Delivery & Returns
Cross-border shipping
Customs/HS codes + duty handled automatically
In one sentence
What it is
Automatic handling of customs codes and duty at checkout for international orders, so a shopper buying from abroad sees the true landed cost up front rather than a surprise customs bill on the doorstep.
How it works
What it does
When a product is sold into a market outside its home country, the platform applies the correct customs/HS classification and calculates the applicable duty and tax as part of checkout, drawing on the product data pipeline where compliance codes are attached to each SKU. The shopper sees one true total at checkout — landed cost including duty, not just the product price — rather than discovering an additional charge when the parcel is intercepted by customs. The brand doesn't maintain country-by-country duty tables manually; classification and rate handling run centrally, with market-specific configuration where local rules require it.
The problem it solves
Why it matters
For the brand
Selling cross-border without accurate duty handling means either eating unexpected costs, or shoppers being hit with a customs bill after the fact — both of which damage trust and drive returns, refused parcels and chargebacks. Manually maintaining duty tables per country doesn't scale as new markets are added.
For their customers
Ordering from an international brand and then being asked to pay an unexpected customs charge to receive the parcel is one of the most trust-damaging experiences in ecommerce — it feels like being charged twice for the same order.
For shoppers
How it benefits shoppers
- See the true total cost, including duty, before paying — no shock bill when the parcel arrives.
- Confidence to buy from an international brand without navigating customs rules themselves.
- Fewer delayed or refused parcels caused by incorrect or missing customs paperwork.
- The same straightforward checkout experience regardless of which country the order ships to.
For the brand
How it benefits the brand
Removes the single biggest source of trust failure in cross-border ecommerce
International order refusal / return rate
Accurate landed cost at checkout reduces cross-border cart abandonment
International checkout conversion
New markets can be opened without manually building duty logic per country
Time to launch a new market
Correct classification reduces customs delays and compliance risk
Customs clearance time, compliance incidents
In practice
What it looks like
- 1
A shopper in a different country adds an item to their basket on the brand's site.
- 2
At checkout, duty and tax are calculated automatically for their destination and added to the total.
- 3
They see one final landed cost and pay it in full at checkout — nothing further is owed on delivery.
- 4
The parcel ships with the correct customs paperwork already attached, clearing without delay.
Where it lands hardest
Strong use cases by industry vertical
Health & nutrition
Particularly important given how heavily regulated supplement ingredients are across borders — correct classification avoids the parcel being held at customs.
Beauty & personal care
Cosmetics regulation varies significantly by market, making accurate classification and compliance data essential for smooth cross-border trade.
Food, drink & FMCG
One of the most complex categories for cross-border compliance given ingredient and food-safety restrictions by market; correct data upstream matters enormously here.
Pet care
Some pet food ingredients face import restrictions in certain markets, making accurate classification a genuine trade-enabler, not just a cost calculation.
Fashion & apparel
A strong fit for growing international fashion brands, where clear landed cost is often the deciding factor in whether an overseas shopper completes checkout.
Luxury & premium
Essential — international shoppers of luxury goods are especially sensitive to unexpected charges undermining a premium experience.
Common questions & objections
What clients usually ask
Why the platform version wins
Duty handling isn't a bolt-on tax plugin — it draws on the same product data pipeline that also powers search, marketplaces and localisation, so a product only becomes sellable into a new market once its compliance data is genuinely ready, not just enabled.