Almost every importer has once faced delays in sea freight and delivery from China. Sea freight from China is a long haul and you definitely don’t want to add to it. Here we inform you of some of the factors that play a role in these delays. The more aware you are of this, the better you can plan for your time and money. Be aware! Prevent sea freight delays as much as you can.
What can be done to prevent supply chain delay?
What causes customs delay?
How to avoid sea freight delays on busy days?
What are the benefits of preventing sea freight delays from China?
Supply chain delay
If you are miles away from your Chinese supplier, you can not be sure of the quality of your product. As a result, when it is mass-produced and delivered to you, you may find that it does not fit your needs. At that point, you have to start the process again with another supplier or with the same one. Thus, you stay behind the schedule. Beware of fraudulent and irresponsible suppliers who cause delays and financial losses.
Solution: Always ask your supplier to send you a sample before concluding a contract and mass production. You can get some help from a freight forwarder company for convenience. With the help of their experts, match the sample to your needs and to the quality control standards. This review helps you solve problems before producing a large number of it.
A freight forwarder company, like Topshipping, can also find the best and most reliable supplier for you. Our agents in China are familiar with their culture and language and offer you good suppliers. They also monitor the production process and replace damaged parts as needed.
If you ignore this step, the error rate and delay will increase.
Customs delay
Customs delays are the most common and costly ones. The import and export laws of the countries are different. If your good does not meet the legal requirements of the origin or destination country, it will be prevented from leaving and entering. If you don’t put the necessary marks and labels on it or don’t describe correctly its value, it will be rechecked by customs.
Solution: Therefore, put the necessary marks and numbers on its packaging. Make sure you have all the necessary documents. Also, provide all related licenses. Product specifications must match the invoice.
You can work with us to ensure that the licenses are complete. We have close cooperation with the Customs broker. Overall, with some planning, all too many sea freight delays in customs can prevent.
Delay in China customs
At China Customs, you must have an export license or HS code. It also includes tax breaks on some goods. Some suppliers and companies misrepresent the code in order to obtain discounts illegally. Or you may inadvertently misrepresent it. In this case, your product will stay there to be checked.
Delay in destination customs
You must make sure that you have the import documents of the destination country. In other posts, we talked about them for different countries such as UK, USA and Canada.
for example for UK customs you should have:
- EORI number
- Commercial Invoice
- Tariff Code
Other licenses may be required depending on the product type, such as dangerous good or valuable good.
Inevitable delays
On the other hand, there are some sea freight delays that are the result of nature and inevitable, such as:
- Bad weather (Storm, etc.)
- Pirates
- Cargo delivery truck breakdown
- Regional tensions
- War and chaos
Solution: There is nothing you can do about it. You can only announce the delivery date a few days earlier. Also apply for your sea freight process as soon as possible. In this case, if there is a delay, you will not be behind schedule.
Peak Season and China Holiday
This season, because it is close to the holidays, definitely includes many sea freight delays. From the high cost and lack of suppliers to the congestion of the port, customs and ships.
On China holidays, especially the New Year, the Chinese do not work for two or three weeks. So, if your production or shipping steps coincide with these days, you will experience a long delay.
Solution: avoid peak season and China holiday. Or if you have to ship in this season, use FCL freight containers. But, if you use LTL, your cargo may stay in storage for days or weeks until the container will fill.
Despite advances in sea freight logistics technology, overbooking of ships still occurs, especially during busy times. So avoid these times.
Benefits of avoiding sea freight delays
Some of the benefits of preventing sea freight delays are:
Gain customer trust
When there is not supply chain or sea freight delays, the goods required by the customers will be provided in a timely manner. As a result, they trust you to meet their needs.
Attract more customers
Timely delivery increases customer satisfaction and attract more customers.
More credit
When you put the good on the shelves in time, your regular customers will increase. Thus your reputation will increase too.
High profit
In the end, these benefits have more money and profits for your business.
Don’t forget if you are for away from your Chinese supplier, it’s better for you to have a agent in there. Topshipping, as your agent, will manage and supervise your whole chain. Also, we will try to minimize your sea freight delays.
Here's some FAQs about this article:
Some common causes of delays in sea freight from China include supply chain issues such as fraudulent or irresponsible suppliers, customs clearance issues, delays in China and destination customs, inevitable delays caused by natural disasters, regional tensions, wars, and peak season/holidays in China.
To prevent delays caused by supply chain issues, it is recommended to ask for a sample from the supplier before concluding a contract and mass production. One can also work with a freight forwarder company like Topshipping that can find the best and most reliable supplier, monitor the production process, and replace damaged parts as needed. To prevent customs clearance delays, it is important to put necessary marks and numbers on the packaging, ensure all necessary documents and licenses are available, and ensure product specifications match the invoice.
To avoid sea freight delays during peak season and holidays in China, one can avoid shipping during these times or opt for FCL freight containers instead of LTL. Additionally, applying for the sea freight process as soon as possible and announcing the delivery date earlier can help mitigate any potential delays caused by overbooking of ships, congestion at ports, and lack of suppliers.
The benefits of avoiding sea freight delays for businesses include gaining customer trust, attracting more customers, increasing regular customers, and ultimately achieving high profits.
An agent like Topshipping can help in minimizing sea freight delays for importers by managing and supervising the entire supply chain, finding reliable suppliers, monitoring the production process, ensuring all necessary documents and licenses are available, and working closely with customs brokers to prevent any delays caused by customs clearance.
