When you need to ship a package internationally, navigating the many variables that determine when your package will arrive can be a headache. Both FedEx and UPS have international shipping, and both companies are able to ship a customer’s package to 80% of the peopled globe within 48 hours. Certainly, sending parcels to distant locations will cost a fair amount of money, however, by following five simple recommendations, you or your company can meet shipping deadlines and even do so cheaply to most places worldwide.

1. Before your box even gets off the ground, it can be delayed if it is not applicable to be shipped. Be sure your package meets all regulations for legal shipping, or it will be returned or confiscated.

2. When you ship, you need to carefully consider each package’s address label. Various countries may have different ways of identifying where a package is headed for. Do not drop a box in the mail until you find the proper method for labeling it.

3. Weigh your packages. UPS and FedEx have 150lb. weight limits for most standard avenues of international shipping. One pound over is one pound too much. Such an oversight will easily lead to additional shipping costs (excessive to the customer) at the least, and possible nondelivery.

4. Determine your shipping method. It is true that UPS and FedEx can ship a product in as little as 48 hours to most places in the world, but the cost may be too high for most shippers to bear, especially on a regular basis. Keeping a map of shipping zones handy will help the shipper to determine how long standard international mail will take to arrive.

5. Use an appropriate package for shipping. When boxes arrive at a staging warehouse (the place where they are routed) damaged ones may be sifted out of the flow and assessed for continued shipping. In some cases, the shipper may shore up a broken box and continue it to its destination. In other cases, a bad box will be stopped in the shipping chain (most often leaky boxes are halted). Be certain that your box is strong enough to make the trip, else it is delayed or forever stopped.