Sending goods, be it a domestic or commercial, across the globe has made life easy. It is not only convenient, but it is also fast. You can expect the goods to delivery in a couple of days. This makes things faster, especially for businesses, as work can then move on smoothly and speedily. Unlike earlier times, where it used to take weeks to deliver and until then you could do nothing, but wait for it. International shipping is a boon and the methods used to transport goods are various such as by road, sea, air, and so on. Having said that, even though it is expedient and suitable, many things to be kept in mind to ensure that the routes used are safe and legal and requirements are complied with. If not, it can prove to be dangerous as non-compliance entails fines and maybe prosecution too.
Mistakes to be avoided
Following are the mistakes to be avoided in case of international shipping: –
- Packing the goods in the correct way is one of the most essential things to adhere. Packaging depends on the type of product. Packing it securely ensures that your goods will reach the destination in one piece without any damage. One has to take into account that when companies are dealing with such huge orders in bulk and even though all measures are taken to handle them smoothly and safely; there are always possibilities of dropping the items thereby causing damage. If the parcel is packed properly, the risk of damage reduces. More than that, get prior knowledge of the destination country its requirements and regulations regarding the shipping containers and follow it.
- It is not necessary that the international shipping company you deal with the most is the best in all situations. These companies usually have a rapport with the customs officials in different locations and maybe that particular company does not have such a relation in every country. Therefore, it is best to do your research and due diligence to find out which is the best shipping organization to go ahead with for a particular country, which would then make delivery faster.
- It is imperative and cannot be emphasized enough that knowing the regulations of the origin country and the destination country are vital to international shipping. When deciding on a company to move your cargo you must ensure that they know the regulations and customs requirements and laws of the port of destination because the last thing you want is your goods to be stuck with customs because then, to get them released might be a nightmare. One must also know the insurance procedure and ensure that good are insured.
- It is understandable that for the sender, it is not possible to know all the requirements and laws of shipping, but to rely completely on the provider is also not advisable. It is highly recommended that the sender does his/her own research and educates himself/herself on the needs and nuances of shipping, so when the provider mentions something to you, you know what he is talking about and chances of being misled reduce.
- Another mistake to be avoided in international shipping is incorrect labelling of the receiver’s address. This not only delays the delivery but also increases shipping charge, as then the goods when delivered to the wrong address will have to deliver to the right address. Labelling requirements are also mentioned in shipping laws and those must be complied with. Nowadays people use the address verification system to lessen the mistakes, but even then, packaging would need specific marking showing the country of origin and destination, declaration of goods and so on.
Therefore, by avoiding these mistakes you can experience smooth international shipping.
