Shipping overseas is a necessity  in today’s global economy. The Internet makes it easy from someone in Hoboken, NJ to sell something to Hamburg, Germany. However, it is important to know what you can and cannot ship to specific destinations. Did you know that if you sent a playing card to someone in Germany using the United States Postal Service there is a good chance it will never get to the recipient? “Playing cards, except in complete decks properly wrapped” are prohibited commodities! See the excerpt from the International Mail Manual (IMM) here.

Get very comfortable with the IMM and the country restrictions. It may save you from having your shipments confiscated and dealing with unhappy recipients.

Here is an list of some interesting prohibited items & their destination countries:

• France – Feeding bottles, Measuring instruments marked in units not complying with French law
• Italy – Toys not made wholly of wood, Leather goods, Footwear of any kind, Clocks and supplies for clocks.
• Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Horror comics and matrices, Switchblade knives

Note: Most countries have restrictions against importing medications, so be careful and research this properly before shipping.

Although the shipping industry depends on the safe transportation of both parcels and freight, items are inevitably damaged, stolen, or lost from time to time. Many organizations and individuals now trust the insurance of their shipments to Shipsurance. Shipping insurance with carriers can cost 90 percent more than choosing Shipsurance, even without many of the company’s other benefits. As a result, Shipsurance has established itself as a leader in its field. Shipsurance works with clients on a claim-by-claim basis and uses a paperless claims management system to ensure timeliness. Most Shipsurance claims are resolved within five business days, and the company is always available to field questions or provide additional information. Shipsurance also ensures that integrating its software into a business’ existing systems—even custom-built systems—can be achieved quickly and easily through a single API call. Moreover, Shipsurance offers both report-based and flat-rate coverage. Shipsurance clients can choose to determine their rates either by reporting the value of the items shipped, or they can pay a fixed monthly fee that covers all shipments. Shipsurance can even increase the speed with which claims are filed under flat-rate coverage. Shipsurance can be found on the web at www.shipsurance.com. Through the website, occasional shippers can insure single parcels immediately; regular shippers can learn more about rates and options and contact the company through live chat or email.