When sending goods into and out of the European Union, many carriers will ask for an overall description of the consignment. This is separate and in addition to any product-level data that is sent automatically by Shiptheory. For the carriers that's require this, Shiptheory will provide a general goods description field in the carrier settings that allow you to set this at the carrier level.
European Commission Description Guidelines
When setting the overall description, pick something that best resembles your consignments without becoming too specific. Conversely, being too genric may result in consignments being held at ports, returned or destroyed.
Examples of acceptable/not acceptable descriptions:
| Unacceptable | Acceptable |
| Apparel | Mens shirts, lingerie |
| Electronics | Computers, laptops |
| Gifts | Dolls, remote-control cars |
If you are unsure what to use as a description, and your selected carrier requires it, speak with your carrier to work together to decide on a suitable description.
For more information, see the official European Commission Guidelines.