Shipping Internationally with SmartParcel

When shipping international orders in 3PL Warehouse Manager, there are settings you must configure prior to shipment and international data you must define for the shipping carriers. This article guides you through configuring those settings and capturing that data.

Before proceeding, please be aware that this process requires you to have SmartParcel enabled for your account and the necessary customs information present on the orders you are shipping.

Skip Ahead: Use the following links to skip to the relevant guidelines below.

• Step 1: Configure international SmartParcel settings
• Step 2: Confirm items are fully configured
• Step 3: Review delivery options and print shipping label
• Step 4: Print international documents (optional)

Step 1: Configure international SmartParcel settings

1. Navigate to Customers > SmartParcel Settings.
   
2. Select the appropriate customer from the drop-down menu.
3. Under the 'SmartParcel International' section, specify the 'International Duty Bill Type'. This field defines the party responsible for paying taxes and duties on any international order sent from the specified customer. Select one of the following options from the drop-down menu:
   • Bill Sender: the shipper pays the taxes and duties
   • Bill Recipient: the recipient pays the taxes and duties
     
4. Click Save.

Step 2: Confirm items are fully configured

1. Navigate to Items > Manage Items.
   
2. Select the appropriate 'Customer' from the drop-down menu.
3. Select a relevant item from the grid, then click Edit.
4. Under Items > Description, ensure accurate values exist for 'Product Cost' and 'Item Description'. If not, enter them now.
   
5. Under Items > Shipping Documentation, ensure each field is completed as necessary.
   
6. If you made changes, click Save.
7. Repeat Steps 3–6 for each item being shipped internationally for the specified customer.

Step 3: Review delivery options and print shipping label

There are two international delivery options that must be specified for the commercial invoice that is sent to customs. The majority of shippers electronically file this information so that the invoice is sent to customs before the shipment arrives.

Please note that if you do not specify values for the fields below, the system defaults your selections to 'Treat as Abandoned' and 'Merchandise'.

1. Open an international order in SmartParcel from the Find Orders page.
2. Under the 'Options' tab, locate the 'International' section.
3. For 'International Non-Delivery', specify the action a shipping carrier should take if they can't deliver an order to the specified recipient. Choose from the following options:
   • Treat as Abandoned: leave the package in the most secure location at the specified address (defaults to this option if no selection is made)
   • Return to Sender: return the package to the shipping facility or the defined return address (see Configuring Return Labels for more information)
4. For 'International Content Type', identify the contents of an order. If no selection is made, the system defaults to Merchandise.
5. Print your shipping label.

Step 4: Print international documents (optional)

If you don't send this information electronically via the shipping carrier, you must print the commercial invoice from 3PL Warehouse Manager to manually include in the package.

There are two options for generating the commercial invoice, each of which depends on the 'Label Format' you specify when printing a shipping label with SmartParcel:

1. Print using ZPL. Once you print the label, select the order(s) from the Find Orders grid, then click SmartParcel > Recreate Int'l Documents.
   
   This opens a separate tab within 3PL Warehouse Manager that displays a grid and a link to download the commercial invoice for each order needed.
2. Print using PDF. Once you click Print, both the invoice and shipping label generate as a PDF on your device.

Once you print the commercial invoice, place it inside your package during the packing process.

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