International shipping can be a time-consuming and stressful endeavour, but it doesn’t have to be! Choosing an independent shipping company is a good option as they can invest more time and effort into guiding you through your decision-making process.
Whether you’re new to international shipping or have been doing it for years, here are the key things to consider when planning:
Experience and Guidance
Whilst it’s true that there are many huge international shipping companies out there, the main providers can make clients feel like ‘just another number.’ Choosing a small-medium sized independent international shipping company can come with a range of benefits. Where larger companies will expect you to fully understand your requirements, independent alternatives like Dunbar Removals and Storage have impressive experience and, most importantly, are prepared to provide guidance from the very beginning to the very end of the process. Even if you don’t have a clue where to start, Dunbar can help!
Understand Your Priorities
Before beginning to plan your delivery, you need to decide what your basic delivery priorities are.
For example, are the items fragile? If they are then a slower and safer delivery is a better idea and the increased price which comes with this could be split between both parties. This will also require more specific transportation types and instructions both before and after its long-haul delivery stage (before and after the port or airport).
Another delivery principle which everybody must consider is time. It’s important to carefully consider the time to price trade-off. If going for a first-class over a second-class delivery saves 3 days and only costs, say, an extra 10% of delivery costs then it may be worth it. Contrastingly, if it reduces the delivery time by 1 day but costs triple the price then it’s probably not a good idea. If you’re unsure, the best thing to do is to be clear with the recipient and to give them the choice.
These examples demonstrate the importance of fully considering your priorities when planning international shipping. They also show that key principles like time and fragility have numerous side factors which can interrelate to make a complex process. This is why Dunbar’s commitment to guidance is so useful.
Who Does What?
An important thing to consider is who will pay for insurance, duties, and relevant taxes. Do you cover these expenses as the sender? Does the recipient pay? Are they going to be split? Ironing out these decisions prior to starting the delivery process reduces future stresses.
Another extremely important thing to organise is the receiver’s most up-to-date contact information. Should your delivery be held up by customs on account of issues or questions for its recipient, making sure that their details are up-to-date will mean that the delivery is then their responsibility. Fail to do this and you may need to cover extra costs and will also likely hit further complications.
It should now be clear exactly what the most important primary considerations are when planning to deliver an item internationally. It should also be clear that choosing a smaller independent company, and the guidance and tailored service they provide is very beneficial when faced with huge global chains.
If you have any further questions about overseas shipping or any of our other services like domestic and commercial removals or secure storage, then don’t hesitate to get in contact with Dunbar Removals & Storage today by calling 01620 880 213!