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Ecommerce Fulfilment - Shipping from Germany to the UK
Shipping Cost from Germany to the UK
Apart from their bilateral relations, Germany and the United Kingdom have several affiliations. According to Statista, they’re Europe’s first and second-largest economies, with a GDP of 3.57 and 2.52 trillion Euros, respectively.
They’re also each other’s biggest European trading partners, as over 17% of the UK’s imports come from Germany as of 2022. On the other hand, Germany’s imports from the UK increased by over 23% in the same year.
Both nations are systemically important to each other’s economies, especially as several thousands of packages travel between them daily.
So, how much does it cost to send parcels from Germany to the UK?
That depends on the third-party logistics company you ask. Nevertheless, since Brexit, more paperwork is needed for shipping between both countries, increasing shipping costs. But with an international logistics partner like Bezos, you can ship from London to Munich, Berlin to Bristol, and anywhere between Germany and the UK for a fraction of the price.
Bezos transforms a previously daunting task into a seamless experience as our benefits also increase the competitive advantage of eCommerce brands and businesses.
Why spend exorbitant shipping fees and VAT for mediocre services when you can save costs and scale your business with Bezos? Whether you’re an experienced exporter, merchant, medium-sized eCommerce business or an individual with several packages to ship, Bezos has customised offerings for everyone. Request a free quote today to ship happiness from Germany to the UK.
Key Points
- In light of Brexit and since January 2021, packages from Germany with a UK destination are subject to customs and duty fees. This has increased the cost of shipping between both countries. High shipping costs discourage a purchase for consumers, and for businesses, it reduces sales.
- According to Global Trade Magazine, the UK and Germany ship the most parcels in Europe. Therefore, since Brexit, individuals and businesses in both countries are estimated to spend the most on shipping costs.
- While increasing, the cost of shipping items from Germany to the United Kingdom may still vary from tens to hundreds or thousands of pounds, depending on your full-service fulfilment partner and other factors.
- Nevertheless, with Bezos’ UK and EU fulfilment centres, your overhead costs flatten, and you get more value for your money. This is because we offer many innovative solutions, including everything from order picking to packaging, warehousing, dispatch and delivery.
With such robust offerings, individuals, merchants and eCommerce businesses get more value-added services but mitigate their Germany-to-UK shipping costs. But first, here’s what you need to know when shipping from Germany to the UK.
What shipping entails
Shipping in logistics involves the physical movement of merchandise from a retailer, warehouse or manufacturer to the receiver or customer. While several important steps in the eCommerce supply chain lead up to shipping, shipping has become the determining metric when vying for customer loyalty. This is because it directly influences the customer experience of your eCommerce company.
Hence, before we delve into shipping costs, we should understand all the intricacies of the shipping process and the key players involved. This way, you’ll have an in-depth knowledge of Bezos’ offerings.
The shipping process
The eCommerce supply chain’s shipping process involves everything from order placement by a consumer to delivery. This process can be split into three stages that impact the speed and accuracy of the order’s fulfilment, and they include the following;
- Order reception
- Order processing
- Order fulfilment.
- Order reception
As an eCommerce brand, once a customer makes an order, and you receive it, the first step would be confirming if said order is in stock before you begin processing it. This is where you’ll communicate with your supplier or manufacturer to either purchase the stock or get it to a warehouse. However, if you’re working with a 3PL company, you can send the inventory to their fulfilment centre.
As a small, medium or large eCommerce brand, managing your orders in this stage of the eCommerce supply chain can be daunting without an order management system. This is why some businesses integrate their online sales channels with inventory management platforms. But with Bezos, we do this for you. Here’s what we offer.
What we offer
Bezos can help your business at all supply chain stages. For instance, we can ship and receive orders from you or your supplier in Germany. We will warehouse these orders in any of our 63 fulfilment centres. More precisely, we will receive them in our Germany-based fulfilment centre before it’s shipped to our UK fulfilment centre. In addition, through our Bezos Seller Portal, which is easily integrable with about 57 sales channels like Amazon, Etsy, eBay, etc., you can view and manage all orders coming into your business and process them with us via this same Seller Portal. This portal also lets you seamlessly track your inventory and its fulfilment progress. Speak to our experts now to get started!
