International Shipping & Freight Forwarding Blog

Don't listen to the naysayers: Size does matter

One of the most important decisions you'll make when shipping goods internationally is deciding on your container. It's going to impact your costs, timing, mode of transport, and security. So, when we first talk talking to our clients about their shipment, we start with understanding how their goods will fit within the different container-types, and how said containers will fit into their shipping vessels.

After all, there's nothing more frustrating than encountering unexpected costs and delays, so getting this part right early in the process is going to make a HUGE difference in your overall experience.

To make it easier for you, I have outlined the dimensions you'll be dealing with for both AIR and OCEAN transportation.

Container shipping rates have more to them than you may think!

A client recently shipped a 40 foot shipper owned container to Madagascar.  She was moving overseas and wanted to keep the container.

Okay, now I know this may seem ridiculous to some, because who wants a shipping container anyway, and how could it possibly be cost effective? How much does a shipping container cost, anyway?

Good questions - I'm glad you asked.

First off, it doesn't matter whether a shipping customer simply wants to rent a shipping line’s container for the duration of the shipping of their cargo, or whether they want to purchase and keep the actual shipping container, either method is proven possible and make sense in their own respective ways.

Here are 5 reasons why buying your shipping container may be the answer for you, even if you're not a manufacturer or international distributor.

REEFERS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING:

If you or your business has been shipping products overseas for a while, you probably already know that a "Reefer" is the term used for a refrigerated container. A container is simply a large metal box used to transport goods by air, ocean, road or rail. A Reefer is the same type of container but refrigerated for any goods that require a constant, cooler temperature.

Reefers are mostly used for the transportation of meats, vegetables, dairy and other products that need temperature control like medications or flowers.

Here is some related, international shipping information. Check out these articles created to help any business needing to understand more about freight forwarding and shipping products overseas:

• Get A Rate Quote For An Upcoming Shipment
• What To Know About Ocean Shipping & Container Sizes
• Most Frequently Asked Questions About International Shipping
• Understanding Air Freight, Cargo & Containers

SHIPPER + OCEAN CARRIER = WIN, WIN CONTRACT:

If you are shipping goods or product overseas, you will have to sign a contract once initial negotiations are completed. However, these types of agreements or contracts can be very complicated. How can both the shipper and the ocean carrier be sure they have entered into a fair, win, win deal? There are so many different ocean freight carriers serving an almost countless number of shipping lanes. This means that there is no such thing as a "standard" contract. They are all different because the size, route, time, vessel and goods vary at every turn. This means that every international shipping contract is different. To give you a better idea of how variable these ocean shipping contracts can be, understand that there are more than 300 different surcharges that can be applied by shippers worldwide.

If you are a shipper who needs to ship goods overseas, don't think these contracts are designed this way to confuse you or take advantage of you in any way. Yes you always need to be careful when searching for a new international shipping vendor but understand that these agreements can become so complex because they really do need to be extremely comprehensive and cover the best interests of both the shipper and the ocean freight carrier. Rates and surcharges must take into consideration all contingencies. Many address exclusions and exceptions to cover both sides of the contract and add this fact to how many different systems, structures and rates each ocean freight service uses.

Here is some additional information from an international freight forwarders perspective:

• Request A Rate Quote For Shipping Your Goods
• Ocean Freight Qualifications & Contact Information
• A Freight Glossary Of Industry Used Terminology