shipments from the USA to the UK

The United States might be an entire ocean away but this does not mean that importing from firms based there is unaffordable. Far from it, in fact. Indeed, many US companies make goods that Welsh importers will find to be of high quality for a relatively modest amount of outlay. The trouble that numerous UK companies find they encounter is that they don’t have the wherewithal to handle the logistical side of getting their orders over the Atlantic to British shores. What should you be doing to make sure your imports are dealt with cost-effectively?

Don’t Ask Your Supplier to Ship Items to You

Firstly, most American manufacturing firms will be able to send you your order(s) on demand. Although this might seem like the most straightforward solution, it is seldom the most affordable. Why? Because US companies tend to outsource such work to a local logistical firm that may not have much experience in sending goods to the UK. Under such circumstances, your supplier will simply mark up the charges their subcontractor makes and send you an inflated bill for their work.

Use a British Freight Forwarding Firm

In the UK, there are plenty of freight forwarders you can use that will organise the transportation of goods from states throughout the US. Not all of them are BIFA-accredited, however, so look for one that is. When you have goods picked up from your supplier, you will want to be able to track their progress to a seaport, usually one on the Eastern seaboard of the USA, and to follow your consignment until it makes land in the UK. Reputable freight forwarders should be able to provide these services without any additional expenditure.

Consider Your Shipment Size

International freight becomes cheaper per unit the more you have to transport. According to Barrington Freight, a firm that deals with shipments from the USA to the UK regularly, there are two ways to lower your costs in this regard. Firstly, you could place an order for more units than you need at the moment. This might cause a storage cost, however. The other is to share your costs with another UK-based firm in a less-than-container (LCL) shipment. This way, you don’t have to fork out for an entire shipping container and can even share the load with three or more other importers.

Opt for a Suitable Port

Depending on where your supplier happens to be, there are various options for shipping goods affordably by sea to the UK. The country’s largest port is in Los Angeles and ocean-going vessels do sail from there bound for Europe via the Panama Canal. However, seaports in New Jersey, Maryland, Georgia and Florida often make more sense for containerised goods since they are primarily geared up for trans-Atlantic trade. Of course, it will often come down to how urgent your shipment is. The lowest cost options tend to be the ones that take the longest but this is not always the case, especially if you have a skilled negotiator at your freight forwarding firm handling matters for you.