Selling directly to shoppers abroad means one parcel per order, a customer who expects doorstep delivery with no surprise charges, and you handling everything an importer normally would. It can give better margins and a brand of your own, but the economics only work for some products. Start by checking yours.
Check whether your product fits B2C export
Shipping single parcels abroad costs far more per unit than shipping a container. The product has to carry that cost.
| Works well | Works badly |
|---|---|
| Light and compact for its price | Heavy or bulky for its price, so shipping eats the margin |
| Doesn't spoil and survives rough handling | Perishable, fragile or temperature-sensitive |
| Few sizes and variants, so fewer returns | Many sizes or fit-critical, so returns are frequent |
| No special approval in the destination | Needs approvals abroad: food, cosmetics, toys, supplements, electricals |
| Something shoppers already buy online from abroad | Needs to be seen, tried or installed before buying |
Get the paperwork ready
- Importer Exporter Code (IEC) from DGFT. Marketplaces and shipping partners ask for it.
- GST registration and a Letter of Undertaking (LUT) on Form RFD-11, so you can export without paying IGST upfront and waiting for a refund. It has to be renewed every financial year.
- A bank account set up for export receipts, and whatever customs registrations your shipping channel needs. Your courier, aggregator or post office will tell you which.
- Destination product rules. Labelling, safety and approvals apply to consumer goods too, especially food, cosmetics, toys and electricals.
Choose where to sell
| Channel | Examples | Strength | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global marketplaces | Amazon Global Selling, Etsy for handmade and craft, eBay and similar | Buyers already there, and in many countries the marketplace collects destination sales tax or VAT for you | Fees, heavy competition, strict account and listing rules |
| Your own online store | Shopify, WooCommerce and similar | Your brand, better margins, and you own the customer data | You must bring every visitor, and handle taxes, payments and fraud yourself |
| Social selling | Instagram and WhatsApp orders | Almost no setup; good for testing demand | Hard to scale, and payments and records are messy |
For a first attempt, start with one marketplace in one country, such as Amazon Global Selling into a single store, or Etsy if your product is handmade. Open your own store once you know what sells and can pay to bring in visitors. Our marketplaces guide shows which marketplaces are open to Indian sellers and which countries each reaches.
Price for the landed cost, not the factory price
Work out what it costs to get one order into a customer's hands, then price from there. Include:
- Product cost
- Export-grade packaging
- International shipping
- Marketplace or payment fees
- Destination duty and VAT/sales tax
- An allowance for returns and lost parcels
- Marketing or ads per order
Work out your price: B2C landed price calculator →
Decide who pays duties and taxes. If the customer pays on delivery, surprise charges lead to refused parcels and bad reviews. Many sellers price delivered, with duties included, so the checkout price is final.
Small-parcel rules in three big markets
| Market | What applies to small consumer parcels |
|---|---|
| United States | The $800 duty-free allowance for small parcels ended for all countries on 29 August 2025. Low-value shipments are now dutiable and need a customs entry. Source |
| European Union | Since 1 July 2026, parcels worth €150 or less pay a flat €3 customs duty per item category (planned until July 2028). VAT on these is usually collected at checkout through the IOSS scheme or by the marketplace. Source |
| United Kingdom | For consignments of £135 or less, VAT is charged at the point of sale, by the marketplace or by you if you sell direct (which means registering with HMRC). Source |
Marketplaces often collect destination VAT or sales tax for you; your own store usually puts that responsibility on you.
Ship the orders
- Express couriers and cross-border aggregators. Fast and trackable, with pickup and customs paperwork handled. Under the Foreign Trade Policy 2023, e-commerce exports by courier can go up to ₹10 lakh per consignment.
- India Post, through a Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra. Post-office export centres for small exporters, with an electronic postal bill of export, customs clearance, pickup and tracking. Often cheaper for light parcels, and usually slower.
- Marketplace fulfilment abroad. Ship stock in bulk to the marketplace's warehouse in the destination, and they deliver each order. Faster for the customer, but you pay storage and ship stock before it sells.
Whichever you use, declare the right product description, HS code and value on every parcel. Wrong declarations are the most common cause of held shipments.
Get paid, and keep the records
- Marketplaces pay out to your Indian bank account on their own schedule.
- For your own store, use a payment provider licensed by RBI for cross-border payments. Many issue an electronic foreign inward remittance advice (e-FIRA) for each payment.
- Keep proof that each order was paid: you need it for GST and export records.
- Export proceeds generally must be brought into India within 15 months of export. From 1 October 2026, RBI's new regulations set 15 months from shipment for goods, or 18 months when invoiced or settled in rupees.
Handle returns and customer service
An international return can cost more than the item. Decide your policy before launch: refund without return for low-value items, a local returns address through a returns service, or exchanges only. Clear size charts, specifications and photos prevent many returns in the first place. Plan for customer messages arriving in other time zones.
Bring in customers
On a marketplace, strong listings, early reviews and the marketplace's own ads do most of the work. With your own store, you need a steady source of visitors: search, social media, creators, email. Pick one country and one channel and learn what works before you spread out.
Common mistakes
- Pricing from the factory price instead of the landed cost.
- Letting customers discover duties on delivery.
- Launching in many countries at once.
- Ignoring destination product rules for regulated categories.
- No returns policy until the first return arrives.
- Losing track of payment records needed for GST and export compliance.
Questions
Do I need an IEC to sell on Amazon Global Selling or my own store?
Generally yes. Commercial exports need an Importer Exporter Code from DGFT, and marketplaces and logistics partners will ask for it along with your GST details.
Should I sell B2C or to importers and distributors?
It depends on your product, margins and capacity. B2C suits light, higher-value, brandable products; B2B suits volume. Our comparison guide walks through the decision.
What is the cheapest way to ship single orders abroad?
It depends on weight, destination and speed. Compare express couriers, cross-border shipping aggregators and India Post through a Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra on your real parcel weights before you set prices.
Can Elevio help with B2C export?
Yes. Our main focus is B2B export lead generation: finding and qualifying overseas importers, distributors and retailers. We also help with direct-to-consumer export, from setting up your online store to the marketing that brings in customers. Tell us what you make and where you want to sell.