Domestic vs international shipping costs: 8 EU lanes

Everyone knows international shipping costs more. Few shops know how much more on the lanes they actually ship. This article puts numbers on it: the same small box, sent across a border and sent inside the destination country, on the same day and from the same rate card. For what domestic shipping means in the first place, see what is domestic shipping.

How much more does international shipping cost than domestic? #

For each lane we took the cheapest service for a small parcel (up to 5 kg, 35 × 25 × 15 cm) from our shipping options page: once from the origin to the destination country, once inside the destination country. All prices include our €0.85 platform fee, which is the same on both sides, so the gap is the carrier’s.

The median lane was 75% dearer across the border, or €4.84 per parcel. The two extremes tell you most. Germany to Austria added €2.19: Austria’s cheapest domestic parcel, at €7.91, was the dearest of the destinations in this table, so there was less to undercut. Germany to Italy added €11.14: the international service was a standard UPS parcel, while inside Italy an InPost locker-to-locker parcel was the cheapest domestic option on our rate card.

What are average shipping costs in Europe? #

A single average hides more than it shows, because domestic prices differ by a factor of three or more between countries. On the European shipping rates index — carrier rates without our fee, cheapest standard service per country, updated on 26 September 2026 — the median 2 kg domestic parcel cost €4.04. The same 2 kg parcel from the Netherlands across the border cost €13.25 in the median.

The country-by-country table for 21 countries, domestic and from the Netherlands, is in parcel shipping costs in Europe 2026. The European Commission reaches the same conclusion from the other end: it notes that cross-border prices charged by national postal operators can be almost five times the domestic ones.

Why does crossing a border cost so much more? #

• Two networks instead of one. A cross-border parcel is usually handed from the origin carrier to a partner network in the destination country. Both parts are paid for.
• A separate export tariff. Carriers price international parcels on their own rate card, and that card starts higher than the domestic one regardless of distance. Rotterdam to Antwerp is shorter than Rotterdam to Groningen and still cost more.
• Lower volumes per lane. A carrier moves far more parcels inside one country than on any single international lane, so each cross-border parcel carries more fixed cost.
• Customs outside the EU. Inside the EU there are no customs, but parcels from the UK, Norway or Switzerland add a declaration and import VAT on top of the higher rate.

When is international shipping almost as cheap as domestic? #

Not every lane follows the pattern, which is why comparing international shipping rates lane by lane is worth the effort. Three lanes on 29 September 2026 that did not:

• Belgium → Netherlands: €7.44 with a Mondial Relay point, against €6.85 for the cheapest domestic Dutch parcel. Only €0.59 apart.
• Italy → France: €7.56 with an InPost locker-to-locker parcel, slightly below the cheapest domestic French parcel at €7.63.
• Spain → France: €7.28 with an InPost point service, also below the cheapest domestic French option.

All three have something in common: a pickup network that runs on both sides of the border. Where that exists, the handover cost mostly disappears. Where it does not — and that is most lanes — the table above is the rule.

Does shipping from local stock pay off? #

Shipping domestically means the goods are already in the customer’s country, and someone there packs them. With AirPost that is a verified person near your customers, who you pay a per-parcel fee — the suggested fee for a small parcel is €2.25. So the question per lane is simple: is the gap bigger than the packing fee?

The pattern is clear. Close neighbours with similar prices — Germany to Austria at −€0.06 — are not worth moving stock for on price alone. Long lanes into cheap domestic markets are: the Netherlands to Spain saves €7.47 per parcel, or €747.00 per 100 orders. The Netherlands to Germany sits in between at €1.95 per parcel, before you count faster, domestic delivery and domestic returns. Where to put stock first is worked out in where to hold stock in Europe.

How to compare international shipping rates for your own lanes #

1. 1

   List your top destination countries

   Take your last three months of orders and count by country. Two or three countries usually carry most of the volume outside your home market.

2. 2

   Price the cross-border lane

   On shipping options, choose your country as origin and the customer’s as destination, and note the cheapest service for your usual parcel size.

3. 3

   Price the domestic route

   Choose the customer’s country as both origin and destination. The difference is your gap per parcel.

4. 4

   Subtract the packing fee

   What is left, times your monthly orders to that country, is what local stock saves you per month.

With local fulfilment through AirPost, you send a batch to a verified sender in that country and every order ships as a domestic parcel. You pay the label, the fee you agree with your sender, and our €0.85 platform fee per parcel — no subscription, no minimum volume. The stock stays yours and is returned within 14 days if you ask for it back.