If you find yourself here, we must assume that you'd like to learn a few useful things about shipping heavier goods and what issues you might encounter, along with our recommendations on what to consider when planning shipping of any goods.

At the risk of alarming you, though we've no wish to do so unduly, there are a number of things that we advise you to investigate before you proceed with any shipment - while it may seem rather daunting at first, it is not really that difficult. The thing is; we consider it only decent for us to inform you of issues that can impact your experience, in the hopes of avoiding situations that can be extremely frustrating;

The first thing to address is whether it is worth sending your shipment through a freight service. Freight normally requires that the contents of a shipment be, at least, 80kg to begin being viable. For shipments of lower weight, we would advise using our [Quote and Book] section or contacting us at support@flci.co.uk to find out what options are realistic. While it is possible for us to arrange for slower shipping for weights lower than 80kg, often this does not result in any cost benefits and so we may not recommend it.

Then it is advised that you confirm the full addresses of both the collection and delivery points. This may well vary, depending on whether transit will be from door to door, port to door, port to port etc. but the respective costs of these different scenarios will affect the overall costs involved. If you are asking for quotes from a few companies, please do remember to compare like to like as often quotes will differ, due to a misunderstanding of the requirements conveyed by Clients.

Linked to that point are the terms of the shipment. If you are proposing collection from the Far East, for example, is your supplier to prepare the export clearance or is that a matter for you to arrange. There are a number of terms through which your shipment can be made and it is best that you determine these in order to avoid any surprises or undue delays. The following link will go a good way to illustrating the varied types of shipping terms and is useful, particularly if your intent is to ship on a regular basis;
http://www.iccwbo.org/incoterms/id3040/index.html. The terms of shipping are crucial, particularly as they affect both the cost and speed of any given shipment, along with the time it can take to retrieve a quote. Where the transit is to take place from Door to Door, the 'On-forwarding' rates must be required and, depending on how remote the collection, destination.

Have you investigated the costs associated with Customs entry (besides any possible export costs, already mentioned). We would certainly advise that you contact the relevant Customs Authority for, both, points of export and import; you may do this by visiting the following site and navigating to those Countries specific and applicable to your shipment. We suggest that you engage in an open discussion with them about the nature of your shipment and find out what restrictions may be in place, along with any additional paperwork that may be required (other than Customs invoices; either Proforma or Commercial);
http://www.wcoomd.org/ie/En/CustomsWebSites/customswebsites.html. In following this course, you will be able to gain the required information directly form the issuer and, thereby, avoid any miscommunications that could, again, negatively impact your shipment.

[Click Here] to complete an online form to request a freight quotation.