International freight shipments

When shipping overseas, the goods will be shipped either on a container ship or via air freight.

• Ocean freight: The most cost-effective and lowest emissions option, but also the slowest. Typically takes 4-9 weeks from Asia to the West Coast, and an additional 2-4 weeks to the East Coast.
• Air freight: The fastest option but also the most expensive and least environmental as it generates 47 times the carbon emissions compared to ocean freight. Best suited for low-volume products such as Poly Mailers, or urgent needs.

If you have a shortened timeline and would like to get a quote on air freight, please communicate with the supplier. They will need to know the end destination to provide a quote.

Make sure you understand and approve costs provided by suppliers on Lumi, as this cost will be added by when the product is ready to ship. You can also get quotes from your freight forwarding company as an alternative as long as you have the packing details

When you accept a quote from an international manufacturer you should make sure you understand the freight terms that they are offering. The four most common shipping arrangements (these are called Incoterms) offered by international suppliers are:

• EXW (Ex Works) — Your product will be made available for pickup at the factory. Once the supplier hands over the product, you are now responsible for onward export and import.
• FOB (Free On Board) — The supplier will deliver your product to the pre-agreed port. Typically this means delivering to the port warehouses of your freight forwarder. You are responsible for onward export and import.
• CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) — The supplier will deliver your product to the pre-agreed destination port (e.g. Long Beach, CA). You are responsible for arranging the import and for any fees and tariffs applicable. You are also responsible for delivery to the final destination.
• DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) — The supplier is responsible for door to door delivery of your product. They will also pay applicable fees and tariffs as part of the agreed DDP cost.

If you have already imported from overseas then you are likely very familiar with the process and may have an existing freight forwarder that handles this process. For all methods except for DDP, you will need to arrange the import and this requires specific paperwork as well as a license to import.

There are many providers that can help with importing your goods such as Flexport. They can provide you with a quote for delivery to the final destination and can handle all of the import process.

If you want to compare pricing you will need the supplier to provide packing info (carton dimensions, cartons weight and quantity per carton). Once they have provided this information you can use a marketplace like Freightos to compare pricing and book. Or you can use a freight forwarding company.

When communicating with suppliers about freight you should consider asking about the following:

1. Packing details (carton dimensions, cartons weight and quantity per carton)

2. Do you need everything packed on pallets? If so, what size (40 x 48” is the US standard) and do you require wooden pallets? (overseas suppliers often use plastic)

3. Does your 3PL or warehouse have specific height requirements for pallets or weight restrictions?

4. If you are shipping something fragile, make sure you understand how the supplier intends to protect it. Most damages occur in transit and will be your responsibility unless the supplier is offering door-to-door shipping.

5. Do you need specific labels or barcodes on the cartons and/or pallets?

It’s important to communicate about these during the quoting process because they can have a bearing on the final cost.