Choose a shipping line
Everything sits checked in the warehouse — now it is decided what your haul really costs and how fast it arrives.
What happens in this step?
You request shipping: the agent packs your approved items into one parcel, weighs and measures it, and you choose from the available shipping lines. The second payment happens now — the international shipping.
Billing uses the chargeable weight: the actual weight OR the volumetric weight, whichever is higher. Volumetric weight comes from the parcel's dimensions (length × width × height, divided by a divisor that differs per line). A light but bulky parcel can therefore cost like a heavy one.
Lines differ in price, transit time and what they are allowed to carry: items with batteries, liquids, creams or certain product groups need special (“sensitive”) lines. There is no universally best line — there is the right one for your parcel and your country.
How to do it
Get the real weight
After packing, your agent shows the parcel's final weight and dimensions. That is the number that counts — not your estimate from step 2.
Compare with the real numbers
Enter the packed weight and your destination into the how2ship comparison. You see where your shipment sits in the field — and whether your agent choice still holds for this weight.
Check line conditions
Does your haul contain batteries, perfume, creams or branded goods? Then only lines that explicitly allow them qualify. Your agent's line description tells you.
Weigh price against transit time
Fast lines cost more; slow ones (like sea freight) cost notably less at long transit times. The stated transit time is the line's experience figure, not a guarantee.
Request the shipment
Pick the line, pay the second payment — the agent hands the parcel to the carrier. Tracking continues in step 7.
What to pay attention to
- Chargeable weight = the higher of actual and volumetric weight. Bulky, light goods (shoe boxes, jackets) drive the volumetric weight.
- Retail boxes cost volume: many agents offer to remove unnecessary packaging — that can lower volumetric weight, but it is not guaranteed.
- Not every line delivers to every country — the comparison only shows what is actually available for your destination.
Typical beginner mistakes
- Only looking at actual weight and being surprised by the volumetric one.
- Booking sensitive items on a normal line — the parcel then gets stuck or returned.
- Reading the transit estimate as a promise and planning tight gift deadlines around it.
Quick checklist
- Real packed weight and dimensions noted from the dashboard.
- Comparison re-run with the real weight and destination.
- Sensitive items identified and the line chosen accordingly.
- Price and transit time weighed deliberately.
- Second payment completed.
The shipping comparison — now with real numbers
The same comparison as in step 2, but with the packed weight instead of the estimate. Enter the real weight and see how the lines truly stack up for your destination.