Many of us import goods from abroad. These items might be a small shipment or a large shipment. Something many of us forget when importing is the ground work. We tend to forget about the local taxes, transportations and local custom regulations. If you have a huge shipment coming and you are having a nightmare as to how you are going to get the clearance and move your items from the port to your warehouse, here are some tips.

Do your homework

If you thought about the local arrangements at the time you decided to purchase your items, you will not have a nightmare now. It is important to speak to a cargo company or the custom regulations authority directly to understand what need to be done in advance to get a hassle-free clearance to your goods. Further, there might be hidden charges for the usage of electric forklift vehicles or non-electric forklifts. Make sure you are aware of all the charges involved.

Mode of transportation

Let’s assume you got your clearance sorted and now the issue at hand is getting the physical goods from the port to the warehouse. There are many option you can consider. The easiest is transporting the goods using your own vehicle. This solely depends on the size of the shipment. If the shipment is large, you might need to consider speaking to a freight forwarder or a logistics partner. These service providers can help you with hiring trucks, lorries or any other vehicle that you require. There are also places where there are forklifts for sale melbourne and if it is necessary and you have many shipments on the way, you can think of investing on one. Depending on the size of your shipment you might need to do two, three or more rounds to transport the shipment to your warehouse. Your truck might charge you per kilometer or they might offer you a price according to the size and nature of the shipment. Make sure your agreement is transparent and you won’t be getting another bill at the end of the service. Don’t be afraid to discuss the price and the service openly with your service provider.

Get your documents in order

There are documents that you need to take in order to get clearance to your shipment. Don’t just walk in to the port or the warehouse where your goods are kept empty handed. The customs clearance document is the most important document you need to take. The customs authority should give the green light to release the goods from the port or port warehouse. After you get your clearance, speak to your trucker and transport your goods to your warehouse.

As you can see doing your homework and being prepared is a very important aspect in bringing down a shipment. This could avoid all the nightmares and bad experiences you will have to face in delivering your goods from the port to your warehouse.