Transporting your goods domestically and internationally by entrusting them to a freight forwarder requires careful consideration and decision-making.
You don’t want to be in a situation where your goods aren’t delivered on time, withheld in customs, or damaged due to a freight forwarder’s poor performance.
With the information in this article, you can avoid situations like this.
But before we discuss how to identify a good freight forward for your business, it is crucial for you to do the following.
What to do before looking for a freight forwarder
1. Determine the types of goods you need to ship:
When it comes to shipping goods internationally, different types of goods are subject to specific regulations, including strict ones like hazardous goods. Also, some goods require temperature-controlled shipping.
Understanding information like this about your goods can guide you in choosing a freight forwarder that fits your needs.
2. Determine the volume of cargo you’ll be shipping regularly:
What is the quantity of the product you need to transport, and how often do you need to ship it to run your business seamlessly?
3. Familiarise yourself with import/export regulations:
Before searching for a freight forwarder, it is crucial to familiarise yourself with the basic import/export regulations, as this can set a solid foundation for success in selecting a good freight forwarder.
Get familiar with standard documents like commercial invoices, packing lists, certificates of origin, import/export permits, and compliance certificates. Also, check out restrictions on certain goods in your industry.
Do you need an expert to guide you with this? Contact us today, and let’s help.
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Freight Forwarder
1. Experience, Reputation and Reliability:
In evaluating various freight forwarders, the first thing to check is their experience and what people are saying about their service.
You need an experienced freight forwarder with a proven track record in handling various types of shipments, navigating complex customs procedures, and addressing logistical challenges. You want to be sure that your goods are in safe and reliable hands.
Check out their testimonials, client references, and content on their website and social with a focus on on-time delivery rates, communication responsiveness, countries they ship to mostly, and other factors important to your business.
Choosing to work with SARA for your freight forwarding needs means partnering with experienced professionals with 20 years of experience in the industry. Our satisfied clients often praise the quality of our services. Check it out for yourself on our homepage.
2. Range of Services Offered:
Yes, the major job of a freight forwarder is to help you transport your goods around locally and globally, but you need more than that in your supply chain.
Check each of the freight forwarders if they offer additional services like:
- Procurement management
- Haulage
- Warehousing
- Custom Brokerage (very important)
- International payment assistance
- And other logistics services
Sara Procurement Services Limited offers all these and more.
3. Cost Considerations:
After checking out their experience and the range of services they can offer your business, you need to consider their cost.
Although most freight forwarding costs depend on the cargo volume you are shipping, it’s important to note that various freight forwarders offer different shipping rates.
Reach out to the freight forwarder’s sales team and get a quote on your desired shipping requirements (this is why we advise sorting this out before looking for a freight forwarder).
4. Partnership With Shipping Line:
Every freight forwarder works with various partners to fulfil the shipping and other services they offer their customers; they are the middleman.
When evaluating a freight forwarder, it is important to check out how many partners they work with. With more partners comes more choices in terms of delivery time and flexible costs.
At Sara, we work with 10+ industry partners and have a vast network of suppliers and branches globally.
5. Technology and Tracking Capabilities:
When shipping goods over a long distance by sea or air, it usually takes days for them to arrive at the destination, so it is important to have a way of tracking your goods and knowing that everything is going well.
Ensure the freight forwarder you choose has the technology needed to track your goods at any time.
At Sara, we have a system in place to enhance cargo tracking and other important details.
6. Compliance and Documentation Expertise:
Everything in the supply chain industry is highly regulated, and you need a freight forwarder with a track record of regulation compliance.
A good freight forwarder is always ahead of schedule. They set all required documents and certifications ahead of time, are prompt in customs clearance without delay, and deliver your goods on time.
You can rely on SARA to do all these for you.
Why choose SARA for your freight forwarding
Now that you have the guide you need to evaluate a freight forwarder, we recommend that you select our service to settle your business needs.
We have expert and professional freight forwarders with track records of on-time delivery, strict compliance with regulations, a global network, and many more.
We work with you to forward your goods and also help in every other area of your supply chain.
Tell us more about your needs, and we will deliver it to you.
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