The most common way by which companies deliver their merchandise to customers across the globe is shipping it by sea freight. Freightliners provide the most cost-effective method for shipping cargo when it the goods aren’t urgently needed. If your company has international customers, here are five tips to help you save money on freight shipping.
Combine Shipments
If you have several customers in the same region of the world, you should send all of their shipments together. This will not only help you save money on shipping fees, but it could also expedite deliveries for your customers. In addition, once the shipment arrives, you may be able to deliver most or all of the merchandise on the same truck, which can help you save money on ground shipping costs as well.
Send Shipments Early
To avoid being charged more money and having shipments delayed when sending them during the winter holidays and other peak times, you should try to send out orders early. Sending early shipments can help you avoid shipping during the Christmas season, which can delay the arrival of your customers’ merchandise. Notify customers that you’re shipping orders early, so they can make sure they have room in their warehouses to store the products.
Choose FCL Shipping
You can save a significant amount of money by shipping goods FCL instead of LCL. FCL, which stands for full container loads, means your cargo will have its own container on the ship instead of sharing a container with other companies. LCL, which stands for less than container loads, is more expensive and puts your cargo in a container with cargo from other companies, which could mean expensive mix-ups at the port of call. If a shipment isn’t large enough to fill an entire container, add to the shipment to get the most out of your money.
Always Insure Shipments
Once your customers’ orders are out of your hands, anything could happen to them. They could be delayed going through customs, pirates could attack the freightliner to steal sea freight, cargo could be accidentally misrouted, or items could be damaged during shipping. However, if you insure your shipments, then you will be covered for delays, damage, and lost or stolen shipments.
Ship to Larger Ports
If possible, always send your shipments to the largest port situated near most of your customers. Smaller ports are usually more expensive to send cargo to because they may operate less efficiently. Some smaller ports may need to send cargo via feeder vessels because they cannot be reached through common shipping routes. If cargo needs to be transferred to another ship, it increases the chance that some of it will be lost, damaged or stolen, which only increases your potential costs.
When you need to ship merchandise to customers around the world, hire an experienced shipping company that can efficiently deliver your goods, no matter where they need to go. In addition, try to choose a company that can arrange for your shipments to go from ship to truck for fast delivery to your clients. If you use these five money-saving tips, your customers’ orders can be delivered efficiently and on time, all while your shipping costs are reduced.