If you are selling on eBay, one of your most important tasks is to find a freight forwarder that will ship your products to Amazon. The main problem is finding one that is reliable and trustworthy. Some of the major players in the shipping industry have been around for many years, while others are newer to the game. This makes it harder for eBay sellers to decide which shipping provider they should use.
An Amazon FBA freight forwarder, or full-line carrier, is an international company that helps sellers with shipping their goods to Amazon Inc. in the United States. They handle all aspects of shipping, from receiving the shipments, to shipping them, through to the delivery of your purchased item. Amazon provides the shipping address, as well as customs forms, and tracking numbers. Their fee is usually just a few dollars per shipment.
Lading services are provided by freight forwarders. The lading process begins when the buyer places the order with Amazon. They will provide the buyer with a shipping address and customs forms that they need to fill out, and then the lading company will begin searching for shippers to arrange the cargo insurance. Lading companies will provide a list of potential shippers, as well as the insurance that they carry.
An international shipping company or agent does all the legwork for the shipping companies. One of the advantages of using an international shipping company or agent is that they can arrange customs clearance for buyers. They are responsible for arranging the customs clearance for packages that are shipping internationally. This means that an international shipping company or agent can determine what documentation is necessary and also establish what duties are due with respect to the cargo that is being shipped.
Some freight forwarders will also act as a clearing house for certain types of shipments. This means that if a certain type of shipment cannot be shipped on its way to its ultimate destination because of customs, they will arrange for the shipment to be cleared at the destination.
For example, if a shipment is sent to Europe and the customs inspection found that it was infected with a deadly virus, then an agent from the freight forwarder will contact the customs and have the shipment immediately removed from the air as soon as possible. Most freight forwarding companies will perform all of the paperwork and provide the necessary authorization for the removal of the infected goods. Of course, once the goods are removed, they must be taken through the appropriate customs inspection facilities.
Many freight forwarders charge extra for their services because they offer insurance coverage on their shipments. However, the cost that they charge may actually be lower than what you would pay to have the shipment delivered to your final destination via a common carrier, or through another type of shipping service. If the goods do not need to be insured, then the cost of the shipping could be higher than the cost of insuring the shipment. As long as the goods being shipped are allowed to leave the country, they can usually use whatever type of shipping service they want.