What Are the Potential Problems That May Occur in International Cargo Shipping?

To avoid problems when shipping cargo abroad, we have compiled the key points to consider in our blog post. Read on!

Starting out in e-commerce, offering your products to the global market, and thus generating income in foreign currency is on the minds of many individual businesses, but is often put off due to concerns about international shipping processes. Like individuals, companies may also hesitate to expand into foreign markets out of fear that overseas shipping operation processes will not run smoothly. This means that a significant opportunity and profit-generating option in online commerce is shelved without ever being tried.

In this blog post, we will share with you the problems that businesses selling on online marketplaces or through their own sites with different e-commerce infrastructures might face during international shipping, what can be done to solve them, and the precautions that can be taken to prevent these problems from happening in the first place.

What are the Key Considerations for International Shipping?

Now, it is time for the shipping phase so that your products, prepared with great care and effort, can reach their owners. Although it may seem daunting, once you pay extra attention and care to certain matters, shipping overseas can stop being a headache. Below, we have compiled the points you need to consider:

Pack your product correctly.

During any kind of transportation, packages are subjected to damaging conditions such as vibration, pressure, shaking, and crushing. It is not possible to fully prevent these negative effects, but by packaging your products correctly, you can make them more protected against transport conditions. Using high-quality, double-corrugated boxes appropriate for the weight of your products and filling any empty spaces inside the boxes with materials like air cushions or bubble wrap will ensure you minimize the potential damage your package might suffer.

Make sure you calculate the volumetric weight (desi) of your product correctly.

You need to calculate the volumetric weight, in other words, the "desi" of your products accurately and after doing the final packaging. Since the thick bubble wrap you wrap your product in will change the space it occupies volumetrically, it can cause variations in the desi value and, naturally, an increase in pricing. To avoid any discrepancies or issues during the measurement by the shipping company, we suggest you pay attention to this detail when calculating your international cargo weight.

Insure your packages against damage.

In international shipping, it is highly likely for packages to be subjected to damage and accidents. Taking out insurance, especially for your high-value shipments, will secure your package financially and prevent you from incurring costs and extra expenses that may arise later.

To determine the reimbursement of the product value in case your insured shipment is damaged, shipping companies pay the insured the most favorable option among the actual value of the product, the value found by multiplying the product weight by the SDR, and the 100 USD options.

Read the shipment regulations for sending products like food and medicine, and perishable goods.

For shipping goods that fall outside of standard products, such as food, medicine, toxic or chemical substances, and perishable products, you need to talk to your contracted shipping courier to master the relevant procedures and forward the requested documents to them in full. We will explain this topic in detail in the following sections.

What Products Can Be Sent Abroad?

Any product that has been given a specific external form like a package, box, or crate, and complies with international transport regulations can be shipped abroad from Turkey. However, to ship products that pose a hazard to the environment, official documents, or certain products that may spoil without any issues, certain special permissions must be obtained and documents must be kept ready. We share these products and the documents required for their transport item by item below.

Shipping Food Abroad

The most important detail to consider when shipping food items abroad is to obtain a report certifying that the food to be shipped does not contain any diseases, microbes, or substances harmful to health, as well as its storage conditions and expiration date, and to forward this report to the relevant shipping company and institutions. This way, you prevent any issues from happening while your cargo containing food goes through customs and other processes.

If you are shipping food to the US market, you must obtain the FDA certificate from the Food and Drug Administration, which serves as an office under the Department of Health and Human Services in the US, and send it along with the products. Since obtaining an FDA certificate is a long and multi-faceted process, you can make your job easier by working with firms that offer consultancy services for this matter.

Shipping Medicine Abroad

Because it directly affects human health, the transit of medications between countries is strictly monitored by the customs of the respective countries. To ship medicine abroad smoothly, the prescription, prospect, and medical report of the individual are required. Once you prepare these documents in full, you can easily ship medicine by cargo.

Shipping Documents Abroad

You can ship internal company correspondence, student certificates, passports, visa documents, invoices, and other important documents abroad via both express and economy cargo. To deliver important documents in a short time, air cargo is mostly preferred. For shipping your important documents, you can select "envelope" from the cargo options on the Navlungo panel, enter the quantity and weight details, and get international transport offers from different shipping companies for both express and economy shipping.

Navlungo Services for International Cargo Shipments

With its integration into dozens of different marketplaces, expert team, and solution-oriented approach, Navlungo continues to support you in your international cargo shipments while you grow your e-commerce. You can connect your store in seconds, choose the most suitable option for you among different shipping offers, and optimize your international cargo operations entirely through digital channels.