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Since 2013, we have been helping businesses and individuals easily send internationally.
Shipments sent via ParcelParcel
We would like to explain what express delivery is and how it differs from regular postal services.
Express delivery is a fast shipping service offered by courier companies like DHL, DPD, TNT, and FedEx. With express delivery, packages or documents are often delivered within 24 hours, 48 hours, or 72 hours, depending on the destination and available options.
A courier service operates using its own network, including a customs department to ensure swift delivery. They use their own vehicles (vans, trucks), airplanes, and personnel, forming their network to expedite package delivery. For instance, a document to America can be delivered within 24 hours. The same applies to an import shipment from Hong Kong, which can be delivered in the Netherlands within 24 hours. So, when sending a business package, you might prefer to choose Express delivery.
By regular postal service (the most familiar way of sending)
By courier (less familiar but the fastest method of shipping)
By sea container (the most economical and slowest method, often used for bulk goods)
By air freight (the most economical method of shipping bulk goods by air)
The main difference between regular post and express lies in the speed, reliability, and level of service provided when shipping packages or documents.
Regular post refers to traditional postal services, such as national postal services like PostNL in the Netherlands and bpost in Belgium. Post services are often cheaper than express services and usually offer standard delivery options, such as normal delivery and registered mail. Post services have lower priority and may take longer to deliver, depending on the destination and local postal services.
On the other hand, express is a term used to describe faster services often provided by courier companies like DHL, UPS, and FedEx. Express services usually offer faster delivery options, such as 24-hour, 48-hour, or 72-hour delivery, and typically provide additional services like real-time tracking, insurance, and signature upon delivery. Express services are usually more expensive than regular post services due to the higher level of service and faster delivery times they offer.
In general, regular post is suitable for less urgent shipments, while express is better suited for packages or documents that need to be sent quickly and reliably, with additional services like real-time tracking and insurance.
Post uses other postal networks / Express uses its own networks
Post is dropped off at the post office or collection point / Express is picked up
Post has longer delivery times / Express offers speed and very short delivery times
Post may change the tracking number of your shipment due to different postal networks / Express always uses its own tracking numbers within its own network
If, for example, you send a package to America by regular post, it can take as long as 14-21 days before your package is delivered. Sometimes, you can perfectly trace your package via Track & Trace, but this might be less reliable or not available for further destinations.
A postal network is often a national network. Therefore, you can send a shipment by regular post within the Netherlands without any issues. In general, it will be delivered within 1-2 days, as your package remains within the same postal network. In the Netherlands, this network is managed by PostNL.
However, if you want to send a package to America, once your package is sent abroad, the local network, in this example, PostNL, will send your shipment to another postal network.
Once the shipment leaves the country and crosses the border, PostNL will no longer handle the delivery in America. Instead, your package destined for America will be handed over to, for example, RoyalMail in the United Kingdom. There, the tracking number will be adjusted, and your shipment will be transported in large bags to America. Upon arrival in America, your package will be assigned another tracking number and will be delivered by the local postal service USPS. As you can see, your package will go through multiple networks, and the traceability might not always be certain until it is eventually delivered in America.
We are happy to assist you with sending your package and provide advice as needed. Every day, we handle shipments worldwide and always seek the best solution for your package, pallet, or document. ParcelParcel is the specialist in Express shipments!
You can both export (e.g., Netherlands/Belgium to ) or import ( to Netherlands/Belgium) via ParcelParcel.
Well, very simple. At ParcelParcel, we make international shipping easy. Here's how it works:
You can instantly check the shipping costs through our rate calculator. Enter the weight, dimensions, and destination country of your shipment, and you will see all available shipping options along with their respective delivery times. The calculator can be used to compare shipping rates for both export and import shipments.
If you need help calculating a shipping rate, watch the video below. Click on the 
button to play the video and the 
icon to view the video in fullscreen.
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Shipping costs are calculated based on dimensions (LxWxH in cm), weight (in kg), and the destination country. Both the actual weight (as shown on the scale) and the volumetric weight are considered.
The volumetric weight is the weight calculated based on the space your shipment occupies in the plane. The higher of the two weights (volumetric or actual weight) is used to calculate the shipping rate. You don't need to calculate this yourself; our calculator does it for you.
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You can use the discount code PP10 for 10% discount on the transportation costs of your first shipment. You can apply the discount code during the checkout process (instructions).
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Whether additional costs apply depends on whether your shipment stays within the European Union or is sent to/from a country outside the European Union. Below, you can see the additional costs for each situation.
Within the European Union
If, for example, you send a shipment from the Netherlands to Italy (within the EU), there will be an additional 21% VAT on the shipping costs.
Furthermore, if your shipment stays within the European Union, you won't have to deal with any import duties or customs clearance fees because your shipment doesn't go through customs. Please note that the European Union is not the same as Europe.
View here all the countries that are part of the European Union. For example, Switzerland is part of Europe but not part of the European Union.
Outside the European Union
If, for example, you send a shipment from the Netherlands to the United States, there will be no VAT (0%) applied to the displayed shipping rates.
However, there might be import duties levied by customs in the destination country if you send a shipment to/from a country outside the European Union. Typically, customs costs are charged to the recipient. This is known as Delivered At Place (DAP) in logistics terminology.
Customs is a government agency that levies import duties in certain cases to protect the local market. As a company, you can also ship using Delivered Duty Paid (DDP), which means any customs costs will be charged to you as the sender.
If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to contact us. Additionally, you can read everything about import duties, VAT, and the customs clearance process in this blog.
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A customs invoice is a form where all the goods you want to ship are specified. This invoice includes an English description of the goods, along with their corresponding value and weight.
The contents of your shipment must be specified per type of product you're sending to avoid delays at customs. A customs invoice is always prepared in quadruplicate in accordance with customs guidelines.
When is a customs invoice required?
A customs invoice is only required for shipments to/from countries outside the European Union (e.g., Netherlands - United States). If your shipment stays within the European Union (e.g., Netherlands - Italy), your shipment will not go through customs, and therefore, a customs invoice is not required.
Additionally, document shipments are not subject to customs, so if you're sending a document to a country within/outside the European Union, no customs invoice is needed.
Please note that not all goods can be shipped to every country. You can find a list of goods that cannot be sent via ParcelParcel on this page.
Do I need to create a customs invoice myself?
If you're sending a shipment to/from a country outside the European Union, it's mandatory to include a customs invoice with the shipment. We provide free support in creating a customs invoice.
You can easily generate a customs invoice through our shipping platform. The customs invoice will be automatically generated based on the content you specified during your booking.
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You can import just as easily as export via ParcelParcel.
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You can find a list of goods that cannot be shipped via ParcelParcel on this page.
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