International shipping can certainly be expensive, and after a while can put a serious dent on your company’s budget sheet and therefore profits. However, there are some simple ways in which you can save money fairly easily.
Check the rates in advance to find out the cheapest dates for shipping, just as you might with do your holiday flights or train tickets. Sure, if you must have your goods delivered by a certain date, you will have your hands tied and may need to use a more expensive option, but if not, then opt for a later and cheaper date to make significant savings.
When choosing your operator, you must understand that the lowest EWC (ex-works cost) may not always be the cheapest option for you. You must consider the entire cost, including any fees, taxes or duties which will need to be applied, so try to gather this information first to establish the best deal.
Try to build a good relationship with your freight forwarder by being a good customer. This means always paying on time, making life easy for them with good packaging and always having your goods ready at the right time. Over time they will come to see you as more of a partner than a customer, and this will benefit both parties.
It might sound counter-intuitive, but spending some money on a 4PL can actually save money, as they have all the transportation and storage requirements set up already. They can assist with simplifying your transport process and offer professional advice and answer any queries you make have about streamlining your freighting procedure. A 4PL is a “fourth-party logistics model”, basically a company which already has relationships with many freighting companies and may even have their own warehouses to store your goods, essentially doing all the hard work for you!