Shipping Your Products

Your product is ready to ship, it has passed inspection and is ready to be picked up from the factory.  To manage the shipment to your home country you will need a capable freight forwarder – the last key piece to the puzzle.  There are many to choose from and they all have offices (or affiliates) in every major city across the globe.  Setting up a meeting with a forwarder that has offices near you is simple and they can actually provide you with good information via their overseas offices that operate in the country you will be manufacturing your product.  We actually recommend contacting the freight forwarder far earlier in the process for this very reason.

You should look for a forwarder that runs a large operation in the country where you will be sourcing your product.  This entails not only an ability to arrange freight, but also logistics, warehousing, and possibly other services as well.  These companies will likely be the most use as they will tend to have a broader range of contacts in those markets.  Some of the larger forwarders include: Expiditors (www.expiditors.com), BDP (www.bdpinternational.com), Schenker (www.dbschenkerusa.com) and Phoenix International (www.phoenixintl.com).  But there are literally hundreds that you could select from.

Many trading companies and agents will have extensive relationships with freight forwarders and can pass along savings if you are working with a good intermediary that manages a good volume of export business.

Managing the shipping and logistics of your delivery is the subject really of another guide.  However, the critical point is that you need to have in your corner a solid freight forwarder to help you smooth out the bumps and manage your shipments for you seamlessly.