The WORST Shipping Errors You Need to Avoid in 2024!

Shipping mistakes won’t just ruin your shipment. It could lead to many consequences, including a significant loss in profits.

Read this to discover what shipping mistakes you shouldn’t make and how to avoid them.

Here are Some Crucial Shipping Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make:

Mistakes are part and parcel of our lives. Therefore, making mistakes is okay. But you must take the time to learn from these mistakes as well. Otherwise, you might end up making similar mistakes.

This section will help you learn about the most crucial mistakes you can commit during a shipping project. Therefore, review every mistake individually and see how to avoid them entirely.

On that note, let us dive right in and learn how you can streamline the shipping process and avoid shipping errors.

Mistake 1: Picking the Wrong Shipping Container

Making the wrong shipping container choice could be terrible for the products inside. They may not make it to their final destination in good condition. You’ll waste a lot of time and money on this mistake.

For instance, heat-sensitive and perishable products must enter a “reefer” container. A reefer container is an insulated and refrigerated container designed to keep these products safe throughout shipment.

The grade and size of your shipping container will also matter. Using your container for shipments instead of storage will require a one-trip or cargo-worthy grade.

If your products are dense and heavy, you will want to choose a 20-foot container size over a 40-foot container.

How can you get the right pick? Go to this online portal to buy shipping containers with the appropriate specs for your shipping needs.

They will have guides describing what container grades, sizes, and types you can choose. Go through the handy guides and find the best picks for your business.

Mistake 2: Forgetting Wooden Pallets

You will want to put your products on wooden pallets inside your shipping containers. Why? Without those pallets, your products could shift and move around during the journey and get damaged.

Remember — trips overseas won’t be completely smooth. Your products will move about as the ship travels across the ocean waves. Pallets will add a bit of stability.

Mistake 3: Not Fumigating

When you plan on shipping natural materials like wood, you must have the contents fumigated and get a Fumigation Certificate. This applies to wooden pallets as well.

Why is this important? Tiny pests can infest natural materials. These pests can survive the trip in the shipping container. Those pests could be released into the local environment once they arrive at the shipment’s final destination.

This can lead to a lot of environmental destruction. For instance, many countries are concerned about the spread of the brown marmorated stink bug across the border because it can damage multiple crops.

What happens if you need to remember to do this? Fumigation is compulsory when you’re shipping raw wood items internationally.

If you skip this crucial step, your cargo might not get sent to the destination. If it does get sent to the destination, it may be liquidated or quarantined.

Mistake 4: Not Getting Insurance

You will want to get cargo insurance to protect yourself from any troubles during shipment. Shipping containers can fall off cargo ships and into the middle of the ocean.

You don’t want to deal with the financial ramifications of that disaster all on your own. You’ll want some insurance coverage to help you with this unfortunate loss.

Insurance is a safety net. Don’t run your business without that safety net firmly underneath you. Now you know why you should never make these shipping mistakes. Follow these tips to avoid them altogether!

Mistake 5: Inaccurate Declaration Of Shipment Value

An official declaration is significant if you ship something over an extended distance. This declaration is generally used to determine the suitable mode of transport and the legality of the whole deal.

However, novices do not seem to consider this critical logistical factor, making it a widespread mistake. Failing to declare shipment value can have a catastrophic effect. In extreme cases, your shipment might be blocked and seized.

Therefore, do not be a novice and commit such grave shipping errors. Otherwise, you can kiss your shipment goodbye.

Mistake 6: Not Tracking The Shipment

Suppliers often believe that their job is done when a shipment is shipped. However, this is far from the truth. If you are a supplier, your job ends only when the shipment reaches its destination.

As a result, do not be a novice and keep tracking your shipment throughout its journey. Otherwise, you might end up losing it. Therefore, be smart and keep tracking your shipment.

Several applications can help you track shipments nationally as well as internationally. This can help you keep track of the shipment and keep the business operation smooth.

Mistake 7: The DIY Curse

Lastly, most suppliers or shipment managers believe they can do it themselves. DIY works on most business operations. However, shipping is a different conversation altogether.

You must expect something other than a DIY approach to work in shipping.   This is because the process comes with several complexities. Therefore, do not be a novice and avoid the DIY curse.

And it’s A Wrap!

As a business operational head, you must take active measures to avoid these seven shipping errors that can derail a consignment.

Therefore, be vigilant, hire professionals, and closely monitor the shipment. These are some ways to help you tackle shipping challenges while exporting and importing.

Keep following our page for more such content on a company’s business and other logistical aspects.

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