International orders need customs, tax, and duty information that domestic orders do not. Automation Rules can add that information as orders import, so declarations are complete before anyone opens the order and shipments are less likely to be held at the border.
Before You Begin
Carriers set their own default for who pays duties, and some actions only work with specific carriers or destinations. Confirm your carrier settings and the tax registrations you hold before you build these rules, because a rule cannot supply a tax ID you have not registered for.
For every trigger and action ShipHero offers, see Automation Rule Triggers and Actions Reference. If you are new to Automation Rules, start with How to Use Automation Rules in ShipHero. To set the carrier, shipping method, or warehouse profile on an international order, see How to Manage Shipping and Label Settings with Automation Rules.
Table of Contents
- How to Create an International Order Automation Rule
- Available International Order Actions in ShipHero Automation Rules
- How Customs Value Discounts Work with Automation Rules
- Common International Order Automation Rule Examples
How to Create an International Order Automation Rule
- Go to Orders > Automation Rules.
- Select Create New Rule.
- Enter a Name for the rule.
- Select a Trigger and the value the order must match. Country is the most common trigger for international rules.
- Select your action from the Action dropdown. See Available International Order Actions below for every option.
- Select Create.
Important
Automation Rules apply only to orders that import after the rule is created. Orders already in ShipHero are not updated retroactively.
Available International Order Actions in ShipHero Automation Rules
| Action | Description | Action Values | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set Currency | Sets the currency on the order if different from the default set under My Account > Settings. | 3-letter ISO currency code, for example USD, EUR, or GBP. | Use when the currency on the order or the customs invoice must show something other than your account default. Only the currency symbol changes. ShipHero does not convert product or order values. See How to Configure Currency Settings in ShipHero. |
| Set FTR exemption | Sets an FTR exemption code for the specified country and product. | Select a code from the supported FTR codes. | FTR exemptions vary by destination country and are very specific. An exemption relieves exporters from filing Electronic Export Information (EEI) in the Automated Export System (AES) for certain shipments. A rule is the only way to set them on an order ahead of time. |
| Set order incoterms | Sets an order as DDP (delivered duties paid) or DDU (delivered duties unpaid). | Select DDU or DDP. | Carriers have a default of DDP or DDU in their carrier settings. Use this action when you need to change an order away from that default. See How to Set Your Incoterms in ShipHero. |
| Set Order Tax Type and ID | Sets the order tax type and adds the tax ID to the order. | Select a tax type: VAT, IOSS, EORI, RFC, CPF/CNPJ, or Resident ID Number. The ID is a free-form text field. | These are the tax ID numbers required for shipping to different entities or countries. Which one you need depends on the region you ship to. See How to Set Up EU and UK eCommerce VAT and OSS. |
| Apply discount to Customs Value | When the order is discounted for the customer at checkout, that discount is applied to the customs invoice. | On or Off. | Applies discounts taken at checkout, such as coupon codes, to the customs value on customs invoices. See How Customs Value Discounts Work below for the calculation and its limits. |
How Customs Value Discounts Work with Automation Rules
ShipHero does not apply order discounts to the customs value by default. To declare the discounted price your customer actually paid, create a rule with the action Apply discount to Customs Value set to On. The rule sets a flag on the order, and ShipHero calculates the discount and applies it to each line item's customs value at the moment the shipping label is generated.
ShipHero works out the percentage by comparing the total discount amount to the order subtotal.
Discount % = (Discount Amount / Order Subtotal) * 100
On an order with a $100.00 subtotal and a $20.00 discount amount, ShipHero subtracts a 20% discount from the customs value of every item in the shipment.
| Condition | What happens |
|---|---|
| Discount Amount is empty or $0 | No discount is applied to the customs value, even when the rule is on |
| Discount covers 100% of the order value | No discount is applied. ShipHero uses the full customs value |
| Discount edited before the label is generated | Allowed. ShipHero uses the amount present at the exact moment of shipping |
Tax Liability
Free and heavily discounted shipments are still subject to duties and taxes. As the exporter, you are responsible for including customs-only value statements on your commercial invoices.
For how ShipHero determines the customs value of a product in the first place, see Understanding Customs Values in ShipHero.
Common International Order Automation Rule Examples
| Use Case | Trigger | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Charge duties to the recipient on EU orders | Country equals a country you ship DDU to | Set order incoterms to DDU |
| Show euros on the customs invoice for EU orders | Country is on a list of EU countries | Set Currency to EUR |
| Add your IOSS number to EU orders under the threshold | Country is on a list of EU countries and Order Total is less than your threshold | Set Order Tax Type and ID to IOSS with your IOSS number |
| Claim an FTR exemption on qualifying export orders | Country equals the destination country | Set FTR exemption to the code for that country |
| Declare discounted prices on customs forms | Order Tag or Store Name identifies discounted orders | Apply discount to Customs Value set to On |
Pro-Tip
Build one rule per destination group rather than one per country. Create an Automation Rule List of countries, then trigger a single rule on that list. See How to Create and Manage Automation Rule Lists in ShipHero.