the destination, courier and service selected, with express services generally arriving faster than economy options. Keep customers informed with automated email and SMS notifications at each step, and consider showing live shipping rates at checkout so expected delivery timeframes are clear before they complete their purchase.

8. Choose the Right International Shipping Pricing Strategy

There are plenty of shipping pricing strategies to choose from: free shipping, flat rate shipping, live rates at checkout, minimum order thresholds, seasonal promotions. Each approach can affect your margins, conversion rates and customer experience differently, so the right mix will depend on your business and average order value. Our guide to free shipping strategies is worth a look if you want to work through the options in more detail.

9. Use Tools to Speed Up Fulfilment

Manual fulfilment does not scale, especially once your order volume climbs during peak periods like Black Friday or the Christmas rush. Automation takes the repetitive work out of international shipping: comparing courier rates, choosing the right courier for each destination, picking the most cost-effective box size, and giving customers a tracking experience that carries your branding.

The less time your team spends on repetitive admin, the more capacity you have to handle a surge in orders without it turning into a bottleneck. Tools such as Interparcel's Shipping Manager, Rule Manager, Smart Boxing and Branded Tracking can help automate these repetitive tasks as international order volumes grow.

Importing Stock into Australia

While this guide focuses mainly on sending orders from Australia to overseas customers, businesses importing stock into Australia also need to consider a separate set of customs, biosecurity and import requirements. Our complete guide to importing goods into Australia walks through what is involved, from customs clearance to the paperwork you will need.

Why Interparcel for International Shipping

Interparcel brings these parts of the process together, giving businesses access to multiple courier services, automated commercial invoices, live shipping rates, branded tracking and fulfilment tools from one dashboard with no subscription fees and no lock-in contracts.

Ready to see your international shipping options? Get an instant quote to compare available courier services and rates for your next shipment. For businesses looking for a more tailored shipping strategy, our shipping experts are also available to help.

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