international shipping Archives - Excelsior Worldwide Logistics Corp.

Things to Consider Before Engaging in International Shipping-Infographic

excelsior on October 30, 2020

So, you finally started your own business. You managed to find suppliers for your products, gain some brand awareness to attract customers, and you are sure that you are earning a considerable return on investment or ROI. You finally considered to further expand your business by reaching potential markets from other places. This is where you realized that engaging in international shipping is indeed possible.

If ever you come across such thoughts before, here are some of the things to be aware of before taking a big step into the world of international shipping:

Identifying the Countries to Ship Your Products

Finding international locations where you can sell your products can be a crucial and tricky task at the same time. The following tips will help you narrow down which countries should you ship your products to:

Look for countries with customer demographics that are similar to your local market.
Make sure that your target countries speak a language that you familiar with, and since English iswidelyconsidered as the universal language, going for countries with speakers that are conversant with the English language can be an advantage.
Figure whether the countries on your list have an existing demand for what products you can offer.

Familiarize Yourself with the Rules of Regulations

Shipping rules and regulations may vary from country to country, so make sure to do research. Try to figure out the list of items that are either prohibited or restricted to a specific country where you think you can gain some customers. Knowing some information about the location of your target markets and their existing laws will increase your chances of getting better deals and a seamless shipping process.

What Products Should You Try for Shipping?

The most ideal products to be shipped in cross-country trade are:

Smaller and lighter items for lowering downs shipping costs
Popular products that can be sold on an international scale
Products that can be shipped for longer periods of time.
Products that can be easier to package.

Expect Additional Duties and Taxes

International shipping might be a tempting venture for your business, but it will require you to be ready to take new duties and some extra expenses if you wanted to be successful. Learn more about how to deal with customs authorities and taxes-related of some countries that might affect the cost of shipping your products. Another essential thing to consider is introducing new payment processes for making business transactions with international clients more convenient.

Hire a Freight Forwarding Agency

Freight forwarders can offer their services to business owners like you who are trying to enter international trade. These people are skilled in handling logistic networks so that you can have a hassle-free and cheaper shipping process. Partnering with a freight forwarder is basically the best option as they can bear most of the tasks associated with international shipping. They always ensure that your products will go from point A to point B while you focus on other important aspects of your business.

Excelsior Worldwide Freight Logistics conducts free orientation for those who are willing to learn. It is our advocacy to share our knowledge & experience worth more than a decade in the business. Visit our website today at www.excelsior.ph to learn more about our service.

Sources:

https://www.storeautomator.com/prepare-your-business-for-international-shipping/

https://shippingeasy.com/resources/preparing-international-shipping-shipping-platform/

Shipping Terms Every International Importer and Exporter Should Know

excelsior on July 15, 2019

If you’ve been managing a business for quite some time now, you might’ve experienced some difficulties when it comes shipping your goods from one place to another. Aside from ensuring the safety and timely arrival of your cargo, you also need to familiarize yourself to several jargons associated with the shipping industry. Most business owners nowadays ended up getting confused about some of the technical terms used in shipping. While you don’t really have to be a pure expert when it comes in dealing with these terms, your knowledge about them could prove to be pretty handy in the future indeed.

So, to help you avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and minimize errors while you communicate with your shipping company, here are some of the most common terminology used in international shipping:

Bill of Lading (BoL)

Bill of Lading, also known as BoL is a document given by a carrier to a shipper. This document is issued on a receipt form with the sign of the vessel’s representative and acts as a written proof of contract that a transportation has been made.

This document is very important as many ports do not allow anyone to claim their goods without presenting their BoL. Unfortunately, some notorious freight forwarding scammers use BoL as a way to steal money from the others. Know more about the other freight forwarding scams through this infographic here.

Carrier

Carriers can be an individual or legal entity that offers transporting services for passengers and goods. Examples of carriers are airlines, shipping lines, railroad and trucking companies.

