Category: Logistics

Settling shipping orders

During the very first step, you may get overwhelmed by the negotiation period when customers are really pushy towards their benefits. Therefore, a deadly problem will occur and probably nip this deal in the bud: inappropriate dictions/tones in the corresponding emails. If the misunderstanding has really appeared, there will be barely build a good impression for your company.

Next issue usually exists between you and the suppliers. Punctuality on manufacturing and lead time, if it goes wrong, it will directly lead to the schedule issue of warehouses. Also, depending on the features and traits of goods, it may concern about the shelf life of goods.

Last but not least, no matter under which incoterms, from the seller's perspective, the transportation to the departure port would be still under the consideration.

Communication for customer searching

To launch new orders on markets, you must make sure that you transmit filtered keywords to your staff who's in charge of marketing. Sometimes, we found that the misunderstanding of mission targets will also weaken the effectiveness in promotions. Usually, social media is the main arena for commercial promotions due to its low-cost and instant feedback. However, it tolerates a lot of fake news and scams as well. Once you fall in traps, the loss is not only just money, also your fame in the stakeholders, which would be affected tremendously.

According to Quora searching results, when we put" international trade clients" as keywords, we'll see a lot of questions relating to "payment transactions", which is another failure that may appear in your shipping process. Yes, other than regular language barriers, the different way of payment in the international market is always troublesome.

Customs clearance

This one should be the most problematic and hardest to handle in the shipping process,  since the final control is not depending on you. The very first essential part is the required documents: all the relative certificates of goods, the legit proof of your trade and freight, and the correct customs clearance form. Anything wrong will lead to serious consequences, such as goods suspension, repatriation of goods or even fines.

Failure to establish good ties with customs authorities will also be a huge problem. As an active player in shipping, tons of routines will relate to the customs, too much time wasting on the clearance would have a toxic effect on your reputation.

Besides, when the delay on custom clearance really happens, the first thing is to find out the reason behind it.  No phenomenon exists in isolation, and the same is true of the causes of customs clearance delays. There are both internal factors related to the shippers themselves, and of course, external factors related to the external environment.

1. Internal factors related to the owner of the goods himself.

All information and documents do not match, especially the completeness of the declaration elements or common understatement of the value of goods, quantity discrepancies, etc.

  2.External factors related to the general external environment.

This external factor is mainly related to the external environment and national policies of the importing and exporting countries.

Full preparation before the shipping service

During "the offer and counteroffer" period, you'll need some negotiation tips to avoid overlong deal settling process.

Always make clear about international incoterms 2020 and respective prices in advance. The competitive price in the market won't be the only way to win more clients, so still, keep in mind that you'll need to earn 50% net profit at least in the end. Besides, the most valuable advantage would be the quality of the shipping service. The best services will match every penny that client pays, and if you get lucky, it could be the start of a long-term partnership. With your profit guaranteed, then be polite and objective on what's going on with your clients.

Having a trustworthy supply chain as an asset. Once the deal has confirmed, the first thing is to get in touch with the suppliers. No matter it is you or your clients will weigh more attention on the suppliers, make sure that you'll have an estimated delivery time on taking over goods! Also, to find a good supplier is the most important for building a smooth supply chain.

Improve the inner communication

The daily internal communication between manager and order-executor would be more accurate, and that can be improved by regular training, prompt mutual feedback and illustrated physical documentation and reports for enhancing cohesive target on customer positioning on the market.

Besides, to identify scams and fake news on social media, always ask more information as a reference, take is as interviews on clients, suppliers or manufacturers. The more useful info brings clearer demands and background, this is what we called "wise micro-dose time investment".

As for the payment transaction, even if the international transaction websites and apps are getting more and more convenient in modern times, still we don't suggest you choose direct transaction approaches. Considering the risks and commercial credits, L/C and T/T will be the main way of payment. However, always keep in mind to inform clients if there's anything( payment time, sum of money, etc.) goes wrong.

Complete paperwork for custom clearance

Once you understand the causes of customs clearance delays, especially if you don’t have the necessary paperwork and you don’t follow the strict guidelines, you can take action on both internal and external factors.

Internal factors: It is important to keep all documents and information related to the cargo in order. If there is any uncertainty, please contact your freight forwarder or customs broker to discuss and take appropriate action.

External factors: Since you can't change the external factors of relevant countries and regions, start from yourself, pay close attention to the relevant policies and dynamics of import and export countries, and keep the necessary communication and contact with relevant personnel (such as guests and freight forwarders) in time to avoid unnecessary troubles and losses.

The great news is that Docshipper has professional service on Customs Clearance, go take a look!