Ah, you say but my product is very simple and there is no way I should need an export license to export it. That might seem logical to you, but if your product has a "dual use", which means your product has both commercial and military or proliferation applications, then you need to do some more work before shipping. You need to determine your product's Export Control Classification Number (ECCN), check to see if it is on the Commerce Control List and if so further check the requirements and destination country on the Commerce Country Chart. If you need to get an export license remember that the license only applies to one shipment (transaction), so you need to get another new license for each shipment and licenses typically can take 20-30 days to get (which means that eCommerce won't work smoothly for export products requiring and export license.

Some examples of the not-so-logical nature of export licenses:

Paraffin (you know stuff in candles) can often require an export license depending on the buyer and destination country.

Horses shipped by sea, but not by air or land require an export license

Sony Playstation depending upon to where and to whom you ship can require an export license.

So forget the intuitive feeling that you don't need an export license and check before shipping.