How To Choose A Freight Forwarding Sea Shipping Company For Shipping Goods To The US?

An excellent freight forwarding sea shipping company, when a client requests to ship goods to the United States, can provide the client with a complete logistics solution from the source of the goods to the destination, including booking, customs declaration, trucking, warehousing, insurance, transshipment to door services.Freight forwarding sea shipping companies can be divided into two types, vessel operating common carrier (VOCC) and non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC). vessel operating common carrier refer to freight forwarding companies that own or lease ships and can provide transportation services directly to customers; non-vessel operating common carrier refer to freight forwarding companies without ships, who cooperate with carriers with ships or other carriers without ships to provide transportation services in their own name. In addition to non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCC), there are some smaller freight forwarders that do not have the qualifications of NVOCC.

一、What are the advantages of shipping goods to the USt using FBA？

FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) is a warehousing and distribution service provided by Amazon. It allows sellers to store their products in Amazon’s warehouses, with Amazon taking responsibility for shipping, returns, customer service, and other subsequent services. Shipping goods to the United States using FBA brings the following advantages:

1.Cost savings: Using FBA to ship goods to the US can leverage its own advantageous resources to negotiate lower freight, warehousing, and customs clearance fees for sellers, thereby reducing the logistics costs of sellers.

2. Efficiency improvement: Using FBA to ship goods to the US allows for the selection of the most suitable routes, shipping schedules, and ports according to the seller’s needs, shortening transportation time and improving logistics efficiency. At the same time, it can maintain good communication with Amazon warehouses to ensure the smooth warehousing, outbound, and shelving of goods, avoiding issues such as delays, losses, and damages.

3. Increased credibility: Using FBA to ship goods to the US can help sellers improve their ratings on Amazon, thereby increasing their credibility and competitiveness on Amazon. Amazon will score sellers based on indicators such as shipping speed, return and exchange rate, and customer service quality, affecting the seller’s ranking, exposure, sales, etc. It can also ensure that the seller’s goods arrive at the Amazon warehouse in time, with Amazon responsible for subsequent services, thereby improving the seller’s rating.

二、What is the sea shipping process for transporting goods to the US?

Shipping goods to the US using FBA involves the following steps:

1.Consultation and Quotation：Sellers can consult with freight forwarding company salespeople about transportation plans, costs, timeframes, and other information through websites, phone calls, WeChat, etc., and choose a suitable freight forwarding company and service.

2.Contract Signing: The seller and the freight forwarding company sign a sea freight service contract, confirming information such as the name, quantity, weight, volume, packaging, and destination of the goods, as well as terms such as freight, insurance, payment method, and compensation.

3. Booking: Based on the content of the contract, the freight forwarding sea shipping company makes a booking, obtains information such as cabin space, ship name, shipping schedule, bill of lading number, etc., and notifies the seller.

4.Collect Goods：The seller notifies the freight forwarder to pick up the goods at the door or delivers the goods to a designated domestic warehouse, or entrusts the freight forwarding company to arrange for a truck to pick up the goods and transport them to the port or warehouse.

5. Packing: The freight forwarding company selects the appropriate container based on the characteristics of the goods, and carries out operations such as packing, sealing, and labeling to ensure the safety and integrity of the goods.

6. Loading: After customs clearance, the freight forwarding company delivers the goods to the dock, where they are loaded onto the ship by the shipping company. The freight forwarder obtains a loading receipt and notifies the seller.

7. Issuing the Bill of Lading: The freight forwarding company requests the bill of lading from the shipping company, checks the content of the bill of lading, signs the bill of lading, and sends the bill of lading to the seller or buyer, or sends the bill of lading information by telex release.

8. Customs Clearance: After the goods arrive at the destination port, the freight forwarding company or its agent handles the import customs clearance procedures on behalf of the seller or buyer. They submit documents such as the bill of lading, invoice, packing list, contract, and certificate of inspection, pay taxes and fees, and obtain a release order, etc.

9. Delivery: The freight forwarding company or its agent arranges for a truck to pick up the goods from the dock and transport them to an overseas warehouse or a specified destination, or deliver the goods to an Amazon warehouse. They complete warehousing, shelving, and other operations, and notify the seller or buyer.

三、How to choose the right freight forwarding company to transport your goods?

Choosing the right freight forwarding company is an important part of cross-border e-commerce for sellers. Sellers should consider the following aspects based on their own needs and budget:

1.Qualifications: Sellers should choose freight forwarding companies with legal qualifications, such as those registered with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in the United States, or direct carriers approved by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), to ensure the regularity and reliability of the freight forwarding company.

2. Services: Sellers should choose freight forwarding companies that can provide comprehensive, professional, and efficient services. For example, they should be able to provide services such as FBA sea freight first leg, overseas warehouses, door-to-door delivery, etc. They should be able to customize suitable transportation plans according to the seller’s needs, communicate, track, and feedback the status of the goods in a timely manner, handle emergencies, and provide high-quality after-sales service, etc.

3.Cost: Sellers should choose a freight forwarding company that can provide reasonable, transparent, and competitive costs. If they can provide services such as a flat rate, tax declaration, and customs clearance, and can give an accurate quote based on factors such as the weight, volume, and destination of the goods, clearly list the composition of the costs, and provide promotions, discounts, and other activities, etc.

4.Reputation: Sellers should choose a freight forwarding company with a good reputation. If they can provide proof such as customer reviews, cases, certificates, etc., demonstrate the strength, experience, and reputation of the freight forwarding company, and gain the trust and satisfaction of customers, etc.

Freight forwarding and shipping companies are important partners for cross-border e-commerce sellers. Sellers should consider the qualifications, services, costs, and reputation of freight forwarding companies based on their own needs and budget, choose the appropriate freight forwarding company, and achieve smooth and efficient logistics.