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How to calculate and reduce international shipping costs
Understand the cost drivers behind cross-border delivery.
For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt.
Shipping automation trusted by 30,000 retailers globally
International shipping gets complicated fast
Managing duties, taxes, and landed costs across international orders can quickly become difficult to maintain manually.
Import thresholds, tax rules, and regulations change constantly. And without upfront costs at checkout, customers can end up paying unexpected fees at delivery.
- Abandoned international carts
- Refused deliveries and customs delays
- Increased support tickets
- Reduced customer trust
- International shipping costs eating into margins
Why scaling retailers use Starshipit’s Duties & Taxes solution
Starshipit automatically calculates duties, taxes, and landed costs at checkout, helping customers buy with confidence while giving you more control over international shipping costs.
- Protect your margins
Don’t let unexpected international import costs eat into your profitability. - Stay accurate automatically
We keep up with changing regulations, tax thresholds, and destination-specific rules across global markets behind the scenes, so you don’t have to. - Keep everything in one workflow
Shipping, duties, taxes, billing, and compliance are managed together in Starshipit, without separate systems, invoices, or third-party accounts.
Built for smoother customs clearance
Starshipit helps ensure every shipment includes the right customs information automatically across international markets, including:
- HS codes
- Country of origin
- Accurate product values
- Automated DDP rules
This helps orders clear customs faster and supports DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) shipping, helping reduce surprise charges at delivery.
Make international shipping more predictable
Show duties and taxes upfront
Give customers visibility of international shipping costs before they purchase, helping reduce surprise customs charges at delivery.
Protect your margins
Automatically calculate duties, taxes, and landed costs so unexpected import fees don’t reduce profitability.
Reduce refused deliveries
Prepaid duties and taxes help create smoother customs clearance and improve international delivery success.
Improve customer confidence at checkout
Transparent international pricing helps customers feel more confident completing their purchase.
Stay up to date automatically
Duties, taxes, and import regulations change regularly between countries. Starshipit automatically keeps calculations accurate behind the scenes, so your team doesn’t need to manually manage changing rules.
Simplify cross-border shipping
Manage duties, taxes, landed costs, and international shipping workflows from one platform.
How it works
Starshipit manages the entire landed cost process, from checkout to customs clearance.
1. Show the full landed cost at checkout
Using Starshipit's live Checkout Rates, your customer sees and pays the full landed cost upfront including shipping, duties, and taxes.
2. Starshipit handles the complexity
Once the order is placed, Starshipit calculates duties and taxes in real time, generates customs paperwork, and pays Customs and courier remittance fees on your behalf.
3. Get simplified billing and built-in protection
All duties, taxes, and fees are added to your existing Starshipit billing as one consolidated invoice, billed nightly.
Guaranteed landed cost accuracy
If duties or taxes come in higher than the original checkout quote, Starshipit covers the difference.
No unexpected costs. No margin risk.
Keep shipping with the providers you already know and trust
Australia Post
Shopify
DHL eCommerce
FedEx shipping
Amazon
UPS shipping software
NZ Post
Want to learn more about landed costs?
Guide
How to grow your eCommerce business with international shipping
Build a cross-border shipping strategy that supports growth.
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International shipping label guide
Create accurate labels for international shipments.
Case study
How Lorna Jane scales global fulfilment
How a growing retailer gained visibility across warehouse and shipping operations.
International duties and taxes FAQs
Do I need a Starshipit account to use Duties and Taxes?
Yes. Duties and Taxes runs inside Starshipit, so you’ll need a Starshipit account to use it. If you’re not already a customer, you can start with a 30-day free trial, and we’ll guide you through enabling Duties and Taxes during setup.
You’ll also need the Live Shipping Rates at Checkout add-on enabled to display landed costs to customers at checkout.
What is landed cost?
Landed cost is the total cost of delivering a product internationally, including shipping, duties, taxes, customs fees, and other import-related charges.
How does this solution work?
Starshipit calculates accurate duties and taxes in real time and displays them at checkout, alongside your shipping rates. Your customer pays everything upfront, with no surprise charges on delivery.
Once the order is placed, Starshipit automatically manages customs requirements and payments on your behalf. Duties and taxes are remitted behind the scenes, and you receive a single invoice from Starshipit.
Orders clear Customs smoothly, without delays, rejected shipments, or unexpected costs. And if actual duties or taxes are higher than the amount shown at checkout, our landed cost guarantee means we cover the difference.
How are duties and taxes calculated?
Duties and taxes are usually calculated based on product value, shipping cost, product category, destination country, and local import regulations.
What does Duties and Taxes cost and what’s included?
Duties and Taxes is $1,000 AUD per year on an annual plan, plus 10% of the duties and taxes calculation.
That covers everything you need to ship internationally with confidence: accurate duties and taxes at checkout, automated customs payments, and our landed cost guarantee. If duties or taxes come in higher than expected, we absorb the difference so you don’t have to.
In short, you’re paying for certainty, compliance, and zero margin risk. See our pricing page for full details.
Do I need to manually update international tax rules?
No. Starshipit automatically keeps up with changing international regulations, import thresholds, and destination-specific tax requirements behind the scenes.
What is DDP shipping?
Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) shipping means duties and taxes are paid upfront before delivery, helping reduce customs delays and surprise charges for customers.
Already using Zonos with Australia Post for your US shipping?
If you’re using the Zonos option through Australia Post, switching to Starshipit’s landed cost solution is simple and much more comprehensive.
With Starshipit, you don’t need a separate Zonos account or multiple invoices. Everything - shipping rates, duties and taxes, billing, and compliance - is managed in one place.
Our solution fully replaces the Australia Post/Zonos integration. Just activate it in Starshipit, and you’ll gain the most complete landed cost solution available, backed by our landed cost guarantee.
What couriers can I use with Duties and Taxes?
Starshipit’s Duties & Taxes solution supports DHL Express, DHL eCommerce, UPS, FedEx, Australia Post (supported services) and NZ Post (supported services).
These carriers support Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) shipping, so duties and taxes can be collected at checkout before the shipment arrives. You can still ship with other couriers in Starshipit as usual, however Duties & Taxes will apply to supported services only.
What is DDP shipping and why does it matter?
DDP means duties and taxes are calculated and paid before delivery, so the customer is less likely to face a surprise charge on arrival. It can make international checkout clearer, but eligibility depends on destination, goods and carrier. Starshipit’s Duties & Taxes feature supports upfront landed costs for supported configurations.
What is the easiest way to show guaranteed duties and taxes for UK or EU customers?
Show duties and taxes upfront by calculating landed costs at checkout and presenting a delivery option that includes them, where the destination, goods and carrier support it. This gives UK or EU customers a clearer total before payment. Starshipit supports DDP-style upfront duties and taxes through its Duties & Taxes feature for supported configurations.