International shipping costs: Italian carrier rates explained

If you want to sell abroad and are looking for an answer to the question "how much does international shipping cost," you've just landed on the right article.

The cost of international shipping is, in fact, a compelling question for many companies that sell online and choose to ship abroad. But sometimes just asking the question is enough to put companies off entering global markets, causing them to miss out on an important growth opportunity.

To stop this doubt from holding you back before you even start, we've gathered accurate information on the costs and delivery methods for shipping abroad with every Italian carrier.

It's going to be a bit of a long journey, but a very interesting one: ready to set off?

Here are the topics we'll cover. If you're interested in one in particular, you can use the table of contents below to jump straight to that section.

• International shipping: what you need to know

  • The documentation you need to ship abroad

• Different countries, different customs: is one carrier enough?

• How much does international shipping cost

  • International shipping with Poste Italiane (Crono Internazionale)

  • International shipping with SDA

  • International shipping with BRT (Bartolini)

  • International shipping with FedEx

  • International shipping with UPS

  • International shipping with DHL Express

  • International shipping with TNT

• Sendcloud rates: tailored, flat, and scalable

International shipping: what you need to know

With almost a quarter of all orders worldwide expected to be purchased from a country other than the destination country, cross-border shopping is set to be one of the trends of 2022.

International shipping is nowadays a genuinely important opportunity to boost your ecommerce sales and grow your business. But costs and rates aren't the only things to consider.

If you're completely new to international shipping, it's really important to understand the documentation you need and what's required from a legal and/or administrative standpoint.

So, here's a handy summary! And if you want to, you can dig deeper into any of these topics through the dedicated article linked below.

The documentation you need

The shipping documents needed to ship abroad are different from those needed to ship within Italy's borders. They can take more time, but you can also streamline their creation with the right shipping software.

In particular, there are 3 terms you need to get familiar with:

CN22 and CN23 customs forms (and commercial invoice)

The CN22 and CN23 customs forms are documents required for shipping parcels outside the European Union. They contain information about the goods you're sending, such as:

This type of documentation is highly relevant when it comes to taxation, security, public health, and environmental protection.

Like commercial invoices, these forms allow customs authorities to decide whether or not to apply import duties on the goods you're sending.

HS code

Harmonized System (HS) codes provide a standardized naming system for describing shipped goods.

HS codes were introduced by the WCO (World Customs Organization) and simplify international shipping flows between different countries.

Customs officials are required to use HS codes to clear every parcel crossing international borders.

Try the free tool: HS code finder for your products

Incoterms

The term "Incoterms" is short for International Commercial Terms, the standardized international delivery terms.

They make it possible to interpret shipping and transport arrangements, including responsibility for costs, customs clearance, liability, and transport.

Incoterms are updated every ten years. New Incoterms were introduced in 2020. The previous ones are still valid, but it's always good practice to use the new Incoterms introduced in 2020.

Why choosing multiple carriers might be the right call

Different countries, different customs. There couldn't be a more fitting saying for this topic.

Indeed, shipping to the US isn't the same as shipping to China, and shipping within Europe isn't the same as shipping to the UK after Brexit or to Norway.

Strategic planning is always the best way to get a good return on your investment. So before diving headfirst into the numbers to answer your question "how much does international shipping cost," let's try to prepare you as best we can.

When it comes to ecommerce shipping, choosing the carrier best suited to your needs always plays a key role. For international shipping, the right choice might be to rely on and connect multiple carriers to your online store.

Indeed, let's try to answer these questions together:

What's the unit value of your products?

You can't say, unless you sell only one type of product.

How much are your customers willing to pay for shipping?

It will probably depend on the order value.

How long are your customers willing to wait to receive their orders?

It will depend on where your customers are.

What's your profit margin?

It depends on the season, the product, and any bundles or promotions. As you can see, unless you always sell just one single product, it's almost impossible to find a single shipping method (and cost) that satisfies all your customers and all your business goals.

For this reason, our advice is to rely on multiple carriers for shipping abroad.

How much does international shipping cost

If you've made it this far, we'll assume you now have a better understanding of what shipping abroad involves: so it's time to find out the international shipping costs of every Italian carrier!

From Poste Italiane (and SDA) to TNT, via FedEx, UPS, BRT and DHL, rates for shipping outside Italy and the European Union vary widely. And not only from carrier to carrier: the same carrier can also offer different costs depending on the weight of your parcels, the method, and the destination country.

The rates we show here are indicative and may vary depending on the agreements you make with the carrier, which we recommend contacting directly to request a free quote. As you can do with Sendcloud's international rates.

Crono Internazionale: Poste Italiane's international ecommerce rates

Ecommerce shipping with Poste Italiane can be done through several services; for shipping abroad there's the Crono Internazionale service. Let's look at the details.

