How does international shipping work?

Selling internationally doesn’t mean adding a second operation. Your inventory stays in one place, your orders come in through the same integration, and the appropriate carrier is selected for each destination. The changes are mainly in the details.

One inventory, more destinations

You don't have to set up a warehouse or find a partner in every country. Everything is shipped from the same central operation, which means your inventory isn't scattered across locations where you don't actually need it. That saves on both inventory value and makes it easier to keep track of things.

The carrier by country

In Belgium, Cenfil works directly with bpost, the national carrier with the densest network of pickup locations. For other destinations, we assess what works best there. A package to Germany requires a different approach than a package to France or Denmark.

Delivery times vary by country

An order shipped to Belgium usually arrives faster than one that has to travel farther. Be honest about this on your website and show what’s realistic for each country, rather than making a single promise for all of Europe. An unmet expectation will cost you more than just an extra day of delivery time.

Returns follow the same process

This is the point that is most often underestimated. If you sell in multiple countries, your returns will also come from multiple countries. If those returns aren’t handled through the same operation, your return flow becomes fragmented, and at some point, you’ll lose track of where everything is. Within the same supply chain, a return simply goes back to its original location.

Customs Administration

For shipments outside the European Union, there’s an additional administrative step: customs clearance, the required documentation, and the payment of VAT and import duties. Cenfil handles that part for you, so you don’t have to deal with customs for each shipment yourself.

The information you provide forms the basis for that administrative process: a clear description, the value, and a product code for each item. If that information is included in your product data, the rest can be handled largely automatically. If it’s missing, the shipment will be held until it’s provided.

If you sell to multiple countries outside the EU, please discuss this during the intake. Each destination has its own thresholds and rules, and you’ll want to know what to expect before the first order comes in.

Start before you need to

Most online stores don’t set up their international logistics until orders are already coming in, at which point they run up against their own capacity limits. Setting up a scalable infrastructure early on costs very little extra and prevents your growth from being slowed down by warehouse space or manual labor.

Packaging Matters More Over Long Distances

A package sent abroad is more likely to be mishandled and travels a greater distance. Packaging that’s just adequate in the Netherlands may sometimes be a bit too small there. When sending your first international shipments, make sure the packaging is still appropriate, especially for fragile or heavy items.

What You Need to Take Care of Yourself

Language, payment methods, pricing, and customer service remain under your control. The logistics behind the scenes don’t have to change every time you add a new country, and that’s exactly the point of having a single, centralized operation.