Use these steps to ship a parcel to the European Union (EU) with the details carriers require, including the three product identifiers (PIDs) for every item.
Use these steps for any parcel to the European Union (EU): to a consumer or a business, with any Terms of Sale. Each item needs a description, tariff code, value, country of manufacture, and three product identifiers (PIDs).
Before you start
- Have each item's description, quantity, weight, value, country of manufacture, Harmonized (HS) code, and three PIDs: its barcode number, your SKU, and the manufacturer's part or model number.
- Have the recipient's name, phone number with country code, email address, and full address. For a business, also the company name and EU VAT number.
- Check that the account in the top-right corner is the one you are shipping for.
- Start every shipment on a clean screen: click (F4) Reset (callout R in Figure 1), or press F4.
- Type codes; do not copy and paste them. A pasted value can carry a hidden space or tab, and the carrier receives it exactly as entered.
Workflow at a glance
- Ship > Parcel Shipping, then (F4) Reset.
- Basics tab: shipment, recipient, and package.
- Optional: Ship From/Origin address, for the IOSS number.
- Shipment Options tab: Residential Delivery and Ref 1.
- International Options tab: shipment details, then each item in the Commodity window.
- (F10) Process.
Steps
Basics tab
Figure 1. Basics tab. Numbers match the table. R = (F4) Reset, P = (F10) Process, S = Shipment Options tab, I = International Options tab. Recipient values hidden.
| # | Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shipment # | Your order or shipment number | CT-014-B2C-DAP |
| 2 | Service | An international service for your carrier | (your carrier's service) |
| 3 | Terms | Who pays shipping. Leave Prepaid unless your shipment differs | Prepaid |
| 4 | Ship To dropdown | Leave on Ship To for the recipient's address | Ship To |
| 5 | Company | Business: the company name. Consumer: leave blank | (blank) |
| 6 | Contact | Recipient's name | (recipient's name) |
| 7 | Phone # | Recipient's phone, with country code, digits only | (country code and number, digits only) |
| 8 | Recipient's email address. FedEx requires it from November 1, 2026 | (recipient's email) | |
| 9 | Address 1 | Street and house number | (street and house number) |
| 10 | Country | Destination country. Select it before City and Postal Code. State/Province stays empty (there are no states to pick) for most EU countries | (the country, picked from the list) |
| 11 | City | City | (city) |
| 12 | Postal Code | Postal code | (postal code) |
| 13 | EIN/Tax ID | Business: the recipient's EU VAT number. Consumer: leave blank | (blank) |
| 14 | Weight | Package weight. Match the total of the item weights in Add each item | 3 |
| 15 | Dimensions | Pick your box, or leave Custom Dimensions and type the size in the LxWxH box | 12x10x6 |
Consumer or business? Company (5) and EIN/Tax ID (13) tell the carrier which it is. For FedEx, an empty EIN/Tax ID means a consumer sale; a VAT number means a business sale. Never enter a VAT number for a consumer.
Optional: Ship From/Origin address (IOSS number)
Skip this step unless your company has an IOSS number and the shipment is a consumer sale of €150 or less. Not sure? Ask your lead.
Figure 2. Ship From/Origin Address. Address values hidden; sample IOSS number shown.
| # | Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ship To dropdown | Select Ship From/Origin. The heading changes to Ship From/Origin Address | Ship From/Origin |
| 2 | EIN/Tax ID | Your company's IOSS number: "IM" followed by 10 digits | IM0400000000 |
Then set the dropdown back to Ship To.
Shipment Options tab
Click the Shipment Options tab (callout S in Figure 1).
Figure 3. Shipment Options tab.
| # | Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Residential Delivery (under Accessorials) | Check it for a home address; leave it unchecked for a business. It sets the residential surcharge only, not consumer or business | Checked |
| 2 | Ref 1 (under References) | Your order number, so it prints on the label and invoice | CT-014-B2C-DAP |
International Options tab
Click the International Options tab (callout I in Figure 1).
Figure 4. International Options tab, shown after two items were added.
| # | Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Description of Goods | A plain description of everything in the box. Replace any default text | Men's athletic shoes and cotton T-shirt |
| 2 | Customs Value Currency | Leave USD unless your invoice uses another currency | USD |
| 3 | Reason for Export | Why you are shipping. Sales for a customer order | Sales |
| 4 | Duties and Taxes Terms | Who pays import duties and taxes. See the table below | Bill Consignee by Address |
| 5 | Terms of Sale | The terms agreed with your customer. See the table below | Delivered at Place |
| 6 | Document Type | Leave Commercial Invoice | Commercial Invoice |
| 7 | Use Electronic Form | Check it when the carrier and destination country accept electronic commercial invoices; no printed commercial invoice is generated. Unchecked, a commercial invoice prints | Unchecked |
| 8 | Commodities + button | Click it, then New Item, to add an item (see Add each item) | |
| 9 | Commodity row | Fill in "Item Description", Quantity, Unit Weight, Unit Value, and Country of Manufacture | See Add each item |
| 10 | Gear button | Opens the Commodity window for that row | |
| 11 | Customs Value calculator button | After adding all items, click it. Shipstore totals Unit Value x Quantity into Customs Value | 65 |
Any combination of Terms of Sale and Duties and Taxes Terms works in Shipstore. Keep the two consistent so the right party gets the duty bill:
| Terms of Sale | Duties and Taxes Terms | Who pays duties and taxes |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered at Place, or Deliver Duty Unpaid | Bill Consignee by Address, or Bill Consignee by Account | Recipient. Consistent |
| Deliver Duty Paid | Prepaid, or Third Party Billing | You, or the third party. Consistent |
| Deliver Duty Paid | Bill Consignee by Address | Recipient, though the terms say you pay. Mismatched |
| Delivered at Place | Prepaid | You, though the terms say the recipient pays. Mismatched |
Add each item (Commodity window)
Click the Commodities + button (callout 8 in Figure 4). In the Add Item window:
Figure 5. Add Item window.
| # | Button | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Item | Enter the item by hand |
| 2 | From Item Book | The item is already saved in your item book |
A new row appears in Commodities. Fill in the row, then click its gear button (callout 10 in Figure 4) to open the Commodity window. Values you typed in the row carry over.
Figure 6. Commodity window. Fields 2, 3, and 4 are the three PIDs.
| # | Field | PID | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Description | What the item is, what it is made of, and its color or size | Men's athletic shoes, textile upper, white, size 42 | |
| 2 | Product Code | S-PID | The barcode number (GTIN, UPC, EAN, or ISBN). If the item has none, type No | 5012345678900 |
| 3 | Merchant Product Code | M-PID | Your SKU or item code | MSKU-SHOE-42W |
| 4 | Manufacturer Product Code | "NS-PID" | The manufacturer's model, part, or style number | MFR-RS2290-W |
| 5 | Quantity | Number of units | 1 | |
| 6 | Unit Weight | Weight of one unit (lbs) | 2 | |
| 7 | Unit Value | Value of one unit | 45 | |
| 8 | Country of Manufacture | Where the item was made, not where it ships from | VN-VIET NAM | |
| 9 | Harmonized/Schedule B? (Harmonized Code box) | The item's HS tariff code | 6404.11 | |
| 10 | ECCN | Leave EAR99 unless your compliance team gives you another value | EAR99 | |
| 11 | – button | Closes the Commodity window. Your entries are kept |
Fill in all three PIDs (2, 3, 4) on every item. Add one row per different product. For the next item, click the Commodities + button again. When all items are in, click the Customs Value calculator button (callout 11 in Figure 4).
Process the shipment
- Check each tab once more.
- Click (F10) Process (callout P in Figure 1), or press F10.
What you should see
The shipment processes and the label prints. A commercial invoice also prints unless you checked Use Electronic Form.
Tips
- Start each shipment with (F4) Reset.
- Enter Unit Value and Unit Weight for one unit, not the line total.
- The IOSS number goes in the Ship From/Origin EIN/Tax ID, never the Ship To.
- Set Terms of Sale and Duties and Taxes Terms on every shipment so they agree.
Carrier notes
| Carrier | Consumer or business | Recipient email |
|---|---|---|
| FedEx | Decided by the Ship To EIN/Tax ID: empty is a consumer sale, a VAT number is a business sale. Residential Delivery does not decide it | Required from November 1, 2026 |
| UPS, DHL | Not stated in their published guidance. Check with your carrier representative | Not stated in their published guidance |
Terms used
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| PID | Product identifier. Three per item: S-PID (Product Code), M-PID (Merchant Product Code), "NS-PID" (Manufacturer Product Code) |
| HS code | Harmonized System tariff code, entered in Harmonized Code |
| VAT number | A business's EU tax number |
| IOSS | Import One-Stop Shop: lets the seller collect EU import VAT at checkout on consumer sales of €150 or less |
| Consumer / business | Also called B2C (business to consumer) and B2B (business to business) |
Related articles
- What is IOSS (Import One-Stop Shop)?
- What carriers require for EU shipments
Learn more
These links go to each organization's own site.
European Union
- European Commission: Register for the One Stop Shop, including IOSS
- European Commission: Guide to the VAT One Stop Shop (PDF)
- European Commission: The EUR 3 temporary customs duty guidance (PDF)
UPS
- UPS: Adapting to EU De Minimis Changes (updated October 6, 2026; the Ship API and WorldShip product identifier guides are under "Prepare for PID requirements")
FedEx
- FedEx: EU VAT, a guide to using your IOSS number (PDF)
- FedEx: US tariffs impact, including EU De Minimis Changes for US Shippers
- FedEx: PID Requirements, October 2026 (PDF)
- FedEx: EU De Minimis Customer Guide (PDF)
- FedEx: EU de minimis one-page summary (PDF)
DHL