International Shipping Guides
Plain-English answers to the questions that come up before, during, and after you send a parcel abroad
Last reviewed on October 31, 2026.
Customs forms
CN22, CN23, and the commercial invoice — what each is for, when to use which, and how to fill them in without triggering a customs hold.
Prohibited items
What you cannot ship internationally, what gets restricted by carrier or destination, and the categories where people most often get caught out.
Dimensional weight
Why a light, bulky parcel can cost more than a small heavy one — how DIM weight is calculated and the divisor each carrier uses.
Duties and taxes
How import duty, VAT, and handling fees stack up at the border, and how the de minimis threshold decides whether anything is owed at all.
Flat rate vs weight-based
When USPS Priority Mail International flat-rate boxes beat weight-based pricing — and when they don't.
Shipping insurance
What's included by default with each carrier, when buying additional coverage actually makes sense, and how claims tend to play out.
How long shipping takes
Realistic transit times by carrier and service, why customs is the real wildcard, and how to estimate when a package will actually arrive.
How long international mail takes
Transit times for letters, postcards and documents by route, why letter post runs slower than parcels, and when to pay for a courier instead.
DHL international delivery times
Express Worldwide, 12:00, 10:30, and 9:00 transit times by destination, plus what the money-back guarantee excludes.
USPS international delivery times
Priority Mail Express International, Priority Mail International, and First-Class Package windows, plus which lanes are suspended.
UPS international delivery times
Worldwide Express, Saver, Expedited, and Standard by destination, plus what the guarantee covers.
Shipping to the U.S. from abroad
Duty now that the $800 allowance is suspended, who pays, and how post and courier differ.
Package stuck in customs
What each tracking status means, why parcels are held, and what to do next.
International shipping rates
What drives the price — zones, billable weight, surcharges — plus reference cost tables and how to find the cheapest carrier.
Prohibited items by carrier
Every carrier publishes its own prohibited and restricted list, and they don't match. Start with the universal list, then check the specific carrier you plan to use.
🚫 Universal list
What no carrier will ship, plus country-specific bans.
FedEx
Prohibited items & the nine dangerous-goods classes.
FedEx dangerous goods
The nine hazard classes and how country acceptance works.
DHL
Global bans plus DHL's by-country restrictions.
UPS
Prohibited articles and contract-only restricted goods.
USPS
Non-mailable matter — stricter than the express carriers.
By destination
Country-level import bans in each country guide.
By topic area
Paperwork
Pricing and packaging
What can and can't go
Where shipments most often run into trouble
The recurring pain points are not exotic. Most stuck or returned parcels trace back to a small list of mistakes:
- Misdeclared customs forms — vague descriptions like "gift" or undervalued contents. See the customs forms guide.
- Restricted items shipped without realizing — lithium batteries, perfumes, and food items in particular. See prohibited items.
- Surprise duty bills at delivery — recipients refuse the parcel when the duty exceeds expectations. The duties and taxes guide walks through how to estimate this in advance.
- Bulky, light packaging that is priced as heavy — see dimensional weight.
- Missing IOSS or VAT collection for EU/UK e-commerce shipments — see the relevant EU and UK country guides.