For our full interview, check it out by clicking here.
Diana Zheng - Head of Marketing
Toni Morgado - Business Development Manager, PostNL
PostNL is an expert in international shipping, being around the industry for 200 years mainly servicing Europe where their main sorting facility is located.
They provide online sellers with low-cost postage and fast international shipping delivery times, such as their Spring Direct service.
We summarized the conversation between Toni and Diana about topics like IOSS, final mile delivery, international shipping tips, and the difference between tracked and untracked postage.
Learn more about what PostNL has to offer to a Canadian eCommerce seller like you by reading below.
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The international shipping company launched its service to Great Britain and Australia called Spring Direct, which offers commercial and postal solutions. They will receive your shipment, get them to the destination country, and once it’s cleared by the customs, it will be delivered by the local postal services, like Royal Mail for the UK and Australia Post.
With this are the following advantages you can get by shipping with Spring Direct:
The process of final mile delivery starts with who’s taking care of your package until it gets delivered to the receiver’s doorstep.
Most of PostNL’s materials are delivered at their main post office in the Netherlands, where it’s consolidated and goes to the postal operators. This, however, is when the country’s local post office does the final mile delivery of the shipment.
They have tapped 190 post offices across the globe for contractual agreements. This way, they are able to drop off the shipments for final mile delivery.
It’s highly crucial to provide the necessary contact details on the shipment label. Personal information such as telephone number, email, and complete address must be included, as some shipping duties and taxes are to be paid by buyers.
This makes it more accessible for the local post office to reach out to the recipient either via email or telephone/mobile number to easily determine the package details and exact value to be paid, minus the surprises. That way, it makes the process more efficient and in return, customers will have a good delivery experience.
IOSS, also known as Import One Stop Shop, came into effect last July 1, 2021, when EU countries lowered their threshold for import goods coming from non-EU countries, whereas prior to that, there was a 20-year threshold.
The system works when goods entering the EU from outside countries are under assessment for duties and taxes despite their declared value.
Once the duties and taxes have been collected through an IOSS program, the marketplace will be given a 10-digit number with formatting that starts with ‘IM’ (e.g., IM0123456789). By including it on the package, you’ll receive a label with an IOSS number embedded in the shipment.
This will show the receiving country that duties and taxes have already been collected, so once it gets to the specific EU country, the shipment is already cleared at customs and will make the transit times much faster once it gets into the country of destination.
Friendly tip: It is highly encouraged not to write your IOSS number outside your label for security purposes. One’s IOSS number is available only through the marketplaces, and revealing your personal data will only cause privacy concerns.
For untracked postage, shipping updates can only be checked once it arrives at the country of destination. It is also referred to as a ‘semi-tracked’ package.
Meanwhile, for tracked postage, the visibility can be seen from end-to-end with details that will help you navigate the shipment's journey. While it may be leaning towards the pricier side than the previously mentioned option, it is guaranteed that you will get the most out of it with the complete tracking events you will receive.
Please note there will be 12 scanning events for tracked packages and only 5 for untracked packages. With that said, you must still consider the value and preferred type of postage your customer wants despite the availability of both options.
In this discussion, we addressed the questions our customer support team curated by answering them in our coffee chat. This will bring clarity to our eCommerce clients as we break down complex questions into simplified answers.
Our team looks forward to more educational videos featuring industry experts in the logistics field, so tell us more about who you want to see next! Don’t hesitate to send your suggestions as we look into creating more content like this to educate our Canadian eCommerce community!
Leave us a message at [email protected] or call our toll-free line at 877-863-7447 and our client support will be more than happy to attend them.
*Note: PostNL service is only available in the Region of Ontario
Diana leads the growth marketing initiatives at Stallion Express. As a personal trainer turned digital marketer, Diana is obsessed with equipping eCommerce entrepreneurs with everything they need to scale their online businesses. You can catch her doing yoga or hitting the tennis courts in her spare time.
Read all posts written by Diana Zheng
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