Cross-Border Platform Comparison

Not with all providers. Global-e replaces your checkout with their own. Swap preserves your checkout, payments, and customer experience while handling cross-border complexity in the background. Your customers interact with your brand at every touchpoint.

Global-e: MoR model, replaces checkout, holds funds, 100+ currencies, strong but expensive with reported checkout friction. ESW: Similar MoR model for enterprise brands. Zonos: Duty/tax calculation APIs, no fulfilment or returns. Swap: unified platform where you remain MoR, 3% capped pricing, DDP from existing 3PLs, returns with revenue retention, compliance automation, 48hr onboarding. Visit swap-commerce.com/compare for detailed comparison.

Some cross-border providers charge headline rates that look reasonable, then add reconciliation fees (for correcting duty miscalculations), DDP surcharges (on top of carrier DDP fees), and FX margins. The actual cost can be significantly higher. Swap's pricing is capped at 3% with no surprise reconciliation charges.

A Merchant of Record (MoR) is the entity legally processing the payment. Some cross-border providers become MoR, replacing your checkout, processing payments, holding funds, then paying you. This simplifies compliance but means you lose control of customer data, checkout experience, and cash flow. With Swap, you remain MoR with direct fund flow and full data ownership.

A cross-border platform handles the complexity of international selling that your standard e-commerce platform doesn't: duty and tax calculation, customs documentation, DDP shipping, multi-currency pricing, compliance with local regulations, and international returns. It sits between your store and the border, ensuring every international order is compliant and transparent.

Inaccurate duty calculation is the root cause. If the platform underestimates duties at checkout, the shortfall is charged to the customer on delivery. Some brands have reported this with other providers. Swap guarantees accurate duties, taxes, and fees worldwide, ensuring what's quoted at checkout is what's charged.

Complex platforms with custom integrations require extensive setup. Some providers lack dedicated account management. Swap provides responsive support, user reviews consistently highlight the helpfulness and speed of the Swap team, with onboarding in as little as 48 hours.