Shipping Strategies
E-commerce
Shipping
Last Updated
June 25, 2023
12 min.
Written By
Krišs Ģērmanis
Selling to the USA can feel like a wall of customs rules, tariffs, and surprise fees, especially since the rules changed in 2025. Most of that worry comes from not knowing how the pieces fit together. Once you do, it becomes a short, repeatable process. This guide covers why the USA is worth selling to, what US buyers expect, how customs and duties actually work, and how to ship your first parcel to the USA from Latvia, Lithuania, or Estonia.
Why the US market is worth it
US e-commerce is enormous. In 2025 it reached about $1.34 trillion, more than the entire European e-commerce market combined, which sat at roughly $637.8 billion.
[Chart: US e-commerce revenue in $ billions, 2022 to 2029. Source: Statista.]
Something else is working in your favour. After the US removed the de minimis exemption for most international parcels in August 2025, buyers there began facing higher prices, slower deliveries, and cancelled orders, especially on cheap goods from platforms like Shein and Temu. Shoppers are now looking for reliable sellers and direct brands they can trust to avoid nasty surprises at customs. For a smaller European brand that ships properly, that is an opening.
American shoppers already buy from Europe. More than 90% shop online every month, and 33% buy directly from European stores, drawn to distinctive, high-quality clothing, affordable luxury, and brands they can't find easily at home. Half of US consumers discover new brands through social media, where younger shoppers lean on creator and expert recommendations. Beyond fashion, they value European cosmetics, media like vinyl records and specialist books, electronics, vintage items, and homeware.
What US buyers expect
Meeting a few expectations up front is what turns US interest into completed orders.
Clear, all-in pricing. Hidden fees are the single biggest deal-breaker: 31% of shoppers abandon over them. US buyers expect the final price, including duties and shipping, to be visible before they confirm.
Free or included shipping. Around 70% say free shipping is a core expectation, even internationally, and most would rather see the cost built into the product price than added at checkout.
A delivery option that fits their timeline. 81% will abandon a cart if they can't pick a shipping method that matches how quickly they want the item, even though they accept that international delivery takes longer.
The takeaway for your store: show the all-in cost early, ideally with a free-shipping threshold, and offer at least two delivery speeds, an economical standard option and a faster express one. Buyers value the choice even when the fast option costs more.
How US customs and duties work
US duty is charged on the value of the goods you send, at a rate set by US trade policy that has changed repeatedly through 2025 and 2026, so check the current rate when you prepare a shipment rather than relying on a fixed figure. How that rate is worked out depends on the type of carrier you use. There are two, postal and express. They clear customs differently, and the difference is mostly about how predictable your duty is.
Postal: Latvijas Pasts and Omniva
Postal carriers clear through the postal customs process. The duty is applied as a standard rate tied to the goods' country of origin, and because it is one standard rate rather than a product-by-product calculation, your customs cost is predictable. The trade-off is slower delivery and less detailed tracking.
Express: FedEx, UPS, and DHL
Express carriers clear through a customs broker using the product's HTS code, which together with the country of origin sets the exact duty. The US uses HTS codes, which can differ from the HS codes you may be used to, and the item's description matters as much as the code: if the description does not clearly match the code, the broker can reassign it to one that fits better, and that can change the duty. An accurate code and a specific description keep the amount predictable. Express is faster and tracks more precisely the whole way, in exchange for duty that can vary more than the postal route.
Route | Carriers | How duty is set | Strength | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Postal | Latvijas Pasts, Omniva | Standard rate for the goods' country of origin | Predictable customs cost | Slower, less tracking |
Express | FedEx, UPS, DHL | HTS code, via a customs broker | Fast, well tracked | Duty can vary |
Lighter, price-sensitive parcels usually suit postal, where predictability matters most. Urgent or higher-value orders suit express, for speed and tracking. Most sellers use both and choose per parcel.
