Shipping Goods Internationally

Choosing a transport mode

Ocean — full container (FCL)

Your goods fill a container. Lowest cost per unit for volume shipments, transit measured in weeks, and the default for most commercial goods.

Ocean — less than container (LCL)

Your goods share container space. Suits smaller shipments, with added handling at consolidation points and slightly longer transit.

Air freight

Days instead of weeks, at several times the cost. Justified by high value density, perishability or genuine urgency.

International courier

Door-to-door small parcels with integrated customs handling. Simplest option for samples and small orders, priced accordingly.

Land (Canada and Mexico)

Truck and rail for North American lanes, often the practical default for continental trade.

Your freight forwarder quotes across modes and tells you the real cost and transit trade-offs for your specific shipment — the choice is rarely obvious without actual rates.

Packaging for the journey the goods will actually take

• Expect multiple handlings, stacking under other cargo, and weeks of temperature and humidity variation inside containers.
• Use export-grade cartons and pallets; note that many destinations require heat-treated wood packaging.
• Mark cartons with handling instructions, destination markings and the identifiers your documents reference.
• Keep packaging consistent with the packing list — customs and the buyer reconcile physical marks against paperwork.
• Confirm destination labeling and language requirements before production, not at the dock.

Insuring the shipment

Carrier liability is set by international convention and typically covers only a small amount per kilogram or per package — a fraction of what commercial cargo is worth. Cargo insurance closes that gap.

Under terms such as CIF and CIP you arrange insurance for the buyer's benefit; under terms such as FOB the buyer normally insures the main carriage. Either way, confirm coverage exists for every leg and that the insured value reflects the real invoice value.

• All-risk cargo policies are the common standard; narrower named-peril cover is cheaper but leaves gaps.
• Insure for invoice value plus freight and a margin, which is the standard convention.
• Document the goods' condition at handover — photographs are cheap evidence if a claim ever matters.

What most often goes wrong in transit

• Documents that do not match the physical shipment, causing clearance delays at destination.
• Moisture damage in containers on long ocean transits without desiccants or proper packing.
• Demurrage and storage charges when cargo sits unclaimed at a port because paperwork arrived late.
• Under-insured cargo, discovered only when a claim pays out at carrier-liability rates.
• Missed cut-off times at ports, which can roll a shipment a week or more.