If you are running a business, especially a small business, your profit margins are probably fairly tight. You probably do everything you can to keep your expenses low and your revenues high. That is how you boost your profits. However, you might not be thinking about your shipping costs. Shipping costs are actually fairly high in certain respects. That’s especially true if you are shipping heavy freight. If your shipping pallets full of materials, it can be very expensive to get them from place to place. Saving money on those pallets can boost your profits. So, should you ship by sea, land, or air? Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. The different type of shipping simply depends on what aspect you are emphasising.
Shipping Time
If you are worried about shipping time, your best bet will be shipping by air. Shipping by air is the fastest way to ship your items. Sea freight is sometimes the slowest. Freighting by sea is on less firm timeframes. Your shipment by sea could arrive at the port very quickly. However, if a storm hits at sea, it could possibly delay your shipment. Therefore, if you are concerned mostly about the time it takes to ship your materials, shipping by air is going to be the fastest way. Shipping by road is arguably the most reliable if you are not freighting overseas. Shipping by sea is the slowest.
Shipping Costs
If you are concerned mostly about shipping costs, shipping by sea is typically the least expensive route to take. That’s especially true if you are shipping heavy items. Road and air shipping often charge you based on the size of the shipment as well as the weight of what you’re shipping. Since water is so buoyant, the weight of your items is not nearly as important. You might not be charged based on weight if you’re shipping by sea; if you are, the charge is usually less than it would be shipping by some other method.
Since weight is less of an issue for a container ship, the cost is much lower. Furthermore, the ships are so large that the size of your shipment is less of an issue. You will often be given a little bit more leeway with your shipment. If it’s hanging off the edge of the pallet just slightly, you might be forgiven with sea shipping.
Porting Costs
When a shipment arrives at its destination, it will sit in a port for a while. Typically, it will be loaded onto a truck and shipped to its final destination. The cost of storing something at a seaport is typically lower than the cost of storing at an airport. That will make sea shipping a lower cost option for porting as well. These are a few of the considerations you should take into account when choosing the proper shipping method for your business.