If you’re going to be starting or expanding a business that requires you to ship products internationally, then you aren’t alone. More and more companies in the United States are expanding their businesses to include international sales, as it’s a great way to increase profits instead of limiting sales to the Unites States. However, if you plan on managing all aspects of the shipments yourself, then you must learn all the necessary steps that you must follow so you’ll be sure you’re in compliance with the many international shipping and exporting rules.
On the other hand, if you’re going to be outsourcing your exporting tasks to a third party, then you’re making a good decision. Hiring an experienced shipper can make things easier for a new or expanding company and free up time and resources. Some people use the words “shipper” and “exporter” interchangeably, but “shipper” and “exporter” are totally different, but it’s easy to understand why people might confuse them. Here is an overview to help you better understand the differences between the two:
Explanation of a Shipper
A shipper is a person or agency that ships goods for a company, and it’s the details of the shipper that appear in all the shipping documents that must accompany each shipment. Even though the exporter is likely the one in charge of purchasing or manufacturing goods, the shipper is the one involved in all aspects of preparing, packaging, and shipping the items internationally. Unlike exporters, it isn’t necessary for shippers to become registered exporters since they don’t usually purchase or manufacture products. Some shippers are also in charge of forwarding freight, and they transfer commodities to main carriers to be transported to their international destinations.
Explanation of an Exporter
An exporter is an individual or a business that has received authorization from a government agency to transfer goods outside the borders of a particular country. It is the responsibility of the exporter to provide the overseas buyer with the value of goods since he is the exporter of the goods. In addition, the exporter is the person or company who is held accountable for any issues that might arise during the exporting of the goods by the exporter’s country, and the exporter is entrusted by their country’s officials to perform exporting duties in a proper and trustworthy fashion.
What is a Consignor?
There is sometimes another person or company involved in the export process in addition to the shipper and exporter, and this person is known as a consignor. This person delivers the goods, but the consignor can also be a seller who offers goods for sale to the public in a domestic market. The consignor may also choose to move to a foreign country, and if this occurs, the consignor will then be considered to be an exporter or shipper.
Can One Company be a Shipper and Exporter?
An individual or company can most certainly be both a shipper and an exporter, and this happens all the time. This simply means that the manufacturer of the products or goods being sold to international customers will also be responsible for shipping the products to the necessary countries. In some rare cases, a shipper and exporter can also be a consignor, if he or she opts to also deliver the packages to the international locations. However, working as a shipper and an exporter is time-consuming enough alone, but to add consignor duties in addition might be nearly impossible.
As you can see, being an exporter and a shipper can be a tremendous responsibility. Not only must you ensure that your employees are adhering to all the strict international guidelines, but you must ensure that you have a constant supply of equipment, supplies and shipping materials on hand at all times. However, by opting for a third partyshipper to handle all your shipping tasks, you can actually save yourself a great deal of work, frustration, and possibly even money.
When choosing a third-party shipper, it’s imperative that you choose a company that not only has a good reputation, but one that also has knowledge of properly securing packages, and one who is also familiar with customs, export guidelines, and all other aspects of shipping items internationally. That way, once you hire the third-party shipper, you can focus on handling other important business tasks instead of supervising your shipper to ensure they’re doing their job properly.
The purpose of hiring a professional shipper is to reduce stress, save time and take the responsibility of packaging and shipping international orders off yourself. This is why it’s imperative that you hire a shipper that has high ratings and that has been in business for a while, so you can ensure they’re qualified. You’re the person who will be contacted by international officials if problems occur with your shipments, so make sure your shipper knows what they’re doing. There are many professional shippers available, which is why you need to check out each possibility carefully before deciding on the right one.
Kaiser & Johnson has been an excellent choice as a third-party shipper that has many years of experience in the business. Kaiser & Johnson has always gone above and beyond to ensure that packages are properly secured in the appropriate containers. There are many special containers that must be used depending on where goods are going and what the goods are, as the wrong packaging could cause delays in delivery, refusal by the receiving country, and more.
You don’t have to worry about this happening with Kaiser & Johnson. They are also very experienced in all types of military and international shipping, so they’re quite familiar with all the tricky guidelines that could give inexperienced companies headaches trying to figure out. So, if you’re ready to do business with one of the top shippers in the business, contact Kaiser & Johnson today for an estimate, and you’ll be happy you did.