Who pays the duty, and what customs needs
Duties can be prepaid by you, the sender, so they are settled before the parcel reaches your buyer, which is called DDP (Delivered Duty Paid). The alternative is to leave them for the buyer to pay on arrival (DAP). Prepaying is what avoids the unwelcome customs bill at the door, and that surprise is a common reason US buyers refuse deliveries or leave poor reviews.
Note: If you sell on Etsy, DAP is no longer an option, as Etsy now requires US orders to be shipped DDP.
Whichever route you use, customs needs accurate details about what you are sending:
A clear, specific product description
The HTS code
The country of origin of the goods
The value of the goods
The recipient's contact details
Give the true country of origin, where the goods were actually made; if you resell items produced abroad, their duty follows that country's rate. Declare the value of your goods correctly and describe each item clearly, so it can be classified without question. Because duty is only settled after the parcel clears customs, it is billed afterward rather than at the point of sale, so build it into your pricing up front.
The simple way to handle all of it
Doing this on your own would mean opening a separate account and contract with each carrier, then preparing customs paperwork for every parcel by hand. That is where a shipping platform earns its place. On Swotzy you compare all of these carriers side by side and choose the best one for each parcel, with no separate agreement for any of them.
Here is how the parts you have just read about come together in one place.
Every carrier, one account. Latvijas Pasts, Omniva, FedEx, UPS, and DHL are all available directly, so you are not locked into a route and you never negotiate a carrier contract yourself.
Customs paperwork, generated for you. When you create a shipment, you enter what you are sending, the item, its value, weight, country of origin, and code, and set yourself as the party paying duties. Swotzy turns that into the customs documents and the commercial invoice automatically, so there is no separate paperwork to chase.
DDP handled per carrier. For US shipments, Latvijas Pasts, Omniva, FedEx, and UPS send DDP only, so the sender pays duties by default. DHL also supports DAP, but DDP is the choice that keeps your buyer from being surprised at the door.
Costs shown up front, duties billed after. On express services the customs broker's fee is already included in the shipping price you see. FedEx adds one fixed guarantee fee per shipment that clears customs, covering the fact that FedEx pays US customs immediately and invoices afterward. The duties themselves are settled after clearance, so they arrive on a separate invoice rather than at label creation:
Route | Carriers | When duties are billed |
|---|---|---|
Postal | Latvijas Pasts, Omniva | Once a month, on a Friday |
Express | FedEx, UPS, DHL | Once a week, on a Friday |
Tracking syncs back to your store. Once the label is created, tracking updates flow back to your store on their own, so buyers stay informed without extra work from you.
You can connect your store through an integration, the API, or a webhook, so orders arrive automatically. Supported integrations include Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Ebay and others.
Start shipping to the USA
Sending a parcel to the USA on Swotzy takes five steps:
Register on Swotzy app for free.
Enter the shipment details (address, weight, item, and value).
Fill in the customs and product information.
Compare carrier prices and choose the best fit.
Print the label and arrange a courier pickup, or drop the parcel at a collection point.
No contracts, no minimum volumes, no monthly fees. Register, check your rates, and start shipping.
Before you ship to the USA: a quick checklist
Give a clear description, the value of the goods, the HTS code, weight, and true country of origin.
Ship DDP so duties are prepaid and your buyer isn't surprised.
Choose postal for predictable cost, express for speed.
Show US buyers clear, all-in pricing and more than one delivery option.
Remember duties are billed after clearance, so price them in now.
Shipping to America takes a little preparation, but none of it is as complicated as it first looks. Get the details right once, and the market opens up.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main requirements for shipping to the USA?
A clear product description, the HTS code, the country of origin of the goods, the value of the goods, and the recipient's contact details.
How are customs costs calculated?
Duty is charged on the value of the goods, at a rate keyed to their country of origin. On express services the exact rate follows the product's HTS code, so an accurate code and description matter. Duties are billed after the parcel clears, on a separate invoice, monthly for postal and weekly for express, both on Fridays.
Is shipping to the USA worth it for a small store?
If there's demand, there's opportunity. Many US buyers will happily pay for shipping when they want a product. The costs and customs rules can be involved, so the key is choosing the right route and giving accurate product and customs details.
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