• Parcels 0 – 5 Kg:

  • Zone 1 (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, UK, Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, mainland Spain) € 9,50 – € 14,75

  • Zone 2 (Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, mainland Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Hungary) € 17,00 – € 22,25

  • United Kingdom € 9,50 – € 16,25

  • United States € 18,75 – € 37,50

  • China € 37,75 – € 41,75

• Parcels 6 – 10 Kg:

  • Zone 1 € 15,00 – € 18,50

  • Zone 2 € 24,00 – € 29,50

  • United Kingdom € 16,25 – € 24,00

  • United States € 48,75 – € 71,25

  • China € 43,75 – € 46,75

• Parcels 11 – 15 Kg:

  • Zone 1 € 20,75 – € 22,25

  • Zone 2 € 32,75 – € 37,75

  • United Kingdom € 25,75 – € 28,50

  • United States € 48,75 – € 71,25

  • China € € 50,75 – € 58,50

• Parcels 16 – 20 Kg:

  • Zone 1 € 23,00 – € 25,25

  • Zone 2 € 39,00 – € 43,75

  • United Kingdom € 29,25 – € 32,00

Maximum weight: 30 Kg per parcel.
Maximum dimensions: maximum length 150 cm and the sum of the three sides not exceeding 225 cm.

Delivery times:

• Europe: 3 working days, in addition to the collection day (for some postcodes in Norway and Portugal, 3-5 days in addition to the collection day).

• Rest of the world: 3-5 working days, in addition to the collection day.

Additional services: insurance, Smart Alert (the merchant and the e-shopper are informed about the shipment status via a message sent by SMS and/or email), paper proof of delivery.

International shipping with SDA

If you were looking for SDA's international shipping costs, keep in mind that SDA is part of Poste Italiane, so you should refer to Crono Internazionale.

International shipping costs with BRT

BRT (Bartolini) also offers international shipping services, relying on two different networks — DPD Group and EuroExpress — for ground shipping within Europe, and FedEx for international air services (see the dedicated section).

Let's look at the international shipping costs from Italy with this carrier:

DPD Group:

• Indicative service costs by parcel weight:

  • Parcels up to 1 Kg: € 24,01

  • Parcels 1-5 Kg: € 25,00

  • Parcels 5-10 Kg: € 27,30

  • Parcels 10-20 Kg: € 32,78

  • Parcels 20-30 Kg: € 36,39

Maximum weight and shipment specifications: 31,5 Kg per parcel, 175 cm in length and 300 cm maximum overall size. Only 1 parcel per shipment.

Delivery times: 2 – 5 days, Europe only

Additional services: online proof of delivery, insurance, storage management, import service.

Other important information: the following are not available: cash-on-delivery shipments, freight collect, pallet shipments, PO box deliveries, appointment deliveries or hold-for-collection, and goods destined for trade fairs.

Euroexpress:

Rates for the Euroexpress European distribution service aren't available on BRT's website; however, it's a more expensive service than DPD Group, with wider shipping limits that also include multi-parcel shipments.

Maximum weight and shipment specifications: 50 Kg per parcel, maximum volume 2 cubic meters; 1000 Kg per pallet, height 180 cm, length 120 cm, width 120 cm. Multi-parcel shipments are allowed up to a maximum of 3000 Kg.

Delivery times: 2 – 3 days for Europe Zone 1 and 4 – 9 days for Zone 2 and outlying areas.

Additional services: proof of delivery, cash on delivery, freight collect, delivery to supermarkets, appointment delivery, insurance services.

FedEx International Connect Plus shipping costs

FedEx International Connect Plus is the new international shipping service dedicated to ecommerce businesses, with set delivery times and a fixed flat rate for shipments within Europe.

Let's summarize the costs based on parcel weight:

• FedEx International Connect Plus flat rate for Europe:

  • Parcels from 0,5 to 5 Kg: 48,28 € - 63,17 €

  • Parcels from 5,5 to 10 Kg: 57,67 € - 85,12 €

  • Parcels from 10,5 to 20 Kg: 73,35 € - 103,42 €

  • Parcels from 20,5 to 32 Kg: 90,76 € - 121, 11 €

• FedEx International Connect Plus rate for the rest of the world:

  • United States: parcels from 0,5 to 32 Kg: 44,38 € - 591,91 €

  • China: parcels from 0,5 to 32 Kg: 55,42 € - 703,69 €

Maximum weight: up to 32 Kg per parcel.

Delivery times:

• Europe: 1-4 days

• United States: 4 days

• Asia-Pacific: 3-5 days

Additional services: dangerous goods transport, electronic trade documents (ETD) upload option, hold-for-collection, shipments without the obligation to attach a commercial invoice, customs clearance services, delivery signature options, third-party billing, delivery address changes, out-of-area service, fuel surcharge, oversize surcharge, non-stackable parcel or pallet surcharge.

