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Have you Considered?

Even the most experienced importers & exporters would appreciate a reminder of the massive list of “things” to consider when arranging shipping internationally. It happens way too often that it is not until a shipment goes wrong do we sit back and reflect on how processes can be improved to ensure that certain something does not go wrong in the future,

We are hoping that this series of “have you considered?” that we will be posting twice a week on social media will not only assist those who are thankful of the reminder but those who are new to international shipping and have not yet experienced enough to say “well I will make sure that doesn’t happen again!”

Bec

Half Way

It is hard to believe we are rolling into June! A time of year where we reflect if we have achieved what we set out to achieve this year, we start to gather figures and paperwork for the tax man and many people start to tell us how may weeks it is until Christmas!

With receiving our China contract rates for June yesterday, and seeing how incredibly low they were, it prompted me to analyse how the rates have moved in the first half of this year.

Mapping January to June this graph shows a solid start with no movement really between January and February, a drop in March which was due to container volumes being low after Chinese New Year with an increase come April. From April until now, the rates have decreased substantially.

If anyone would like to have insight into any specific port or country, please give us a call or pop us an email.

Pirates!

Monday night, and part of my studies tonight is covering Risk management.

What are you, the Importer & we, the Freight forwarders exposed to when dealing with foreign trade & how do we all effectively manage these risks??
Have you considered Country Risk / Geographical Risk when importing from a foreign country? Geographical Risk is known as a politically risky country where Piracy is a very big factor.
Pirate activity not only disrupts trade, it often results in loss of lives. South East Asia and the Indian Sub-Continent have now been added to the Piracy and armed robbery prone & warning list.
Make sure to ask your forwarder if the country you are importing from or exporting to – is considered a risky country / geographical risk?
Trading with ‘risky’ countries can impose additional charges like security surcharges on top of your freight. This increases your freight cost and adds to your bottom line.
Check out this live map which shows all piracy and armed robbery incidents reported to IMB Piracy. Reporting Centre during 2015  https://www.icc-ccs.org/piracy-reporting-ce…/live-piracy-map
Remember:
Your information saves lives – Use the 24hr Maritime Security hotline – https://www.icc-ccs.org/p…/24-hour-maritime-security-hotline to report any suspicious activity.
– Christine

Intro to Shipping Internationally

For those of who you have travelled internationally whether it be for business or pleasure, what’s the first thing you need to show before boarding your flight?

– Your airline ticket and Passport

To travel internationally and pass through airline security, customs & immigration barriers, you must provide all the right documents. The basic set of documents you would need; is your ticket to travel and your passport. However, you may also require visas, health cards and/or any other special documents dependant on the country you are going to.

When cargo travels internationally, there is no difference. Your cargo must also have a “ticket” to travel. In the freight industry, we call this a Bill of Lading, or Sea/Air Waybill. Your cargo will also require further documentation to pass through customs and quarantine barriers.

A basic set of documents required will include;
the Bill of Lading or Waybill,
Commercial invoice;
Packing list;
and Packing Declaration

However special documents may also be required which will be dependent on the nature of the goods and the destination.

Here is some examples of these special documents;
Weight & Measurement declarations;
Cleanliness declaration;
New & Unused declaration,
Certificate of Origin,
Manufacture declaration,
Free Trade Agreements,
Insurance Certificate.
Fumigation Certificates,
Dangerous Goods declarations and so on.

Going back to my analogy, there is one main difference between people traveling internationally and your cargo traveling internationally and that is, we can communicate when we need something or when something goes wrong and generally there is an airline host or hostess to attend to our needs.

So bearing this in mind, cargo must be handled correctly and right from the start. Having suitable packaging, timing and routing arrangements, clearance and compliance and correct documentation will all be necessary to ensure that a smooth journey for your cargo is achieved.

Did you know, not only will your cargo travel across at least two governmental and possibly cultural barriers, there is many geographical, climatic and handling hazards that may be encountered too?

That’s where the team at Personalised Freight Solutions comes in, let us assist you in this process. We can co-ordinate the documents, duty and tax implications, size and weight restrictions, special permits, route and schedule limitations, letter of credit stipulations and many other factors that require precise detail, timing and dedicated attention.

– Christine

A guide to Incoterms

You will note our short guide to Incoterms in the side bar of our services pages, here is more of what you need to know & why it’s so important to get Incoterms right from the start!

Are you looking at buying goods from overseas to re-sell in Australia? Has the supplier or factory given you a quote for the goods and told you that the terms are FOB / EXW / CIF etc. Are you thinking … what do these 3 letters mean?

What are Incoterms®?

The term, Incoterms® is an abbreviation for International Commercial Terms.

Incoterms® are a set of rules which outline the responsibilities of sellers and buyers for the delivery of goods under a sales contract. They are published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and are widely used in International commercial transactions.

The first Incoterms® were issued in 1936. The most current version of Incoterms® is Incoterms® 2010, which were introduced in September 2010 and became effective January 1, 2011.

Incoterms are also known as Delivery terms

What are Incoterms® used for?

Incoterms® provide a common set of rules to clarify the responsibilities of sellers and buyers for the delivery of goods under sales contracts (An example of a sales contract – is the invoice your supplier just gave you).

Incoterms distributes the transportation costs and responsibilities relating to the delivery of goods between buyers (importers) and sellers (exporters) and mirrors the modern-day transportation practices. Establishing the incoterm significantly decreases any misunderstandings among the buyer and seller and thereby minimizing trade disputes and litigation.

What are the Incoterms® 2010?

There are now two main categories of Incoterms® 2010 which are grouped by the modes of transport.

These can be used in international as well as in domestic contracts, the new groups aim to streamline the drafting of contracts and assist with avoiding misunderstandings by clearly stipulating the responsibilities of buyers and sellers.

Group 1 – Incoterms® that apply to any mode of transport are:

  • EXW – Ex Works
  • FCA – Free Carrier
  • CPT – Carriage Paid To
  • CIP – Carriage and Insurance Paid To
  • DAT – Delivered at Terminal
  • DAP – Delivered at Place
  • DDP – Delivered Duty Paid

Group 2. Incoterms® that apply to sea and inland waterway transport only:

  • FAS – Free Alongside Ship
  • FOB – Free on Board
  • CFR – Cost and Freight
  • CIF Cost, Insurance, and Freight

The movement of cargo across international boundaries, by necessity, requires the involvement of a number of service providers and authorities. These parties include Customs and other Permit Issuing Agencies, Transport Operators (Forwarders, Carriers, and Brokers), Insurers and Banks.

The delivery terms assist with telling either party at least;

  • who is responsible for taking certain action and who is to pay for it
  • where the risk in transit transfers from seller to buyer

If you need further assistance with your individual circumstances please feel free contacting us anytime!

Personalised Freight Solutions is an international freight forwarding company, simplifying the movement of cargo globally. Our services include import and export, sea and air freight, border clearances, and on ground trucking at both origin and destination.
165-171 Broadwater Terrace, Suite 8
Redland Bay
Queensland
4165
Australia
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