- Order processing
The order processing stage of shipping involves verifying data like shipping and billing addresses. It also involves verifying that said order is in stock, retrieving it from storage, inspecting, assembling, disinfecting, labelling and repackaging it. A fulfilment partner can do all this, but most of these steps can be achieved with automation.
What we offer
Bezos treats order processing like a human treats a beloved pet. We take great pride in processing the order as soon as it arrives at our fulfilment centre. We do this to ensure your Germany-to-UK order is delivered to the final consumer within 48 hours. Once we receive said order, we inspect and register it before it’s moved to storage. Depending on the order’s priority, we’ll retrieve it from storage, label and then repackage it for delivery.
As an AI-enabled fulfilment partner, Bezos applies advanced machine learning technologies to automate the order processing stage of the eCommerce supply chain. These advanced technologies fast-track the process, and on the other hand, our Seller Portal sends updates on the processing status in real time to you and your customers.
- Order fulfilment
Once the order has been processed, it is time for its fulfilment to commence. Order fulfilment involves:
- Retrieving said order from storage
- Repackaging
- Labelling – before it’s shipped to the final consumer.
With different order fulfilment models like dropshipping, self-fulfilment or third-party logistics (3PL) available to merchants and eCommerce businesses, choosing the right model is imperative to the business’ growth. For instance, a 3PL partner handles all shipping and order fulfilment processes while a dropshipper does not. Hence, weighing the pros and cons of each model can help you grasp the ideal model for your unique business scenario.
What we offer
Bezos offers inbound and outbound fulfilment solutions involving picking, warehousing, packing, shipping and delivery. Our 63 fulfilment centres handle every fulfilment stage as the order travels from Germany to the UK. With these comprehensive solutions rooted in AI technologies, we can help you automate your order fulfilment, save shipping costs and guarantee timely deliveries of all orders. The best part is that you can see the order as it travels through each shipping stage via our Seller Portal. As an added benefit, we go the extra mile during the repackaging stage to ensure your customers get a snap-worthy unboxing experience.
With this knowledge of the intricacies of shipping, we can advance to the factors that affect shipping costs.
Factors that influence shipping costs
Shipping takes most of the expenses of running an eCommerce business. From third-party logistics providers to courier services, a lot of money goes into each stage of order fulfilment, but shipping takes more than half of that. So, what influences the cost of shipping an item from Germany to the UK? Lots of factors. From shipment size to quantity and travelled distance, several factors determine how much you pay in shipping fees. By understanding these factors, people can gain more insight into how their shipping costs are calculated. Said factors include the following:
- Shipping distance and destination
- Package dimensions
- Mode of transport
- Shipping speed/delivery time
- Customs and duties
- Surcharges.
- Shipping distance and destination
Regardless of the type of shipment, whether domestic or international, distance and destination are major determinants of one’s shipping fees. Ideally, the farther away the receiving location is from the source, the greater the travelled distance and hence, the higher the shipment costs are.
Carriers and fulfilment providers often use dynamic geographic zones to get an accurate estimate of the distance one’s shipment needs to travel to get to its destination. Nevertheless, irrespective of if you’re sending the order from a remote city in Germany to another remote town in the UK, Bezos will offer you the lowest shipping costs. We can offer the best rates because of our fulfilment centres in the UK and Germany. Thus, we’ll handle every stage of the fulfilment process while ensuring efficiency.
- Package dimensions
It’s a no-brainer that the larger the package, the higher the shipping costs. So, dimensions like volume, weight and size come in. 3PL companies typically use dimensional weight (DIM) to determine an inventory’s shipping costs. DIM weight is the amount of space the package occupies in relation to its actual weight. So, if the package you intend to ship is large, bulky or takes up a lot of space, you’re susceptible to higher shipping costs per billable weight.
- Mode of transport
There are diverse ways to transport goods, commodities and cargo, and they involve different modes of transportation, including:
- Air, as in air freight
- Land, as in full truckload freight or less than truckload freight
- Sea, as in ocean freight
- Rail, as in intermodal rail freight.
Each method is affiliated with different types of stock and influences the overhead shipping costs. Air freight is known to be more expensive in terms of shipping costs than land, ocean and rail freight. Hence, depending on the retailer or eCommerce brand’s preferred freight shipping service, the shipping cost could either increase or reduce.
