Shipping delays occur every day. Millions of goods move around the world every day. One thing you never want to happen in transit is a delay. It can also be frustrating if the package doesn’t arrive on time.
Whatever you do to make your Chinese imports successful, you need to pay attention to every aspect. Most people acknowledge that efficiency is paramount, whether a small business or a big business.
What causes freight delays?
Let us know the cause of the delay to avoid it again in the future. The fact is that there may be many factors delaying the goods. This applies to all sea freight, air freight, and other freight shipping in China and worldwide. Learn the most common causes of latency and use services that minimize these services. Here are some tips to help avoid unnecessary delays.
Holidays Shipping
When it comes to freight delays, several factors can cause this. Holidays are one of them. We are concerned about delays in their shipments during the holiday season. In fact, the volume of freight around the holidays will increase significantly, and the huge number of goods transported will cause transportation congestion and cargo delays. In addition, most courier companies, like DHL, FedEx, and UPS, will experience shipping delays during the holidays, and your cargo may stay at airports in China waiting for flight pickup or be delayed at transit airports.
Tips: Ship the goods in advance to avoid busy holiday shipping.
Before shipping from China, we should first avoid the Chinese statutory holidays, such as China National Day and Lunar Spring Festival. As well, Christmas Days is the peak season for China’s export shipments, you should make a shipping plan for it.
The deadline for most couriers is Saturday evening, you should deliver goods before the deadline as far as possible. Last, you also need to know the holiday of the destination.
Read more about how to avoid holiday shipping.
Customs Clearance Delays
Customs clearance delay means customs examine the package and your goods exceed the normal time, resulting in late delivery. Customs is a government agency responsible for reviewing duties and levies on goods entering or leaving a country. The customs process begins in the country of origin and ends in the country of destination.
The import or export of certain goods may be restricted or prohibited under local laws and regulations. Before shipping, you need to know if your goods can be transported.
Incorrect Customs Declaration
If you do not declare the correct value of your goods, the Customs judge you are suspected of tax evasion, and they will review your imports. Besides, any wrong description of the goods may result in a categorization error.
Incorrect Paperwork And Documents
Incorrect paperwork, even small details, can lead to serious delays in your cargo.
Customs clearance delays may lead to the company’s business, not only setbacks and demurrage fees but also to pay warehousing costs.
Tips:
Offer Correct Cargo Documents and Information.
Make sure your customs documents are relevant and accurate at all times. The information on the commercial invoice must match the goods, and the description of the goods is very important for import and export. And vague names or vague descriptions can cause delays in customs clearance.
Make Close Cooperation With Customs Broker.
If any document is lost, the shipper and the consignee shall provide the relevant documents to the customs as far as possible. In addition, if there are tariffs on imported goods, the recipient must pay.
Familiar with shipping Rules And Import Restrictions.
Most shippers don’t take the time to study a country’s specific customs requirements. In the event of a customs review, the package may be delayed by days or even a week, may not even be able to enter the country, and may even sometimes be returned to the sender. Shippers have to pay a return fee or even a costly misstep.
External Factors
Weather, regional tensions, and other natural conditions will delay transportation. Weather is a major factor affecting flights, and hurricanes or typhoons can severely affect flights and may delay transportation for several days.
Tips:
If you notice a delay in bad weather, you can book the flight in advance.
If bad weather has already happened, there’s nothing to do and your cargo can only wait longer to be processed.
Even if you plan everything and make a plan, sometimes your shipments are delayed, so be sure to add some buffer time to your supply chain plan.
Cooperative When clearing customs at the destination
Since the recipient’s information is not incorrect, the recipient does not cooperate with the destination customs clearance, resulting in delivery delays. Customs clearance or delivery delays may result in you missing local delivery notifications. The goods are returned to the consignor if the recipient is not processed within the specified time.
Tip: Cooperate closely with customs clearance.
Track shipments if there are problems with customs clearance and delivery. Tracking information about your shipment will show what issues cause shipping delays, so be sure to contact your local authority to deal with them.
If any documents are lost, the shipper and consignee shall provide the relevant documents to Customs as far as possible. In addition, if the imported goods have customs duties, the recipient must pay them.
Summary
When the package is delayed, the carrier will make every effort to inform the customer. However, this does not minimize consumer frustration, and shipment tracking updates will eventually stop if the package is lost.
Pro China Freight Can Do for You
The goal of the China freight forwarder is to work with you to make the goods. If your shipment is delayed, perhaps we can help you deal with the shipment. We provide sensitive and reliable port-to-port and door-to-door freight services.
You will get the advantage from us. Thus, you can get or provide a better customer delivery experience while minimizing the risk of delays.