International shipping costs with UPS

UPS provides fast or cost-effective solutions for shipping abroad, whatever the size.

The "basic" option is UPS Standard, while for more urgent shipments you can choose UPS Express.

UPS Standard service costs:

• 10 Kg parcel:

  • Zone A 151,90 € (surcharge of € 6,70 per additional Kg)

  • Zone B 185,90 € (surcharge of € 22,90 per additional Kg)

  • Zone C 383,60 € (surcharge of € 36,20 per additional Kg)

  • Zone D 393,40 € (surcharge of € 26,20 per additional Kg).

Delivery times:

• Switzerland: next day;

• Nordic countries, Germany, France: 2 days;

• Rest of Europe: 3 or more days.

UPS Express service costs:

• 10 Kg parcel:

  • Europe: 66,15 - 271,10 € ;

  • United States: 326,85 €

  • China: 565,75 €

Maximum weight: up to 70 Kg per parcel.

Maximum size: 400 cm as the sum of length and girth, and the maximum length of parcels is 274 cm.

Parcels weighing more than 31,5 Kg for the United Kingdom and 25 Kg within the EU require a special "heavy parcel" label.

For parcels with a high size-to-weight ratio, a special calculation is required to determine the price and the volumetric weight.

These restrictions apply to individual parcels; there are no limits on the total weight of the shipment or the total number of parcels it can include.

Delivery times:

• Europe: next day by 10:30 am;

• United States: 2 days by 10:30 am;

• China: 3 or more days by 10:30 am.

Additional services: pickup on request, Saturday delivery, delivery confirmation, notification services, proof of delivery, cash on delivery, declared value for carriage, returns, consolidated shipping/customs clearance.

International shipping costs with DHL

DHL Express also offers solid alternatives for shipping abroad. Let's look at the best options for ecommerce shipments:

DHL Express Worldwide:

Door-to-door delivery by the end of the next business day after pickup, worldwide, for parcels up to 300 Kg and shipments up to 1.000 Kg.

• Service costs for parcels weighing 0,5 - 70 Kg:

  • Zone 1: 35,45 € - 629,16 €

  • Zone 2: 35,96 € - 661,03 €

  • United States: 62,31 € - 1.126,06 €

  • China: 107,74 € - 1.700,07 €

DHL Express 12:00:

Delivery by 12:00 pm on the first available business day. Parcels up to 70 Kg and shipments up to 300 Kg are allowed.

• Service costs: add € 11 per shipment.

DHL Express 9:00:

Door-to-door delivery by 9:00 am on the business day after pickup. The service is available to major business centers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas, and allows parcels up to 30 Kg and shipments up to 300 Kg.

• Service costs: add € 25 per shipment.

Additional services: duties and taxes paid, non-standard pickup and delivery, shipment preparation, Saturday delivery, insurance, extended liability, direct signature, Importer of Record (IOR), Residential Address, GoGreen Climate Neutral, packaging, billing to a different customer account, Neutral Delivery.

International shipping costs with TNT

TNT offers a wide range of international express services; let's look at the features and costs of the various options:

Express:

Delivery the next business day during office hours. Available for shipments worldwide.

• Service costs for parcels weighing 0,5 - 100 Kg:

  • Zone 1: 49,88 € - 330,86 €

  • Zone 2: 61,72 € - 1.352,59 €

  • United States: 95,94 € - 1.971,78 €

  • China: 102,76 € - 2.130,06 €

Maximum weight per parcel: 70 Kg,
maximum weight per shipment: 500 Kg.

9:00 Express:

Guaranteed delivery by 9:00 am on the next business day. Available for shipments to major cities in more than 40 countries.

• Service costs: add € 25 per shipment.

Maximum weight per parcel: 30 Kg,
maximum weight per shipment: 210 Kg.

10:00 Express:

Guaranteed delivery by 10:00 am on the next business day. Available for shipments to major cities in more than 45 countries.

Maximum weight per parcel: 30 Kg,

maximum weight per shipment: 210 Kg.

• Service costs: add € 20 per shipment.

12:00 Express:

Guaranteed delivery by 12:00 pm on the next business day. Available for shipments to major cities in more than 65 countries.

• Service costs: add € 10 per shipment.

Maximum weight per parcel: 70 Kg,
maximum weight per shipment: 500 Kg.

Additional services: insurance, Priority, POD (proof of delivery), hold-for-collection, ITLL.

Sendcloud's international shipping rates: tailored, scalable and cost-effective

Well, we've reached the end of this article. As promised, we've walked you through the international shipping costs of every Italian carrier.

That's a lot of numbers, right? Deciding won't be easy, but now you have all the information you need to make the best decision to grow your ecommerce business beyond Italy!

If none of the options above suit you, you can try Sendcloud's pre-negotiated international shipping rates. They're cost-effective, scalable rates tailored to your company's needs.