Backhaul

If a driver takes a cargo during the return trip of a commercial vehicle, it’s technically referred to as a backhaul. Cargo vehicles do this practice as a way to maximize the productivity of their trips.

Customs Broker

Customs Brokers are private individual or firms that works as a guide for both importers and exporters in meeting the necessary requirements given by the customs authorities. Many people usually mistook customs brokers to freight forwarders, but both professions have several distinctions with each other.

Freight Forwarder

These are persons or company that specializes in logistics and organizing shipping processes in place of an individual or company to transport their goods.

Hazmat

A shortened term for “hazardous materials,” hazmat is a material that could pose safety risks to anyone that it comes in contact with. Unlike other forms of cargo, shipping hazmat requires special endorsements from all involved parties.

Intermodal

Cargo can be considered as an intermodal once it was shipped using multiple forms of transportation, like a cargo truck and rail transport.

Less Than Truckload (LTL)

When the weight of a shipment ended up being less than the required weight of the truckload rate, that is described as Less Than Truckload or LTL.

Tender

Tender is a fixed cost to move a cargo.

Transportation Management System (TMS)

Transportation Management Systems or TMS is a software designed to help businesses and even some freight forwarding companies to optimize their planning and execution in the physical movement of the goods. There are several benefits that can be obtained by investing in this kind of system.

Sources:

New Cebu international port project may start in August

excelsior on June 24, 2016

Lorenciana, Carlo and Braga, Michael Vencynth (2016, June 24). The Freeman. New Cebu international port project may start in August. Retrieved from http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2016/04/29/1577985/new-cebu-international-port-project-may-start-august

CEBU, Philippines – The new Cebu international container port may start construction by August this year if the National Economic and Development Authority Board would approve the project.

Cebu Port Authority General Manager Edmund Tan, however, could not say if the port project will be approved within President Aquino’s term which ends this June. The President chairs the NEDA.

Tan said he was hoping the project would be approved as soon as possible.

Speaking at the Visayas Shipping Conference 2016 yesterday in Cebu City, Tan said NEDA is currently awaiting from the Department of Transportation and Communications “the submission of requisite documents for the said project to facilitate NEDA Board-ICC (Investment Coordination Committee) processing and approval.”

These documents include the feasibility study which was completed in July 2015 and ICC project evaluation forms.

The project, Tan added, is scheduled to be presented to DOTC secretary for approval and subsequent endorsement to the NEDA Board-ICC.

According to the project’s implementation timeline, the target schedule for the construction is August this year and completion is second quarter of 2019.

The feasibility study on the new Cebu port, done by Korean experts, pointed a location in Tayud, Consolacion as the project site.

Among the study’s recommendations include funding from the Korea’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund as the project, which has an estimated project cost of P10 billion, has a poor financial viability.

Tan said the new port will need an access road to connect the port to and from the Cebu North Coastal Road.

The study noted that the traffic on the existing road linked to the access road to the new port will increase due to the increased cargo transport.

“It is recommended to expand lane of the existing road and set up a countermeasure for traffic improvement,” Tan said.

He said the CPA will have to ask the Department of Public Works and Highways for the possibility of funding the road access project.

The study also recommended the application of Korea’s container port development experience to Cebu new port.

The new container port is geared to meet the demands of dynamic and growing economy of Cebu and of the region.

It is expected to provide a long-term solution to the congestion at the existing Cebu International Port due to increasing cargo volume and the shallow water depth of its container berths.

The new port project was included in the Comprehensive and Integrated Infrastructure Program (CIIP) on April 11.

The municipality of Consolacion welcomes the idea of establishing the international port in Barangay Tayud.

Mayor Teresa Alegado believes that transferring the port to other areas like Consolacion will decongest the traffic in the cities of Mandaue and Cebu.

She added that it would also spur economic development of the town.

The traffic congestion at the Cebu International Port area is reportedly caused by big trucks hauling cargoes inside the area.