ccDan - 7:58 pm on Nov 7, 2007 (gmt 0)

Is exporting from the U.S. to other countries even feasible for small businesses? It is something I've wanted to do for years, and the fall of the dollar makes it even more appealing.

The problem is that my average order is $15. Parts of the item I sell are made outside of the U.S., which, last time I checked, made it a darn near impossibility to figure out the forms for shipping to Canada or Mexico (NAFTA). And, other countries? Reading different resources just makes my head want to explode.

Some of the items are wholly made in the U.S., which would make the NAFTA form easy, but trying to separate such items on my website, and telling non-U.S. customers they can order certain items but not others seems to not make much sense.

The only helpful resource I was ever able to find is service companies that would manage the exporting paperwork and all that for $25 per order. That pretty much kills any probability of exporting, since that would more than double the average order price, and people will no doubt be able to buy locally for less than that.

So, is exporting even feasible for small ticket orders? Or is it something I just have to forget about?