Preparing, packing, and documenting export shipments correctly is vital for the smooth and safe delivery of products to customers around the world.
How does the cost of FCA break down?
The cost applied for an FCA order combine a number of costs into one simple value:
- Export compliance checks
- IATA compliance checks
- Export Packing
- Export Documentation
- Creation and compilation of multi-copy documents
- Booking out shipments with customer nominated Carrier
- Storage of packed items waiting for collection
- Small order surcharges
All of these elements carry operational costs and rather than inflating product prices we want to be transparent about where the costs are incurred.
- Export Compliance Checks: For safe and legal export of goods, we are required to complete a number of export compliance checks based on the product, the commodity code, and the country of ultimate delivery. To ensure we abide by all multi-national trade rules and agreements, these compliance checks are required.
- IATA packing: All goods shipped as exports must be packed in accordance with IATA, IMDG or ADR requirements. To ensure that export packing is completed correctly we have a team of highly qualified and experienced packers who are specialists in HAZMAT packing and shipping.
They all have to maintain qualifications and certification to be able to pack goods for export and they carry legal obligations when producing Dangerous Goods Notes (DGN). - Dangerous Goods Notes: DGN's have to be produced for HAZMAT shipments and must be completed correctly to ensure the safety of the product in transit and also the passengers carried on the ship or aircraft that is carrying the freight. In addition to the DGN being correct, the shipment must be correctly labeled to ensure the freight carrier can identify the risks associated with the shipment.
- Copy Documents: All export shipments require multiple copies of documents that all have to be collated and carefully applied to shipments.
- Carrier booking: Our team will book the shipment onto the customer's preferred carrier and arrange collection, ensuring we have proof of delivery and ultimately proof of export. This requires a highly skilled team who are very experienced in dealing with all major carriers, freight forwarders, and third-party companies involved in the shipping of goods. They require a high level of training and knowledge in export rules and regulations.
Can I use my own export packer or shipping agent?
Of course, you can have your goods delivered to your preferred Export Packer so that they can then arrange the carrier for you and bill you directly for those services.
Regular shipment to a UK address is covered by our standard shipping costs and will incur VAT at checkout.
Would Silmid.com agree to a special rate on FCA charges?
We do agree on special rates for shipping and handling on a case-by-case basis. The criteria for any agreed rates will be based on your annual spend, the range, and type of products that are ordered, the frequency and volume of the shipments over a period of time.
Contracted agreements for customers with a large volume of orders are usually for a minimum of one year and can be very flexible to ensure you get the best possible mix of service level and value. Contact your Account Manager to discuss this in more detail.