How To Ship Perfume & Dangerous Goods Internationally for Retail & Wholesale

If you are a retailer or wholesaler who deals in perfumes, you may have had the question, “Can you ship perfume internationally?” The answer is yes.

Dangerous Goods Classification

Since perfumes contain flammable and possibly hazardous chemicals, they are classified as Dangerous Goods by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). They are also sensitive to heat and light, so they should ideally be shipped in controlled environments. You can ship perfumes in small quantities or in bulk as long as you follow the prescribed rules and guidelines.

The process of shipping perfumes internationally differs slightly for retailers and wholesalers. Below, you will find a comprehensive overview of both.

How To Ship Perfume and Dangerous Goods Internationally for Retailers

If you are a perfume retailer wondering how you can ship perfumes internationally to your clients, find logistics providers who have a dangerous goods department. For example, DHL, UPS, and FedEX already have the necessary certifications to ship dangerous goods. Get in touch with shipping companies near you and inquire about their policies.

Then, you will have to fill in the dangerous goods custom declaration form when you are preparing to pack and ship the items. MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) certification is not required for retail shipping.

DHL states that shippers “are responsible for the proper preparation of their shipment” and must confirm the mode of transportation. As per the guidelines of the Dangerous Goods legislation, you must do the following:

• Package, mark, and label the goods properly.
• Complete the required documents, including the Shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods, and attach them to the shipment.
• Pay any additional fees required for the shipping of dangerous goods.

You can even get in touch with a DHL Express representative who specializes in dangerous goods or consult the manufacturer’s safety data sheet to get a better understanding of how you should ship the perfume in question.

Since perfumes tend to come in glass bottles, it is extremely important that you package them well. Else, they may leak or break in shipment. Perfume happens to be a highly flammable liquid, so you should not risk that.

Here’s how you can pack your perfumes for international shipping:

• Make sure that the bottle is leakproof and has a secure and sealed lid.
• Use a box with inserts and cushioning materials to hold the perfume in place during shipping.
• Use bubble wrap all around the box.
• Put the bubble-wrapped box in a leak-proof shipping box and add lots of foam peanuts to hold it in place.
• Use strong packing tape to shut the shipping box and add the necessary labels (“flammable”, “fragile”, etc.) for dangerous goods.

How To Ship Perfume and Dangerous Goods for Wholesalers

Wholesalers who wish to ship perfumes internationally have to keep a few things in mind. Shipping liquids of any kind in bulk will attract the authority’s attention, so it is best that you do not take any unnecessary risks trying to bypass the rules.

MSDS Certification

Wholesalers looking to ship perfumes must first acquire an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) certification for dangerous goods. MSDS certification is a document that provides information about the potential hazards and safety precautions for a specific product, in this case a perfume. It includes detailed information such as chemical composition, physical properties, safe handling and storage procedures, emergency measures, and disposal methods.

MSDS certification ensures that perfumes have been tested and comply with industry safety standards. This is especially important as it guarantees that the ingredients used are non-toxic and safe for skin and general use. When purchasing perfumes, look for those with MSDS certification to ensure both their safety and quality, giving you peace of mind while enjoying your favorite fragrance.

The certification is required for every SKU (Stock keeping unit) you ship from your inventory. This means you need to procure a certificate for every perfume that you plan to sell to retailers.

If you have decided to obtain the MSDS certification for a certain perfume, do a quick check online before you submit the application. If you are lucky, you may find that a retailer, third party, or even the brand itself applied for the certification and then posted it online upon reception. For example, the MSDS certificate for Burberry Brit Men is available for free. But, do not stress if you are not able to acquire the certificate you need this way since they aren’t too expensive. The price of the certification does vary depending on your location.

IATA Dangerous Goods Course

With that out of the way, we come to the handling of the perfumes. The employees at your company who will be responsible for packing and shipping the products will also have to take a separate course for handling Dangerous Goods. Since perfumes are classified as dangerous goods, the course will mainly cover the protocols they need to follow when handling and packaging the perfumes. After passing the course, employees earn a certificate, but attend future training sessions. Moreover, they must retake the test every two years. Do note that renewing the certification will not be free. You will have to pay for re-training courses and the exam fee.

Additionally, as a wholesaler, your company needs to get authorization to ship perfumes in bulk. For this, at least one person in the company needs to acquire the certificate before you can begin shipping.

IATA collaborates with local governments and ICAO to develop dangerous goods regulations (DGR). Previously, the dangerous goods training was based on traditional learning methods, but it has since evolved into a competency-based training and assessment (CBTA). To get started, visit the website and choose the course that’s relevant to you.

The following modules in DGR courses are especially useful for shipping perfumes wholesale:

• How the dangerous goods regulations apply – This includes shipper and operator responsibilities, training, security, incident reporting, etc.
• Limitations of dangerous goods regulations- This covers forbidden and hidden goods, storage and transport quantities, transport by post, transport by passengers/crew, etc.
• Classification of items – Employees are taught how they can categorize products as explosives, gas, flammable, toxic, oxidizing, radioactive, corrosive, or hazard material.
• Packing instructions and specifications– Guidance is given on how one should pack dangerous goods for shipping depending on its type.
• How to maintain documentation – Employees are taught how they can maintain a paper trail of their activities.
• Handling of goods – This includes storage, loading, inspection, information provision, and more.

How To Ship Fragrances Internationally without Certification?

In case you are not willing to go through the process of obtaining a dangerous goods certification for your company, you don’t have to give up on the idea of shipping perfumes altogether. There are two alternative ways you can ship as a wholesaler:

1) Partner with a logistics provider who has dangerous goods certification

In this case, all you need to do is find a logistics provider who has already done the work for you. DHL, for example, already has the necessary certification. However, the catch is you may have to shell out a lot of money. Your company will not be allowed to help in any step of the process, which means you will have to rely on the logistics provider for packing and handling. When it comes to wholesale volume, labor costs add up very quickly, so you may be saddled with a hefty bill.

2) Work with an experienced wholesaler who has the necessary certification

To make things easy for yourself, you can purchase your perfume stock from an experienced wholesaler like B Futurist. The company is dangerous goods certified and is able to arrange shipping for you anytime. You can also sell your stock to them directly, after which they will handle the complicated logistics.

Reading this blog alone does not qualify readers to ship perfumes wholesale. While the information above is valuable and guides you how to ship perfume internationally, you must still take the exam and obtain proper certification.