Aqua Air Enterprises - What is a Freight Forwarder?

If you have a business opportunity overseas - either importing goods into the USA or exporting them to another country - but are uncertain how to go about it, a freight forwarder can be critically important to you. Importing and exporting laws and regulations can be complicated, but a good freight forwarder can help smooth the way for you.

What is a freight forwarder? Simply, a freight forwarder acts as an import/export agent, or a go-between, taking care of the details of moving goods into or out of a country. Every country has rules that must be followed if you are to engage in trade. Many businesses consider a freight forwarder an absolute requirement.

Of course, there are costs of doing business with a freight forwarder. But if you are serious about trading overseas, the cost is worth it. A freight forwarder will even be able to provide warehousing for your goods if you need it.

For a list of information you will need to provide in order to get a price quote, please see our Ocean Freight and Air Freight pages.

Some tips in dealing with a freight forwarder:

• Beware of fees that may be too good to be true. It’s best not to judge solely on price. Make sure you are quoted the full price upfront and it is confirmed by fax or email.  If you are unable to access your shipment at the dock because fees need to be paid, you may be charged for storage, or your cargo could be salvaged or destroyed.

• You may pay more depending on the type of cargo –hazardous materials, for example – that you are shipping.

• Make sure the company is licensed and bonded by the Federal Maritime Commission to do business overseas.

• Find a freight forwarder that is experienced shipping your type of cargo.  If you plan on shipping across the world, it is best to go with a freight forwarder that has agents around the globe, even if they are a bit more expensive than a smaller company.
  

Aqua Air Enterprises is a licensed Freight Forwarder We can help you navigate the complex world of importing and exporting your goods, products and property. As a licensed NVOCC, we have access to competitive rates for all in and out bound shipments. We simplify all your import and export needs from small packages to large industrial supplies, to any city in the world. We expedite your shipments through customs because we are uniquely both a customs broker and freight forwarder. We hold a National Permit which saves you time – we are the customs broker – we don’t need to work with corresponding brokers. Contact us today and make Aqua Air Enterprises your one stop shop for all your import and export needs. To contact us, please complete the short contact form on the right, or call us at (310) 215-0032.

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