Inevitably, there would be a lot of contingencies involved when considering importing. It can save you from a lot of hassles and money to understand and get acquainted with on how the process works. But when you have everything planned out, you can reduce the odds of delay and frustration. Here are a few things you can look after to reduce the mishaps when importing:
- Locking down the sale terms when working under
Freight quotes are only valid for a month, so ensure that you are syncing with your supplier. Delays can be really frustrating before the cargo, even exports. You may need to understand the working of exchange of ownership. Your supplier will provide you The Bill of Lading to transfer the ownership of goods after the payment has been received. When it comes to ocean freight, this is done in two ways: the traditional way where they issue original carbon paper docs to be endorsed and surrendered to the ocean carrier before the cargo is released for pickup. Another method is when an electronic release or telex is issued so that everything is managed digitally and you don’t need any originals as well. Go with the telex method for fewer hassles. Original bills of lading are tough and expensive to deal with. Ensure to know what method your supplier is using and update your Clearit USA amazon customs brokerageabout this information as well.
- Loss or damage
You have invested a lot of money in your inventory and you would always take that seriously. The worst case scenario you could ever think of here is your container falls overboard and your goods fall into the ocean. When your goods are insured, you can cover up all the money you invested in goods and on shipping. If not, then good luck. Mostly, things go as per plan, but things may go unexpected sometimes, so always protect your investments by buying cargo insurance, which lets you be relieved. Cargo insurance may not insure you for the lost sales, but it can help you regain some money back and save you from a total loss.
- Extra charges
Storage charges take place when there are delays with the release of the bill of lading or if other government authorities want to review your shipment further even after being released from customs. Storage is priced based on the volume and gets costlier the longer the freight stays. Another kind of storage is the ocean freight called per diem. When shipping a full container, you are renting a container from the steamship line. Once it reaches the US and container leaves for delivery, the line empties the box being returned quickly. When it reaches Amazon, the line charges per diem fee on the container and the chassis where it is kept. Amazon doesn’t look after these charges.