If you ship frequently or have flexibility in your timeline – shipping LCL might be the perfect solution for you! You may find that this method saves you money so you can ship more efficiently whenever your goods need to be transported to another location.
Understanding Shipping LCL
The basic idea of shipping LCL (less than a container load) is combining the shipment of your items with someone else’s goods. This is done in order to provide cost savings to all parties having their items shipped together. There are several benefits to choosing this option. The main reason is the cost savings you gain when the shipping costs are shared. Additionally, port fees can also be shared by all parties.
The other party may also pay for a portion of the container being used to transport the items. In fact, you can save as much as 20 to 40 percent on regular shipping costs. On a business level, this cost savings can be transferred into savings for the buyer or to increase your profit.
The Risks Involved with Shipping LCL
There are risks when using this method to ship goods. If one party’s items are delayed reaching their destination, the other party’s items will also be delayed. If customs decides to stop the shipment for some reason, all the items in the shipment will be delayed and subject to inspection because they are sharing the same shipping container. The most important thing to note is that once the shipment leaves to port – these risks are out of our collective control. Everyone is doing their best to get all goods to their destination safely, and part of the privilege of international trade is the tradeoff in customs and our shipment partners doing their jobs too.
These risks are often worth it when compared to the savings you enjoy using the LCL shipping method. You just have to weigh the concerns over arrival delays with the cost of shipment to determine if this option is right for you. If you have questions about sharing shipping, contact World Cargo for more information and the best option that fits your situation.
