Key Points:
- 87 percent of people 35 to 44 use the Internet daily and 82 percent of people from ages 45 to 55 are online daily
- Many couriers, both domestic and international, offer to ship to Italy
- Easyship offers up to 91% off discounted shipping rates for 250+ couriers, including Italy
eCommerce in Italy has enjoyed robust growth in recent years. A progressive market with a reliable and large customer base, Italy represents a prime opportunity for eCommerce entrepreneurs looking to expand their boundaries. Italians are fans of imported items and buying online has become a favorite activity nationwide, meaning the market has a lot of potential for savvy online merchants seeking cross-border opportunities.
Notably, Italy is the third-largest economy in the Eurozone and per Export.gov, is also the eighth-largest economy in the world.
The total population of Italy is around 60.6 million with about 19 million eCommerce users. The GDP is currently 1.86 trillion USD. The eCommerce market in Italy stood at 22 billion USD in 2016 and is growing quickly year after year.
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eCommerce Insights in Italy
Italy is a great market to sell to for eCommerce merchants. Let's take a look at the market insights so you know if it's a good fit.
Market insights
Internet usage in Italy is generally widespread throughout the country. The percentage is high in all age groups, with 96 percent of 16 to 35-year-old being online daily. Likewise, 87 percent of people 35 to 44 use the Internet daily and 82 percent of people from ages 45 to 55 are online daily.
Popular online marketplaces
As per eCommerceDB, the most popular online markets in Italy are:
- Amazon.it
- Zalando.it
- Apple.com
- Privalia.com
- Esselungaacas.it
What do Italians like to buy?
Italians love to shop for imported goods from many different categories.
They prefer to buy from the United States, Germany, and China. Italians are known for their fashion and style, so it’s no surprise that fashion ranks as the top category for online sales. The second-most popular category is electronics and media followed by food, furniture and toys, and hobby.
What is the best time to sell in Italy?
If you’re entering the Italian eCommerce market, then it’s crucial to know the best times of the year to sell in Italy. The best time to sell is generally the Christmas holiday season due to the widespread popularity of the holiday in Italy.
After Christmas, winter and summer are generally the top seasons to sell in the country.
Shipping Basics to Italy: Available Couriers
Many couriers, both domestic and international, offer to ship to Italy. In addition, many major online markets also offer shipping to the European nation.
As always, it's vital to shop around to find the cheapest shipping to Italy, though other factors include delivery times and the best value overall. If you’re planning to ship to Italy from the USA, you’ll have many international couriers available.
Shipping to Italy via USPS offers very affordable rates as well as convenient service. UPS shipping to Italy is also another very viable option, though it’s best to use Easyship’s rates calculator for Italy to find the best deals available. Easyship partners with both couriers to give your eCommerce company multiple shipping solutions.
Easyship offers the cheapest shipping to Italy with our discounted, pre-negotiated rates available for multiple couriers. In addition, we also offer support with calculating duties and taxes, printing labels, and tracking shipments to the country.
Shipping internationally requires you to have a solid knowledge of the taxes and duties that are to be paid at the destination and the country of departure. Some countries, for example, have VAT while others charge GST. To learn more about taxes and duties when shipping to Italy, click here to explore Easyship’s Italy page.
Many online markets also offer access to the Italian eCommerce market. Does Amazon ship to Italy? Online merchants will be pleased to know that eCommerce titan Amazon offers shipping all throughout Italy, making it a viable choice for selling products.
How Many Days Does It Take to Ship to Italy?
Shipping to Italy can take anywhere from 3-10 business days with fast delivery methods and about 10-20 business days with slower courier services.
For fast shipment, opt for a faster courier service so you can get your item to its recipient in a faster amount of time.
How Much Does It Cost to Ship to Italy?
The cost of shipping internationally mainly depends on the following factors, such as the following:
- Package dimensions
- Package weight
- Delivery destination
- Courier speed
- VAT/customs duties and taxes
We'll give you example rates for shipping a (5x5x5) 5-pound package to Rome, Italy from New York, New York.
Shipping to Italy from NYC
| Courier Service | Delivery Lead Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| USPS Priority Mail Express International | 3-5 business days | $88.15 |
| USPS Priority Mail International | 6-10 business days | $69.75 |
| FedEx International Priority | 2-4 business days | $269.62 |
| FedEx International Economy | 5-7 business days | $238.66 |
| UPS Saver® | 2 business days | $255.10 |
| UPS Worldwide Expedited® | 3-4 business days | $233.39 |
The Cheapest Way to Ship to Italy
Easyship offers up to 91% off discounted shipping rates on 250+ courier services and offers premium features and tools such as automated label generation, complete taxes and duties visibility, global fulfillment, and more.
We'll calculate the same rates for shipping a 5-pound package (5x5x5) from NYC to Rome, Italy so you can get an idea of how much you'll save with Easyship.
Shipping to Italy from NYC
| Courier Service | Delivery Lead Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| USPS Priority Mail Express International | 4-8 business days | $83.68 |
| USPS Priority Mail International | 20-33 business days | $66.26 |
| Aramex Parcel | 5-8 business days | $105.23 |
| Aramex - Economy Express ORD | 20-26 business days | $60.72 |
| UPS Saver® | 2 business days | $54.44 |
| UPS Worldwide Expedited® | 4 business days | $48.67 |
Restricted and Prohibited Items
Every country has laws that you must follow when doing business there, and Italy is no exception. You can never send some items to Italy while there are others that you can only send with special permits or licenses.
Restricted items
These are the items you need a special permit to ship to Italy. A complete list can be viewed here.
- Alcoholic beverages
- Animal Skins
- Coal
- Tobacco
- Books
- Coffee
- Cosmetics
- Shoes
- Fabrics
Prohibited items
These are the items that you can never send to Italy. The complete list is available here.
- Narcotics
- Firearms
- Hazardous chemicals
- Raw meat
- Biological substance
- Musical instruments
- Cartridges
- Human remains
- Hair and products made of hair
Choose Easyship for the Fastest & Cheapest Shipping to Italy
Italy offers a vibrant and lucrative eCommerce market that you should explore when expanding your business abroad. Shipping to Italy is potentially a great way to grow your customer base and increase revenue given the strength and growth of the country’s vibrant eCommerce market.
Easyship can be your global partner in this expansion of your business, as we offer affordable and seamless hybrid shipping solutions that give your company access on a global scale. With Easyship, you'll gain instant access to tools and features such as the following:
- Duties & Taxes Visibility: Easyship works out all duties and taxes for your international shipments to handle your international orders with ease. Calculate your duties for overseas shipments here
- Global Fulfillment: Easyship has warehouse partners on four continents to reach customers worldwide. Plus, Easyship helps scale up fulfillment capabilities without increasing overhead costs
- Shipping Policy Generator: Our shipping policy generator helps merchants and crowdfunding campaigns generate their shipping policy by providing tracking and insurance options, plus other vital information for your shipping process
Sign up for free to try out our user-friendly shipping platform and expand your online store to Italy!
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