“The Boston Strong design has been a best seller for our company,” says Kerry. His Boston based business creates t-shirts, hats, and tote bags with embroidered emblems. They’d primarily been selling products in the United States, but after Kerry upgraded his website, wholesale orders started coming in from around the globe. “Obviously it is very exciting for us to see these increased sales,” Kerry explained, “but it turns out we just didn’t have the expertise in house to ship internationally.”
Kerry has had to ship packages to Europe, the Caribbean, and to military bases around the world. “The first time we dealt with that, we were absolutely stumped. I’d never even seen an APO address before.” Rather than ask his already overtaxed shipping department to learn the nuances of international shipping during the busiest holiday season the company has ever seen, Kerry decided to outsource the job to a Boston international shipping company.
“I’m going to make the most of this growth opportunity,” Kerry said, “but I don’t know how long this surge in business will last, or if it will last. So rather than invest in taking on another person and go through the expense of training them and putting them on payroll right now, I’ll have a vendor do the job for me. I don’t want to have to worry about any learning curve. I want the job done right, and I want the job done right now.”
International shipping does involve some complex paperwork, as well as an understanding of expected time tables and the conditions that impact shipping. “There are always factors that are beyond my control,” Kerry said, “But I know that as long as I keep my customers informed and everything’s packaged properly, to the highest standards, they’re going to receive their merchandise in great shape. And that means everyone’s happy!”