Door To Door Freight Forwarding: Ship Overseas with Ease

Organizing international shipments from start to finish involves the oversight of various responsibilities. This can include anything from coordinating carriers, clearing customs, and ensuring final-mile delivery. Door to door freight forwarding can make handling each task much simpler. At USA Freight Forwarding, we’ve provided this service for countless customers. We’ll use this knowledge to show you how it works.

Key takeaways:

• Door to door freight forwarding is a service where a freight forwarder manages the complete movement of goods from the seller’s location to the buyer’s final address. 
• When using door to door freight forwarding, you’ll gain access to regulatory expertise, a transparent cost structure, shipment tracking, and much more.
• While the service has its benefits, it also has a few downsides, like high costs. 
• The Incoterms＠ chosen for an international shipment will influence how door to door services are performed.

Let’s take a closer look at the intricacies of this crucial service.

What Door To Door Freight Forwarding Entails

Door to door freight forwarding is when a freight forwarder oversees the movement of international shipments from start to finish.  They take on a variety of responsibilities when providing this service. 

This includes:

• Coordinating pickup and final delivery
• Handling export and import clearance
• Securing ground, sea, and air transport
• Obtaining insurance for the shipment

While there are many pros to door to door shipping, there are also some drawbacks that you’ll need to consider. We’ll discuss these in the following section.

Pros and Cons

Here are the benefits that your business will enjoy when using door to door freight forwarding:

• Simplified Logistics: Rather than working with multiple companies and individuals to coordinate your shipment, you only need to communicate with your freight forwarder.
• Single Point of Accountability: Since your freight forwarder is handling your logistics operations, they’ll be the one you hold accountable for all aspects of your shipment. 
• Better Visibility: You and your customer can get updates on the status of the shipment with real-time tracking provided by your forwarder. 
• Time savings: Hiring a freight forwarder to handle your international shipment is more time efficient than managing each part of the process on your own. 
• Insurance: Since cargo passes through many hands during a door to door shipment, forwarders can provide insurance coverage for your goods to protect against damage or loss. 

Now that we’ve gone over the pros, let’s take a look at the challenges that come with door to door freight forwarding. 

• Higher Costs: Door to door shipping can be expensive since it involves the handling of various responsibilities. 
• Risk of Over-Dependence: Relying on a forwarder can hinder your company’s ability to grow its own in-house logistics network. 
• Less Control: Since a forwarder is handling each part of your shipment, door to door services isn’t the best option if you prefer a more hands on approach.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to weigh the pros and cons of door to door shipping to determine if the service is right for your company. 

Do You Need Help with International Shipping?

We can move your freight by air and sea.

GET STARTED

Key Capabilities To Look for In Door To Door Freight Forwarders

Organizing a door to door shipment is no easy task. That’s why you’ll need to make sure that your forwarder has the capabilities to perform the service correctly. The graphic we’ve provided shows the skills and resources that your freight forwarder should have. 

Many of these capabilities won’t be apparent with a quick glance. That’s why you’ll have to vet your forwarder carefully before you hire them to perform door to door shipping. Before reaching out to a freight forwarder, you should have some questions ready about each of the points we listed in the graphic.

How Incoterms® Influence Door To Door Shipping

An Incoterm® is an internationally recognized rule that defines the responsibilities of sellers and buyers in an international transaction. They’re regulated by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Incoterms® can have a huge impact on how door to door freight forwarding is performed. 

Freight forwarders performing door to door shipping have to take responsibility for cargo when it’s in the possession of their client. This will differ with each Incoterm®. 

For example, under the Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) Incoterm®, sellers are responsible for the shipment until it’s dropped off at the final destination. This means freight forwarders working on for a seller that has agreed to DDP will be responsible for facilitating door to door shipping from the point of origin to the point of delivery

As another example, the Free Alongside Ship (FAS) Incoterm® gives responsibility for the cargo to the shipper until it reaches the port of loading. Therefore, a freight forwarder only needs to facilitate door to door shipping until cargo reaches the port where it would be loaded onto a vessel. 

Things To Consider Before Using Door To Door

Door to door freight forwarding is beneficial for businesses shipping international freight. However, some companies may run into surprises when they don’t take certain factors into account. 

This includes:

• Lead Times
• Insurance
• Restricted Items
• Incorrect or Incomplete Documentation

International shipping can be very unpredictable due to the various disruptions that can occur. This includes anything from weather events to conflicts occurring in other countries. While door to door shipping is a reliable service, global events can adversely affect lead times. 

Freight forwarders can provide insurance on the cargo they handle, but it’s an added expense. Since door to door shipments are transferred between different logistics providers, there’s a higher chance of freight sustaining damage. 

Shippers that choose not to obtain insurance coverage are left disappointed and surprised when they receive angry phone calls from customers complaining about damaged goods. 

Restricted items are another factor often overlooked by shippers. Just because certain goods are legal in the US doesn’t mean they will be legal in another nation. Even if you hire a freight forwarder to perform door to door shipping, they can’t help you move items that are illegal in the destination country. 

Incorrect or incomplete documentation can get you into trouble as well. Although documentation handling is a perk that comes with door to door shipping, there are certain forms you still have to fill out yourself. Not completing paperwork correctly can slow down the shipping process.

Use Door To Door with USA Freight Forwarding

Here at USA Freight Forwarding, we have the skill and resources to facilitate successful international shipments on your behalf. Our team can provide both international air and ocean freight shipping. You can also meet with one of our freight forwarders during a consulting session to discuss the specifics of your shipment. 

If you’re ready to get started, give our team a call at (866) 941-8081 or reach out to us on our contact page.