Shipping internationally comes with stricter requirements than domestic deliveries. Many countries and regions—such as the EU and the US—require accurate and detailed Goods Descriptions. If these are missing or too vague, your shipment may be delayed, rejected, or returned at the border.
What is a Goods Description?
The Goods Description is a key piece of information used by customs authorities to:
Identify the contents of a shipment
Calculate duties and taxes
Determine whether the goods can enter the destination country
Important Requirements
Your Goods Description must clearly and accurately describe the item being shipped
Avoid generic or vague terms (e.g. “goods”, “samples”, “parts”)
Be specific about what the item is (e.g. “cotton t-shirt”, “ceramic coffee mug”)
What is Considered Acceptable?
ReadyToShip cannot provide official advice on what description will be accepted, as requirements vary by country and carrier.
We recommend:
Checking with your shipping carrier (e.g. DHL, AusPost)
Reviewing customs guidelines for the destination country
For example, the EU provides guidance on acceptable descriptions:
https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-03/guidance_acceptable_goods_description_en.pdf
Carriers like DHL also provide examples of acceptable and unacceptable descriptions.
How to Set Your Goods Description in ReadyToShip
By default, ReadyToShip uses the Item Title as the Goods Description if no other value is set.
You can customise this in several ways:
1. Set a Value per SKU / Product
You can assign a unique Goods Description for each SKU:
Open an international order
Expand the order details
Click the world icon next to a line item
Enter the correct Goods Description
ReadyToShip can cache this value and automatically reuse it for future orders with the same SKU.
2. Set a Default Value per Carrier
You can define a default Goods Description for all products:
Go to Settings → Carriers
Edit your carrier settings
Set a default under “Goods Description for International Consignments”
⚠️ Important:
This value applies to every item in every order, so it should only be used if all your products are the same (e.g. swimwear).
If left blank, ReadyToShip will fall back to using the Item/SKU Title.
Best Practice
Use clear, specific, and consistent descriptions
Set descriptions at the SKU level whenever possible
Avoid relying on a single default unless your catalogue is uniform
Following these guidelines will help reduce customs issues, avoid shipment delays, and improve delivery success rates.