Shipping to Sweden: the complete guide

Shipping your products to Sweden taps into one of Scandinavia's most promising growth markets. Here's what you need: why it's worth shipping there, which carriers to use, what it costs, how long delivery takes, and the customs and address details to get right.

Why it's worth shipping to Sweden

Sweden's e-commerce market is large and growing, with total online revenue running well into the billions of euros. Particularly interesting is the average revenue per user (ARPU), estimated at around €1,342, which is higher than in many larger European markets. In other words, there are attractive per-customer revenue opportunities you shouldn't miss.

The main carriers for shipping to Sweden

Our tip: for both domestic and international shipping, always work with more than one carrier, so you can pick the best fit for each shipment.

DHL

DHL is one of the most popular and reliable carriers, and DHL Express makes fast delivery to Sweden easy. General parcel limits: minimum 15 x 11 x 1 cm, maximum 120 x 60 x 60 cm, girth (L + 2×W + 2×H) up to 300 cm, and weight up to 30 kg (up to 31.5 kg with DHL Express).

UPS

UPS offers standard and express delivery to Sweden and handles larger, heavier goods well: length up to 274 cm, girth up to 400 cm, and weight up to 70 kg. Services range from UPS Standard and UPS Express to UPS Express Plus, UPS Express Saver, and UPS Worldwide Express Freight for B2B.

DPD

Include the carriers your customers prefer, and DPD belongs in the mix. Use standard (DPD Classic) or express. Parcel sizes range from XS (up to 35 cm) to XL (up to 300 cm girth), each up to 31.5 kg.

GLS

GLS gives you one of the densest shipping networks in Europe, with standard (EuroBusinessParcel) and express (EuroExpressParcel) options. Maximum dimensions are 200 x 80 x 60 cm with a girth up to 300 cm; weight up to 40 kg by standard, or up to 50 kg by express, ideal for heavier goods.

How much does shipping to Sweden cost?

Costs depend above all on the dimensions and weight of the parcel. Keep within the common international maximums of 120 x 60 x 60 cm and a girth of 300 cm; the maximum weight ranges from 20 to 70 kg depending on the carrier and service. Shipping with more than one carrier lets you pick whichever accepts your parcel's size and weight at the best price. Additional costs can come from:

• Extra shipping insurance

• Express shipping

• Add-ons like order tracking

• Carbon-neutral shipping

• Surcharges (for example during peak season)

• Date-specific delivery options

• Special packaging types

How long does delivery to Sweden take?

To leave a positive impression, make sure your parcel arrives as quickly as possible: nothing frustrates customers more than a long wait. European shoppers are generally willing to wait about four days for an order.

At first glance you shouldn't run into delivery-time problems, since every carrier meets the roughly four-day window shoppers tolerate. Still, it's worth considering express to be sure your parcel arrives quickly. Good news: our consumer research found that many shoppers are willing to pay extra for faster shipping, though more than a quarter of European consumers say they won't pay for shipping under any circumstances, so don't pass on the full express cost.

How does insured shipping to Sweden work?

We always stress how important it is that your parcels are adequately insured, because if a parcel is damaged or lost, you have to cover the cost and compensate your customer. Standard coverage by carrier:

Please note: although Sweden has been an EU member since the 1990s, it never joined the eurozone, so payment is in Swedish krona (SEK) rather than euros. Keep this in mind for your pricing.

If your goods exceed €750 in value, or you don't want to choose a carrier based on coverage alone, Sendcloud keeps you flexible: add extra shipping insurance in €100 steps up to €5,000, in a few clicks on one platform.

What to keep in mind for customs

Since Sweden has been an EU member since 1995, shipping there is much easier than to non-EU countries. You benefit from the free movement of goods within the EU, which means far fewer bureaucratic hurdles.

As you can see, the paperwork for Sweden is minimal, as it is for other EU countries. Even so, some goods are only tradable within the EU under restrictions:

• Medicines and controlled substances

• Cash (max. €10,000)

• Chemicals

• Dual-use goods (civilian and military)

• Cultural goods

• Counterfeit branded products

• Plants and plant products

• Media harmful to minors or unconstitutional content

• Weapons and explosives

What else to know about shipping to Sweden

Be aware of Swedish public holidays: on public holidays, carriers don't deliver and parcel shops are closed or close early, which delays orders, so factor them into your customer communication. Most Swedish holidays will be familiar, but two you may not know are Midsummer (late June) and the National Day (June 6).

Correct addressing is essential and differs slightly from what you may be used to. A typical Swedish address looks like this:

Ebba Nilsson
Rönnviksgatan 14
SE-213 74 MALMÖ
SWEDEN

Note the "SE-" country code before the postal code and city.

Selling to Sweden through online marketplaces

Marketplaces are an efficient, low-investment way to enter a new market. Amazon is available in Sweden, and there are plenty of alternatives worth considering as part of your omnichannel strategy, including Elgiganten, Zalando, Fyndiq, CDON, Fruugo, ShopAlike, Kelkoo, Tradera, Blocket, and PriceRunner. Marketplaces bring benefits like an existing marketing infrastructure, warehousing, an established shipping network, shared returns management, outsourced customer service, and financial processing. With Sendcloud's integrations you can connect popular marketplaces like Amazon, and the Sendcloud API opens the door to many more.

How Sendcloud helps you ship to Sweden

With the right preparation, Sweden is a promising destination full of high-spending online shoppers. Sendcloud supports your shipping there with flexible carriers, smart shipping rules, a personalized tracking experience, and your own returns portal. Ready to start shipping to Sweden? Get in touch with us.