On this page
- 1. “Do you ship to my country, and how long does it take?”
- 2. “Will I have to pay customs or import tax?”
- 3. “Which payment methods can I use?”
- 4. “How do returns work from abroad?”
- 5. “Which size should I order?”
- 6. “Are you a real business?”
- 7. “Will it arrive by…?”
- Answer them before they’re asked
- The takeaway
A domestic shopper has a lot of unspoken trust: they know the carriers, the return rules, the payment methods. An overseas shopper starts with none of it. The questions they ask in chat are the gaps you need to fill before they’ll buy.
Here are the seven that come up again and again, with how to answer each.
- Shipping and delivery time
- Customs and import tax
- Payment methods
- Returns from abroad
- Which size
- Is this a real business
- Will it arrive in time
1. “Do you ship to my country, and how long does it take?”
Answer with specifics by region, not “we ship worldwide”. A short table works well in your knowledge base:
| Region | Delivery time | Shipping cost |
|---|---|---|
| EU | 2–4 business days | Free over €49 |
| UK | 3–5 business days | €6.90 |
| US & Canada | 5–8 business days | €12.90 |
Turn the most common version into a Q&A pair so it’s answered instantly.
2. “Will I have to pay customs or import tax?”
This is the question that kills the most cross-border orders, because nobody likes a surprise bill at the door. Be explicit about who pays what, and when: “Orders to the EU ship from our EU warehouse, so there are no customs fees. For the UK, import VAT is included at checkout.”
If it depends, say what it depends on — and hand over to a person for the edge cases.
3. “Which payment methods can I use?”
List them, including local ones your customers recognise. If a familiar method isn’t available, say so up front instead of letting them discover it at checkout.
4. “How do returns work from abroad?”
Overseas returns feel risky. Cover: the return window, who pays return shipping, where to send it, how long refunds take. A clear answer here often matters more than the policy itself.
5. “Which size should I order?”
Sizing differs by country. Link a size chart with conversions, and offer a person for the tricky cases: “Tell me your usual size in another brand and I’ll suggest one.”
6. “Are you a real business?”
Rarely asked in these words, but always on their mind. Fast, specific, friendly answers in their own language do more for trust than a badge. So does a real name and face on the reply.
7. “Will it arrive by…?”
Birthdays, holidays, events. Answer with a date, not a duration, when you can — and be honest when you can’t guarantee it.
Answer them before they’re asked
The best place for these answers is often before the conversation:
- Pin the top three as FAQs in the chat window; opening them doesn’t even start a conversation.
- Invite visitors on checkout after a short delay: “Questions about shipping to your country? Ask here.”
- Translate so they read the answers in their own language.
The takeaway
Cross-border buyers aren’t harder to sell to — they just need more information first. Write these seven answers clearly once, and your chat will do the reassuring for you, in every language and time zone.
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