When shipping goods internationally, it is important to ensure that you have selected a reliable shipping company to work with. Not all companies have the resources to simplify the process of shipping freight. Therefore, it is important to educate yourself about different issues associated with shipping to ensure that you end up receiving quality services.
- Know about what you are going to ship. Before selecting a shipping service, you should consider what you are shipping. This information will also help you learn more about the capabilities of carriers. Getting informed about your product line will help you select a right mode of transportation. For instance, if you are going to ship less-than-truckload (LTL), it is important have some information about freight classes to make a right decision. Moreover, it makes great sense to learn about logistics, which in turn will make it easier to determine what you need.
- Know the real transit time. In many cases, you may take a decision depending on the published transit time. However, this is not the right thing to do. Your decision should be based on the actual transit time, especially if you have a deadline to catch. Understand that the actual transit time can be quite different from the published transit time. Weather and terminal delays can cause serious problems too. Therefore, you should select a company after considering the actual transit time to avoid experiencing any issue later.
- Know the total landed cost. It is natural to feel concerned about the total cost of shipping freight, but experts suggest that you should focus more on the total landed cost. For instance, you may think that ocean freight is going to be the cheapest option, but you have to consider that it may also have the longed lead-time with the most variability. It means that if your cargo is to be delivered in 40 days, it may end up taking more than 120 days through ocean freight shipping. Therefore, you should also count in the additional cost of inventory and safety stock. You may be better off putting your money on air freight because it may have a high upfront cost by you will not have to worry about dealing with additional cost incurred by unnecessary delays. Consider all these factors when determining the cost of using a shipping option.
The fact of the matter is that selecting a right shipping service is of immense importance. Failing to make a right decision will haunt you in a big way. You may even have to deal with angry customers and lost business. Therefore, you should consider several factors before selecting a company for shipping freight. Not all of them are going to deliver maximum satisfaction, but putting your money on a reputable shipping company may help you get good services. So, keep above mentioned points in mind and take your time before selecting a shipping partner.