The absolute worst way to handle international duties is also the most common: leaving your customer to deal with it. This approach, often called Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU), seems simpler upfront but it torpedoes the customer experience and kills your chances of repeat business.
I can see the appeal of DDU. On the surface, it looks like less work. You calculate shipping, the customer pays, and your responsibility ends once the package leaves your warehouse. It feels cleaner to not get involved with foreign tax codes, an alphabet soup of regulations, and the extra cost. Many merchants, as Cody DeArmond mentioned on Ecommerce Conversations, still operate this way because it feels like the default, pushing the complexity onto the recipient.
This "simplicity" is an illusion that creates a nightmare for your customers. As Alex Yancher explained on Smarter Paths to Global Sales, a DDU package often gets held hostage at a local post office. The customer receives a notice demanding they show up in person and pay an unexpected bill before their purchase is released. This friction is fatal. On another podcast, Alex points out that there often isn
