Chit Chats International Tracked is your best choice for quick and reliable international shipping free from customs headaches. Fully tracked and secured by Chit Chats Insurance, we’ve partnered with Asendia to expedite your packages for their journeys abroad. Once your shipment has arrived in the destination country, trusted local carriers will handle the delivery to your customer.
With Chit Chats International Tracked, you have access to delivered duties paid (DDP) postage for a number of countries making customs clearance a breeze and removing the need for your customers to pay additional customs fees upon delivery.
Table of Contents
Service Features
Your shipments will benefit from all of these great features with Chit Chats International Tracked:
| Features | Fully Tracked | Delivery in 4-27 Business Days | Chit Chats Insurance Available |
| Special Features | Delivery Confirmation | Delivery Duties Paid Postage Options |
Check out our shipping calculator to get a quote for your shipment.
Eligibility
Chit Chats International Tracked is designed for shipments weighing less than 30 kilograms. The maximum dimensions for this service can vary by country but typically:
- Length + width + height (L + W +H) must be less than 900 mm and:
- L less than or equal to 27 in, H & W less than or equal to 15 in
- Or, L less than or equal to 42.5 in, H & W less than or equal to 4 in
This service caters to businesses who ship merchandise to their customers around the world. Typically, international shipments can be subject to customs duties and taxes, but if you’ve collected the applicable duties and taxes from your customer at the point of sale, you’ll have access to Delivery Duties Paid (DDP) postage with Chit Chats International Tracked to speed up processing.
For customs purposes, we classify all International Tracked shipments as merchandise.
Sending a gift? If you wish to send a gift to a recipient overseas instead, we recommend choosing one of our USPS International postage offerings.
Please note that there are limits to the maximum retail value for any shipments subject to value added tax (VAT) which may limit your postage options. Retail values must be within:
- $220 CAD for UK addresses
- $215 CAD for EU addresses
Learn more about international customs requirements.
To keep shipments safe and moving smoothly, there are limitations on the types of items that you can send with this service. All shipments must comply with TSA safety requirements. Please refer to our partner carrier’s restrictions for more information.
To help get your packages delivered to your customers, recipient phone numbers are required when shipping internationally.
Local delivery partners want to ensure that your customers receive their packages in a timely manner. There are times when they will attempt to reach out to the recipient to schedule delivery.
Buying Postage
There are two ways to buy Chit Chats International Tracked for your shipments:
- “Create a Shipment” one at a time in your account
- Import multiple shipments via a connected store, the Chit Chats CSV or API
Helpful notes for buying postage:
- Beware of long addresses, address fields have character limits.
- Thick envelopes and parcels compatible package types for Chit Chats International Tracked.
- International customs requires descriptive product details with quantities, descriptions, values and currency for each item in your shipment. HS codes and country of origin are optional to include. Learn more about how to declare your shipments.
1. Create a Shipment
Start by entering the recipient details including your customer’s phone number. Then be sure to outline detailed declarations for each item within your package.
If you want to see rates for delivery duties paid postage, enter your customs tax reference number in the dedicated field during the Description step. Then under the Postage step, select the checkbox next to “Yes, I want duties paid postage” selected.
The IOSS or VAT number can be entered in the customs tax reference field. It is important that it does not exceed 20 characters and should not include any special characters. The IOSS VAT Identification Number contains a total of twelve (12) alphanumeric characters in the following format of IMxxxyyyyyyz.
It is not necessary to include the words IOSS or VAT in the customs tax reference number field.
To see the delivery duties unpaid (DDU) postage options available, deselect this checkbox.
2. Shipment Import
If you import your shipments with a CSV or API connection, use the following inputs for the importer:
- phone: your customer’s phone number
- package_type: thick_envelope, parcel
- postage_type: chit_chats_international_tracked
To access DDP postage options for your shipment, the following fields are also required:
- vat_reference: Include your IOSS or other customs tax reference number using the proper format*
- duties_paid_requested: yes (TRUE)
*IOSS and VAT number cannot exceed 20 characters and should not include any special characters. It is not necessary to include the words IOSS or VAT in the customs tax reference number field. The IOSS VAT Identification Number contains a total of twelve (12) alphanumeric characters in the following format of IMxxxyyyyyyz.
