Archive for the ‘International Shipping’ Category

Essential Official Documents for International Shipping

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

The international shipping of your goods requires several office documents to be prepared and authorized. What kind of official documentation is needed for the successful shipment of your valuable belongings internationally should be in your knowledge. The Export Cargo Shipping Instruction is the first and foremost official document, a requirement of international shipping. This basic and common document is to ask the shipping company for their services for the overseas shipping of your belongings. It will list the details of your items for shipment. The list of principal documents given below is not complete by any means, but it will give you a practical idea of documentation for international shipping.

A Dangerous Goods Note or the DGN is a must requirement if the goods for international shipment are hazardous in nature. The descriptive details of the hazardous items will be provided in this particular documentation.  The content of the document also includes what hazards they are vulnerable to and how to ship them overseas in a safe manner.

A Standard Shipping Note or briefly called the SSN is an official documentation for non-hazardous goods. Though your goods for international shipment are not hazardous in nature, this type of documentation is still needed if the items are fragile and need meticulous handling. It will let the shipping company know how carefully they should handle the goods.

The Bill of Lading is an official documentation that the company offering international shipping services issues. Three reasons are there attaching importance to the Bill of Lading.  It is a document proving that your belongings for international shipment are really in the possession of the shipping company. It is a proof to the agreement among the parties involved. It is also title documentation for the goods.

The Sea Waybill is almost akin to the Bill of Lading. The only difference from other documents is that it contains no conditions essential for the misuse of the title to your items. It makes the documentation process much easier and faster.

Factors Influencing the Rates of International Shipping Services

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Your business has spread crisscrossing the world. You need international shipping services to export your goods around the globe. International shipping companies are offering their services at competitive rates to be fit into the cobweb of global economy. Choosing the right company for international shipping of your products is what matters in terms of importance. Though international shipping is available at giveaway prices in the competitive export market, some certain factors keep the international shipping rates in swing.

Shipment weight is one of the contributing factors to affect the cost of international shipping. Not only the size and but also the weight of your shipment is a shipping cost-determining factor for the carrier that you have chosen. Most of the carriers take up dimensional weight to calculate the chargeable weight and density of the shipment. Try to keep the weight of your shipment as low as possible.

Target location is another factor that is given a heavy consideration by the carriers. Distance between your location and the destination of your shipment is what the shipment costs depend on. In case of distance factor too, the international shipping rates vary from one carrier to the other.

When it comes to availing international shipping service, shipment type is not to be sniffed at. International shipping prices vary widely with the types of shipment. The rate of international shipping service is higher for perishable goods like foods than for non-perishable items.

The shipping container types are a great influence over the costs of international shipping service. Rates for the shipping of your products via a pallet or container are comparatively lower. Enclosed shipping is cheaper than open shipping since it is difficult to handle loose cargo.