What is a Shipping Agent?
China Shipping agents are mainly engaged in the collection and collection of goods for transportation companies (sea, land, and air), and thus play an important role in completing the trade between cargo owners and merchants.
What services can a Shipping Agent provide?
The services that shipping agents can provide are really rich, including negotiating prices, booking cabins, transporting goods, loading and unloading goods, handling insurance, handling customs clearance, and sending documents. The services provided by different shipping agents may vary. If you want the service to be more complete or more varied, you may have to pay more.
Why do you need to rely on Chinese shipping agents to import goods from China?
If it is the first time that you want to import goods from China, it is strongly recommended that you find a more reliable Chinese shipping agent to help you complete a series of Chinese export work. You do not know the legal knowledge related to international trade in China, and you may need to spend a lot of time and energy to understand the relevant knowledge. At the same time, due to the influence of various aspects such as poor language communication, the intervention of the China Shipping Agency will save a lot of time.
What kind of cargo can the shipping agent assist in purchasing?
China shipping agents can help you source all kinds of things from China, provided these products are not prohibited items.
The goods that Chinese shipping agents can purchase include daily necessities, electronic products, fabrics, furniture, etc.
Do I have to visit China after working with a reliable China shipping agent?
If you have found a reliable shipping agent, you don’t have to come to China to learn about the shipping agent you cooperate with. But if you may and have the opportunity to come to China to participate in the Canton Fair, exhibitions, etc., you can stop by the shipping agency to visit and learn about the company on the spot. Such visits are conducive to enhancing mutual understanding between the two sides and promoting further cooperation.
What currency do I need to trade in when working with a China shipping agent?
The main currency used by the vast majority of Chinese shipping agents is RMB, but they can also accept USD as a transaction currency.
Is there any difference between Chinese shipping agents in different places?
There are many well-known ports in China, such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ningbo, and so on. Most of China’s ocean freight forwarders are also basically located in cities near ports. There is no major difference between shipping agents in different cities in China, but there are definitely differences between different shipping agents, including work experience, charges, service attitude, etc.
How to determine if a China Shipping Agent is reliable?
Every importer is eager to find a reliable shipping agent in China, but how to be sure that this China shipping agent is reliable? There are the following methods:
First, the qualification of the shipping agency can be reviewed. Second, you can learn about the company’s service attitude, workability, work experience, and other aspects through the previous customers of the shipping agency company. Third, you can learn about the company’s credit and capabilities through friends and family members. Finally, you can visit the company on the spot to understand the overall situation of the company.
What are the benefits of cooperating with the China Shipping Agency?
The first is to save time. If you find a relatively professional shipping agent, then this shipping agent can help you save a lot of time. They do the shipping, insurance, customs clearance, etc.
The second is convenient communication. Generally, professional Chinese shipping agents are very proficient in English and Chinese, which can help them communicate with foreign customers normally.
The third is to reduce costs. Reliable ocean freight forwarders who understand the market can help you find the products you need at affordable prices. This can help you cut down on unnecessary expenses.
But seeing the above advantages does not mean that there will be no problems in cooperation with China Shipping Agency. On the contrary, many problems will arise in the process of cooperation.
The first aspect is cargo damage. There may be many problems such as loss and damage during the transportation of goods. If you do not apply for insurance, many situations will be difficult to solve.
The second aspect is poor communication. Due to language problems, there may be some misunderstandings in the communication between the two parties, which may even affect various aspects such as the later transportation of goods.
The third aspect is the high price. Ocean freight forwarders may quote high prices in order to make extra money, resulting in increased customer costs.
Many problems will appear in the process of cooperation, and many advantages will also appear in the process of cooperation. Achieving a win-win situation is what we have always wanted to see.
Can China Shipping Agents help me complete a series of work such as insurance and claim?
China Shipping Agency can help customers get insurance and make claims.
How soon can I receive the goods I purchased from China?
Shipping to different countries and regions will be significantly different, and the transportation time will be affected by the following conditions, such as weather conditions, epidemics, wars, route changes, port congestion, and other conditions.
How can I track my shipment in real-time?
Due to various influences, such as severe weather, war, epidemic, port congestion, etc., the transportation of goods may be delayed. This is where real-time tracking of shipments is critical.
In order to track a container, you need to know which shipping company is shipping your cargo, as well as the container number, booking number, etc. You usually only need to know one of them.
In general, there are really many problems that professional Chinese shipping agents can solve, but in cooperation with China shipping agents, various unexpected situations may occur. At this time, a reliable shipping agent is really very important.