At Bezos, we offer innovative land and ocean freight solutions to Germany-based clients who wish to ship to the United Kingdom. Either way has proven to be the safest and most secure mode of freight between both countries. Also, we can flatline the shipping costs better than other fulfilment companies with this method.
- Shipping speed/delivery time
The speed at which the shipment reaches its destination influences the shipping costs. Several carriers may offer same and next-day deliveries for individuals, merchants and eCommerce businesses shipping from Germany to the UK. However, the shipping speed can determine the transportation mode used. Nevertheless, faster shipping speeds and shorter delivery times warrant higher shipping costs.
At Bezos, once the inventory is in the UK, we can offer any of our 10+ delivery options that range from free next-day delivery to standard delivery, green delivery, same-day delivery and paid next-day delivery, etc. Each Bezos delivery option has its eligibility requirement and price point. However, we have options that cost £0.00. Sign up with Bezos and start saving now!
- Customs and duties
International shipments from Germany to the UK might be subjected to customs and duty fees. Although separate from shipping costs, these fees are a consequence of shipping and might be added to the shipping costs or paid separately. The exact amount of customs, taxes and duties differ from one carrier to the next.
At Bezos, we have your best interest at heart, as our fulfilment services aren’t synonymous with customs or duty fees. Nevertheless, on the rare occasion you’re charged either fee when shipping from Germany to the UK, you are guaranteed the lowest rates possible.
- Surcharges
Asides from customs, taxes and duty fees, your Germany to UK shipping cost may be high because of surcharges. Surcharges are extra costs added to the base shipping rate because of one inconvenience or another. For instance, import shipments from Germany to the UK may attract ancillary fees if said shipment requires more paperwork. Depending on your logistics partner, surcharges are added to account for delivery expenses incurred by the courier service. Other types of surcharges cover the following expenses;
- Fuel - due to the fluctuating price of petroleum.
- Address correction - If your carrier has to work with updated address information.
- Weekend deliveries - If the carrier has to deliver on weekends or work overtime on shipping.
- Odd-sized packages - If the package is cylindrical or non-stackable, you’ll be charged handling surcharges.
- Remote territories - If the package is to be delivered to a remote location.
- Dangerous goods - If the shipment is risky to a person or other shipments.
If you choose Bezos as your full-service fulfilment provider, you won’t have to worry about these surcharges or their impact on shipping costs.
Germany to UK shipping costs with Bezos
With a robust set of order fulfilment solutions, Bezos guarantees you the lowest shipping costs regardless of factors like surcharges and type of freight. We can help your eCommerce business save up to 80% on international orders between Germany and the UK.
Our prices include many services from fulfilment to storage, value-added services and our monthly software subscription, which automates the fulfilment process. With the customisable offerings above, it can cost a meagre £149 per month to ship from Germany to the UK with Bezos. On the other hand, assuming you’re shipping an order with a £70 value that weighs 2kg with a next-day delivery clause, you’re likely to spend an average of £9.03 on shipping said order from Germany to the UK with Bezos. For comparison, competitors like UPS charge almost €14 for the same parcel.
We’re more affordable than the competition and offer more fulfilment solutions. To kickstart your brand’s Germany-to-UK expansion and increase savings, speak to our experts now!
Conclusion
High shipping costs discourage consumers from making online purchases, and Germany-to-UK shipping can be expensive and stressful if you’re doing it yourself or using an incompetent fulfilment partner. While several factors like duties and surcharges can influence shipping costs, Bezos absolves you of those expenses via our robust yet affordable shipping solutions available at all stages of the eCommerce supply chain. With us as your fulfilment provider, you can send packages from Germany to the UK for as little as £140 a month. Reach out to us to start saving!
FAQs
How long is shipping from Germany to the UK?
With Bezos, parcel deliveries from Germany to the UK are done quickly and can take anywhere from 1 to 2 days. However, we also have a same-day delivery option.
Can Germany ship to the UK?
Of course. Although customs and duties may apply if you’re self-fulfilling or using another 3PL provider to ship from Germany to the UK.
Who pays for shipping costs?
The consumer or receiver usually pays shipping and other affiliated taxes or duty fees. The receiver can pay either the merchant or eCommerce brand the shipping fees. However, if the latter is the case, the brand will relinquish said fees to the courier service.
