Cross-border shipping from India looks intimidating from the outside. Customs, IGST refunds, DDU vs DDP, prohibited items, EAD codes — most D2C founders look at it once and back away.
It doesn't have to be hard. Here's a practical 101 we wish we'd had when we shipped our first international package.
The basic vocabulary
- DDP (Delivery Duty Paid) — you, the seller, pay all duties + taxes upfront. Customer sees one final price. Cleanest customer experience.
- DDU (Delivery Duty Unpaid) — customer pays duties on arrival. Cheaper for you, often a nasty surprise for them.
- HS Code — 6-8 digit international tariff code identifying your product. Required on every customs declaration.
- Commercial Invoice — separate doc from your tax invoice; declares value + HS code + origin to customs.
- EORI — for EU shipments; a tax registration number the consignee usually needs.
- IGST refund — you can claim back the IGST paid on exports (zero-rated supply under GST law).
Picking the right courier for the corridor
No single courier wins everywhere. We split corridors:
- USA, Canada — DHL Express, FedEx IP, Aramex. DHL has the best customs experience for India-origin.
- UK, EU — DHL Express or FedEx IP. Post-Brexit, the UK needs separate VAT handling.
- UAE, Saudi, GCC — Aramex (local champion), DHL.
- Australia, NZ — DHL or FedEx; long transit no matter who.
- SEA (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand) — DHL eCommerce or FedEx Economy.
- Africa, Latin America — DHL is usually the only viable option.
The pricing model
International freight is “chargeable weight” — the higher of actual weight or volumetric weight. Volumetric divisor for air is usually 5000 (LxWxH cm divided by 5000 = kg).
Sample DHL Express ex-Delhi to NYC:
- 0.5 kg — ₹2,800
- 1.0 kg — ₹3,900
- 2.0 kg — ₹5,400
- 5.0 kg — ₹10,200
Add fuel surcharge (~22%), customs clearance fee (~₹200), and any remote area surcharge if applicable. Then DDP duties on top — typically 15-30% of declared value for apparel/accessories.
The paperwork (less scary than it sounds)
- Commercial Invoice — required for every international shipment. Skyfleet auto-generates from the order details.
- Pro Forma Invoice — for samples or no-commercial-value items.
- Packing List — for > 1 box shipments.
- HS Code — must be on every line item. We maintain a category-to-HS-code mapping you can override.
- Country of Origin Certificate — for certain corridors (e.g. CEPA-eligible UAE).
IGST refund — don't leave this on the table
Exports are zero-rated. You can either:
- LUT (Letter of Undertaking) — file once a year, ship without paying IGST upfront. Simplest.
- Pay IGST, claim refund — pay 18% IGST on the export invoice, claim it back via ICEGATE. Cash flow drag of 30-60 days.
Most brands file an LUT. Takes 15 minutes on the GST portal.
Common mistakes we see
- Under-declaring value to save customs duty. Don't. Insurance won't cover loss; customs can seize.
- Wrong HS code. Causes clearance delays and sometimes triggers full inspection.
- Skipping pre-clearance for restricted items. Cosmetics, food, electronics, supplements all need destination-specific compliance.
- Using DDU to lowball the cart total. Customer gets a surprise duty bill on arrival, refuses to pay, package returns. You eat outbound + return freight.
Bottom line
International shipping from India is 80% paperwork, 20% logistics. The logistics part is solved (DHL, FedEx, Aramex all work). The paperwork part is what Skyfleet's international module automates — HS codes, commercial invoices, LUT compliance, duty estimation. If you can ship domestic, you can ship international.
