When it comes to sea freight, there are two types of shipments:
FCL: Full Container Load
One container with goods for one importer. This is the cheapest option.
LCL: Less than Container Load
‘Mixed’ containers carrying goods for several importers.
LCL can be 2 to 3 times more expensive, per shipped unit, compared to FCL. The fact that the administrative cost (which makes up a big part of the total shipping cost) is as high for an LCL shipment as an FCL container.
Hence, you can save quite a bit of money if you combine several individual LCL shipments into one single FCL shipment.
Mixed Container Service: We have come up with a hybrid model where we will mix your goods with other clients and make an FCL and ship them to India. This is still cheaper than LCL almost 1/2 the cost of LCL in many cases.
Your cargo cannot leave the country without export clearance documentation. There are two ways we can obtain these documents:
Option A: Order FOB or FCA
FOB stands for Free on Board (Export documents and shipping to the port), while FCA stands for Free Carrier (Export documents, no shipping).
Each supplier will provide export clearance documents.
Option B: Order EXW
The suppliers will not provide the export clearance documents. Instead, this is managed by Our Export company.
The second option can be complicated, as the export documentation shall normally be issued by the supplier. This is not always easy when it comes to lithium batteries and other hazardous goods.
All shipments must be forwarded to the same port of loading. You can do this in three different ways:
Option A: Order according to FOB terms
This means that each supplier book transportation to the port of loading, for example, Shenzhen. The FOB charges vary, depending on how far the goods must be transported.
When you ask for a ‘regular’ FOB quote, the supplier quotes based on the closest port.
Hence, we need to instruct the supplier to:
a. Provide an FOB quote that includes transportation to a specific city
b. Make sure that they declare that port as the port of loading
Option B: Order according to FCA terms
FCA includes the issuing of export clearance papers, by the supplier, but the cargo is not transported from the factory to the port of loading.
This also allows you to make sure that the goods are properly insured when transported from the factory to the port of loading.
Option C: Order according to EXW terms
EXW does not include any transport charges hence they will quote you the lowest price. We will instruct each supplier to book transportation to our dedicated warehouses where we will carefully load all the goods in container and export them.
Hence, we need to instruct the supplier to:
a. Provide an EXW quote that includes transportation to a specific city
b. We shall not require any Export documents from the suppliers…
Ideally, small factories or products that do not have drawback benefit from the Chinese government are Exported by EXW, as factories producing has no benefit of exporting drawback they might opt for an easier option.
Manufacturers have a tendency to delay orders. Sometimes for weeks.
If one supplier delays production, all other shipments will be delayed.
While it’s impossible to predict exactly when the production is finished, we need to sync your orders to avoid long term delays.
As such, products with longer lead times must go into production, several weeks before those with shorter production run times.
You should also have at least a 2-week buffer for potential delays.
Once all shipments arrive in the port of loading, we can load the goods in the same FCL container.
We will also issue the bill of lading, commercial invoice and packing list.
This is based on the export clearance documents issued by each supplier, or by the forwarder itself.
This can take a few days extra when involving many different suppliers.
We know how hard it is to understand the shipping and customs process, especially if you have never imported from Asia before. To help startups get a grip on the process, and avoid scams and overcharging shipping agents – we created the Starter Package:
Our Mixed Container Service leaves every 4-8 weeks from China. We just need a Proforma Invoice and Purchase Contract from your supplier along with the Packing list with Space Volume (CBM) and Weight (KGS) details. We shall allocate space for you in our next available container.
With a minimum order of USD 8000, we combine that with the orders received from other customers so you have your cost savings on your order. Following services are included:
Consolidation Of
Multiple Orders
Consolidation Of
Multiple Orders
Loading Multiple Orders
in Mixed Container
Multiple Container, Buyers
or Suppliers Exported as Single Invoice
Helps you save Paperwork and Expenses
Customs Clearance and
Delivery to you Warehouses
We combine small orders given by our clients into one container and pass on the cost-saving to them. This allows you to ship your goods at a similar price to that of importing full container load.
As a part of that, we take care of all the expenses such as transportation to the port, customs clearance for their exports, and other documentation charges.
Competitive Pricing – Cost Savings – As you pay for what you get.
Schedule Reliability – Shipment 4th Week of Every Month
Sustainable Solutions – No delay as we ship Whatever is ready.
No Damages – As loading is carefully handled by our team unlike in LCL.
EXW Pricing – buying with EXW terms plus the delivery to our warehouse will be much lesser than the FOB price.
No Documentation Hassle – Documentation and customs clearance for exports and Imports are handled by our professional team
Cost on Sharing Basis – All Fixed Expenses are shared on CBM (Cubic Meter) basis. you only pay for what you use.
Zero Hidden Cost- Unlike LCL where shipping Company is a Rip-off, We give you costing beforehand with no scope of changes.
Our Containers start from the following port. (For further information on container movements contact our Business Development Manager)
Our Destination port of discharge for Mixed Containers is
They are usually scheduled to leave in the Last week of every month, however, to know about the exact date our Business Development manager shall help you further.
Most of the time our mixed containers leave once or even twice in a month. And during off-season once in 2 months. This all depends on how quickly the container space gets filled up.
Note: Incase of Immediate or urgency of delivery we would help you in getting goods via LCL shipments.
We guarantee that our Mixed container will be the cheapest way of importing compared to LCL shipments.
LCL Shipments are Calculated based on Volume (CBM) or Weight (kgs) whichever is higher. Shipping Companies offer mouthwatering low prices for LCL shipments as low as $5 per CBM. But in reality, they do not reveal the hidden costs which you end up paying at the destination port. Charges which are hidden can be Delivery order, De-stuffing Charges, CFS, Documentation Fees, to sum up it can be between $160 to $1000 per CBM or even more.
Important: Demurrage Cost for LCL is very high, in case there are delays in customs clearance Demurral are charged from the 4th day of de-stuffing. However, FCL usually is with 7-21 days free Detention Period giving us ample time to do the documentation work for you.
Typical Mixed Container Services 1 M2 ≤500 Kgs we charge you Rs. 6000 to Rs. 8500 based on the quantity and ports.
LCL will cost you approx M2 (Per Cubic Meter) a minimum $160~$280. Our Mixed Container Services will cost a minimum Rs. 6000.00 ($92) to Rs. 8500 ($130). For a shipment of 10 CBM, you can save at least Rs. 50,000.00.
Once the goods are ready to ship, it takes about 10 to 21 days to sail to India and we would require 7 days approximately to complete the customs formalities. Hence total time is 30 Days from the day it is shipped.