Frieght to Norway
May 27, 2010 3:45 PM Subscribe
AskInternationalFreightFilter: How can I find the best way to ship a bunch of heavy big boxes from San Diego to Norway.
There are 10 boxes each at 34.5" x 65.5" x 5.5". Each box weighs about 70 pounds.
I just have no clue where to start looking. Thanks for your help!
There are 10 boxes each at 34.5" x 65.5" x 5.5". Each box weighs about 70 pounds.
I just have no clue where to start looking. Thanks for your help!
I've heard good things about Seven Seas, and in my opinion a door-to-door service like theirs is well worth the money.
If your shipment isn't particularly time sensitive, you don't need door-to-door service (you can deliver the boxes to a freight station in California and have someone who can pick them up in Norway) and you want to save some money, the magic search term is LCL Ocean Freight. LCL = Less than Container Load -- a freight forwarder will consolidate your shipment with other LCL shipments in an ocean freight container. Here is a list of freight forwarders in California that might be able to help. If you go that route, make absoultely sure that the company you use can handle all US/Export & Norway/Import documentation and procedures, or at least that they can handle the export and you have someone in Norway who can take care of the import. Otherwise the costs could add up quickly and you'll wish you'd just used a door-to-door service.
posted by Balonious Assault at 5:04 PM on May 27, 2010
If your shipment isn't particularly time sensitive, you don't need door-to-door service (you can deliver the boxes to a freight station in California and have someone who can pick them up in Norway) and you want to save some money, the magic search term is LCL Ocean Freight. LCL = Less than Container Load -- a freight forwarder will consolidate your shipment with other LCL shipments in an ocean freight container. Here is a list of freight forwarders in California that might be able to help. If you go that route, make absoultely sure that the company you use can handle all US/Export & Norway/Import documentation and procedures, or at least that they can handle the export and you have someone in Norway who can take care of the import. Otherwise the costs could add up quickly and you'll wish you'd just used a door-to-door service.
posted by Balonious Assault at 5:04 PM on May 27, 2010
Response by poster: I guess I am leaning a little more towards a door-to-door like option.
I am happy to drive the boxes somewhere, but would love help from someone getting all the import/export documentation together and packing the boxes on some pallets (i assume this would be the cheapest option). I'm not sure what terms to use in searching for this type of service.
posted by notnathan at 7:38 PM on May 27, 2010
I am happy to drive the boxes somewhere, but would love help from someone getting all the import/export documentation together and packing the boxes on some pallets (i assume this would be the cheapest option). I'm not sure what terms to use in searching for this type of service.
posted by notnathan at 7:38 PM on May 27, 2010
Best answer: Any service you use will be able to take care of all the export documentation for you. You probably wouldn't save much money trying to do the export paperwork yourself, because they'll have to do it anyway. Just tell them what it is you're shipping and its value, and they'll be able to take care of all the paperwork. Whether you deliver the boxes to their warehouse or they come and pick them up, they will be able to, and might even prefer to palletize them appropriately. Looking at the dimensions of the boxes, I see that they won't fit on a standard pallet unless you stand them on end. Really, I'd let them worry about that part. It shouldn't add much (if anything) to your cost. Your savings will come if you can avoid having to pay for a truck to pick them up from you.
If I were you I'd get a couple of quotes from door-to-door services like Seven Seas (it wouldn't hurt to ask them if delivering the freight to them is an option that could give you a price break), then I'd start calling local freight forwarding services to see if you can get a better price. Start off saying "I have ten boxes of [item], total of 20.37 cubic meters and approximately 318 kg., I can deliver them locally and I'd like to have them shipped to Norway. Can you help me with that?" If they say yes, tell them whether you want the recipient to pick them up at their agent's warehouse in Norway or you need to have a "door delivery" there. Ask them if they have any experience with Norwegian Customs, if they have an agent in Norway that can take care of the Norwegian import, and if so can they quote you an all-inclusive price. If they can't take care of the import in Norway, that's where it can get really tricky and I'd probably thank them for their time and move on to the next phone call.
If you don't go with a door-to-door service (and even if you do, really) it is very important to get all the specifics of what you're paying for in writing. Otherwise you could easily end up with your freight sitting in a warehouse in Norway, accumulating demurrage charges while you scramble to find a customs broker/agent in Norway who can help you clear the import, or potentially even in a situation where your freight cannot be imported and your only options are to re-export or surrender it (at additional cost to you). I have no idea what the import requirements in Norway might be for what you're shipping, and you need to make sure the company you use does. There are so many things that could go wrong, and that's why I believe the door-to-door services are worth the expense.
All this is (perhaps mistakenly) assuming you're shipping personal items. If it's a commercial shipment the requirements will be completely different, and you'll have a bunch of other options for distributing the responsibilities, costs and risks between the buyer and the seller. Here's a chart of the INCOTERMS that define those options. Any freight company worth its salt will be able to assist with that too.
posted by Balonious Assault at 9:36 PM on May 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
If I were you I'd get a couple of quotes from door-to-door services like Seven Seas (it wouldn't hurt to ask them if delivering the freight to them is an option that could give you a price break), then I'd start calling local freight forwarding services to see if you can get a better price. Start off saying "I have ten boxes of [item], total of 20.37 cubic meters and approximately 318 kg., I can deliver them locally and I'd like to have them shipped to Norway. Can you help me with that?" If they say yes, tell them whether you want the recipient to pick them up at their agent's warehouse in Norway or you need to have a "door delivery" there. Ask them if they have any experience with Norwegian Customs, if they have an agent in Norway that can take care of the Norwegian import, and if so can they quote you an all-inclusive price. If they can't take care of the import in Norway, that's where it can get really tricky and I'd probably thank them for their time and move on to the next phone call.
If you don't go with a door-to-door service (and even if you do, really) it is very important to get all the specifics of what you're paying for in writing. Otherwise you could easily end up with your freight sitting in a warehouse in Norway, accumulating demurrage charges while you scramble to find a customs broker/agent in Norway who can help you clear the import, or potentially even in a situation where your freight cannot be imported and your only options are to re-export or surrender it (at additional cost to you). I have no idea what the import requirements in Norway might be for what you're shipping, and you need to make sure the company you use does. There are so many things that could go wrong, and that's why I believe the door-to-door services are worth the expense.
All this is (perhaps mistakenly) assuming you're shipping personal items. If it's a commercial shipment the requirements will be completely different, and you'll have a bunch of other options for distributing the responsibilities, costs and risks between the buyer and the seller. Here's a chart of the INCOTERMS that define those options. Any freight company worth its salt will be able to assist with that too.
posted by Balonious Assault at 9:36 PM on May 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: It is a commercial shipment, I should have said that before. But this was still helpful info. Thanks
posted by notnathan at 12:28 AM on May 28, 2010
posted by notnathan at 12:28 AM on May 28, 2010
Side note: if your boxes are cardboard but are still stackable, you'd do very well to stack them inside a sturdy wooden crate. When my employer ships internationally we always pack and armor the heck out of the shipment due to the notoriously rough handling we've seen over the years. That goes double for LCL shippers. Most any freight service you use will have the equipment to handle such a large crate, and by crating them all together you reduce the chances that one or more of your parcels will be lost.
posted by qbject at 6:38 AM on May 28, 2010
posted by qbject at 6:38 AM on May 28, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by hot soup girl at 4:11 PM on May 27, 2010