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Basics of Freight Forwarding Everyone Should Know

Freight Forwarding

Getting your business from A to B? Try Packair freight forwarding.

If you’re running a business and want to start developing internationally, the ability to seamlessly import and export assets is essential. If you’re just starting out, international shipping may seem terrifying, but there’s help at hand a freight forwarding company such as Packair freight forwarding.

Whats a freight forwarder?

Freight forwarding companies specialize in storing and shipping merchandise on behalf of its customers. Most will offer you a full end-to-end service, including preparation of goods for shipping, inland transportation, booking cargo space, sorting out freight charges, insurance, and warehousing. They usually ship products under their waybills, and have agents or associates at the shipping destination on hand to sort out document delivery and goods collection. In a nutshell, they take the logistics of import and export and do everything for you.

What does that mean for you?

Working with a freight forwarder means a lot of the stress of getting into international shipping is taken away. But then, it’s still a good idea to get familiar with the process, so you can understand what’s going on and ask the right questions if you need to.

The first, and potentially most important thing to know is that freight forwarding companies don’t actually move anything themselves. They merely arrange it, acting as a go-between, between you and the transport service that does the actual moving from A to B.  Which transportation service they work with depends on what you’re shipping and where it’s headed – it might be air freight, cargo ship, rail, or truck.

Your freight forwarder will have an established relationship with all sorts of transport services and can get you a great deal from a fast, reliable provider that you don’t have to worry about finding all by yourself. They also know everything there is to know about regulations, documents, costs, and even banking practices that you may not even know you needed to know.

Why are freight forwarders so great?

If you’re not already convinced you need a freight forwarder, how about this?

  • You’re guaranteed excellent customer service and expert knowledge in all aspects of import and export.
  • A great freight forwarder works with consolidators, as well as shippers.
  • The team will risk-assess and risk-manage every step of the way.
  • Your freight forwarder will also handle any international payment requirements.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a big company with tons of import and export experience, or if you’re brand new to it. A freight forwarder can take the stress out of shipping. Light cargo, heavy cargo, large quantities or small – freight forwarders make it easy.

And it gets better!

You may be thinking that all of this sounds like it will cost an arm and a leg, or maybe even all your limbs. In fact, most freight forwarders charge a lot less than you think. Combined with the possible shipping discounts they’ll be able to get for you, their years of experience, and how much less it will cost your business because of all the time you’re saving, it could be an excellent investment.

Image Credits: Freight Forwarding from weerasak saeku/Shutterstock