Tips To Keep In Mind When Selecting A Freight Forwarder
The good international Freight Forwarding Directory business model is combined with Suppliers, Freight Forwarders, and good customers. A Freight Forwarder is a person or a company that can help to move your products from the original place to the destination address by different kinds of shipping routes.
We can say the freight forwarder is just like the bridge which connects our suppliers successfully to our customers. So if we have a good freight forwarder as our partners in international business, it can help us reduce many costs in the shipping area, and also help us to connect our customers and suppliers better.
1. Check Their License And Certificate
Freight Forwarding Companies are required to have a business license and certificate which is applied by the related nationwide government. If without this basic license, then they are not transmitted to handle any international cargo. Some sensitive and dangerous products need special license permits that can transit internationally. Please check carefully for the license before you decide to cooperate with them.
2. Consider The Industry Experience.
Different industries have different requirements during international shipping, for example, HS Code, Package requirements, shipping directory needed, and some other elements like freight directory for many industries. So if you have a freight forwarder with rich experience in your industry that will help you to save much time in shipping and avoid some troubles that happen during shipping.
3. Check Their Shipping Routes
As we know no matter what kind of company or freight forwarders directory worldwide business you have, you should have different demands for your shipments. So if your cooperated freight forwarder with a variety of shipping routes for you to choose that can meet your different orders delivery requirements, for example: urgently shipment should choose a door to door service, large volume. But without requiring shipping time, then we can choose a sea shipping service. Or for the middle shipment, if you want to get them in time like a week or two weeks but don’t have much budget in the shipping area, then we can choose air freight or train freight service. We can also choose some other combined shipping methods like Air Freight + Express Freight, Sea Freight + Express Freight, and Train Freight + Express Freight. An experienced Freight Forwarder will have many kinds of shipping routes to meet your shipping requirements.
4. Customs Clearance Ability
A qualified Freight Forwarder should have the ability to help you to do the export customs clearance. If you are a new importer and don’t know how to do the customs clearance, then ask for help from your freight forwarder, as help to solve this kind of question is their basic ability of them.
5. Prepare Import And Export Documents
Helping to prepare the import and export documents for customers is the daily work for Freight Forwarders. If you don’t know what documents are needed for your shipments, then just need to provide the receivers information for example the shipping method, receiver name, address, phone number, and information of the products to your Freight Forwarder, then they will help you to make all the needed shipping documents. If you can’t make this, this means they are a newcomer for shipping, maybe you should choose another freight Forwarder.
6. Provide Packaging Service Or Not
Most times, customers are out of the station, you buy from different suppliers, and then ask the suppliers to send the goods first to your freight Forwarders warehouse by some domestic express. Then there will be somebody who will help you to repack the cartons or check the quality of goods, or help to add some shipping mark out of the cartons or add some label on each inner box. If the freight forwarder you choose can provide you with these logistics directory services, it will be much more convenient for you to handle any kind of shipping directory and there will be a bigger market for your business do you think so?
7. With Storage Ability Or Not, How Long For Free, How Many Can Help To Storage A Time
When choosing a Freight Forwarder. You also need to check the size of their warehouse, which can know their storage ability. Most of the time, you can buy from one or more than one suppliers. And if you ship goods together in one shipment when all supplier’s goods are finished, then that will help you to save a lot of shipping costs because the shipping charge depends on the good’s gross weight and volume size, the bigger then the unit price lower.
8. Ask For References
Sometimes you may ask for references and the competitors will provide the best information. This is especially true and effective when you prefer to choose the right freight forwarding company. A good freight forwarding charter service provider will work with similar companies to yours – and sometimes it will be your direct competitor. While it’s not the best strategy to inquire about your competition who they serve. It is very wise to consult the logistics forwarding company for consideration. If it’s possible, you can ask them to put you in touch with companies with related necessities as you will need – and you don’t need to be afraid to ask hard questions.
9. Don’t Prefer Freight Forwarding Companies Based On Cost.
In short and simple, running a freight forwarding business around the world is a complex process. It pertains to many different strategies which can sometimes go wrong and cause uncertain issues throughout the supply chain. If you prefer the inexpensive freight forwarding service you will not accept the level of service that you want to get and their team members will always require industry experience and understanding of how to figure out these problems quickly. If you prefer a freight forwarding service based on a reasonable cost, it will go for your business more in the long run.
10. Healthy Relationship Between You And Your Forwarder
Freight forwarders owe a lot of their prosperity to their proficiency to develop good connections. The same can be confessed about the relation between you and your forwarder. You should pick a Freight Forwarder with the Right Services for Your Shipments. There are a few things you can work out to make sure that you maintain a good relationship with your freight forwarder. And here are the two most important in our opinion:
First, you need to book your meetings with advance notice. If you are requesting a last-minute booking too often. Then it can lead to deter forwarders from believing you as an esteemed customer. But if you are booking with little advance notice. Then it can be inevitable, but as long as you convey with your forwarder and underestimate bookings packed to departure dates, you can sustain a solid relationship.
Secondly, you must try your best to manage your documentation. If you are maintaining your cargo documentation organized and accessible for your forwarder, then it will lead to efficient bookings and shipping.
So if we have a good freight forwarder as our partners in international business. It can help us reduce many costs in the shipping area. And also help us to connect our customers and suppliers better.