To ensure your shipments have a smooth trip through international customs, make sure to provide detailed declarations for each item contained in your shipments. You can do this by selecting a shipment from your Pending tab and clicking on Edit beside Description in the right-hand menu. Bulk editing international shipments descriptions and retail values is not supported. Shipping presets cannot be applied to international shipment descriptions and values.
Having trouble? Read our troubleshooting tips.
Once you’re happy with the details, you can select the shipments you want postage for and click on “Pay for Shipment”. Now you’re ready to print your postage labels! Be sure to apply them to your packages with some of our best practices for packaging, like ensuring your barcode is visible on a flat area of the package.
Sending Your Shipments
Once your shipments are ready to get to a Chit Chats, you’ll want to take a moment to organize them with any of our other International postage types:
- USPS International First Class Package Service
- USPS International Priority Mail Service
Batching is the way to go when you have a lot of shipments to send. Stay organized and receive simultaneous acceptance scans on your tracking when you use a batch label.
After our team receives and processes your shipments, you’ll want to share the tracking details with your customers. Although full tracking is included with your postage, international shipments will typically experience a gap in tracking when travelling overseas and clearing customs in the destination country.
Learn how to track your shipments here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which countries can I ship to with Chit Chats International Tracked?
Chit Chats International Tracked ships to a number of countries across the globe with both delivery duties paid and unpaid options available. Check our complete country list to see if your particular destination is available.
There are limitations on deliveries to PO box addresses for DDP postage options. You will need to select our DDU option to gain access to postage for these types of addresses.
Learn how to format your international delivery address.
What customs information do I need to provide for my shipments?
International customs are simplified with Chit Chats International Tracked. All you need to provide are descriptive product details for each item contained in your shipment. This includes quantity, item description, retail value and the currency used. If you have the HS codes or countries of origin for your items they are optional fields but feel free to add them to your shipments for extra assurance.
This information is used for a CN-22 customs document attached to some of your postage labels. Customs will also receive this information electronically to prepare your shipment for smooth processing.
If you’ve collected the applicable duties and taxes from your customer at the point of sale, enter the IOSS number or other customs tax reference number associated with your shipment. This number gives you access to Delivery Duties Paid (DDP) postage with Chit Chats International Tracked to speed up processing. Be sure to format the IOSS or VAT number correctly to prevent unneccessary delays.
Is signature confirmation available?
No, signature confirmation service is not available for Chit Chats International Tracked postage.
Why is delivery not confirmed for my package?
All Chit Chats International packages include full tracking with delivery confirmation. However, the quality of final-mile tracking may vary depending on the destination country's national postal service.
Occasionally, you may notice incomplete tracking for a shipment. This is often due to factors such as missed scans by the postal service or poor barcode legibility. For instance, shipments to Japan have a 98% scan success rate, meaning that approximately 2% of shipments may not receive a delivery confirmation scan.
It’s important to note that both Chit Chats and our partner carriers are limited by the tracking capabilities provided by the final-mile carrier in the destination country. While we strive to offer reliable tracking, the level of detail ultimately depends on the capabilities of the local postal service.
Can I send letters with Chit Chats International Tracked?
This service is designed specifically for thick envelopes and parcels. If you select the letter or flat envelope package type you won’t see International Tracked in your postage options. Check out our USPS International postage options for your letters and lightweight shipments.
If my shipment is undeliverable, will it be returned?
Chit Chats International Tracked does not include a return service. Any undeliverable shipments will not be returned to you and will be disposed of in the destination country. If you require a return service for your shipments, we recommend using our USPS International postage options.
Can I refund unused postage?
Yes, if you change your mind or your customer cancels an order you can request a refund for the unused postage label.Your refund will be processed immediately.
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