In a previous post we explained what groupage is. In this article, however, we are going to discuss a very common problem when importing from China.
Small importers in Latin America often seek different products from various suppliers to import from China to their country of origin. Unfortunately, we often find that the quantities are too small to import a complete container of each. This increases the fixed costs at the port of destination, as we explained in the article“what can be imported and what cannot” (I recommend you to read it before continuing).
The best solution to this problem? Use groupage
groupage
to only have to pay the fixed costs once and make importing profitable. The only problem is that to do this we will have to hire a company to take care of it.
You can hire directly a company specialized in groupage, which are usually found in the port of origin (there are also international ones). This means dealing with this company and all the suppliers, getting everyone on the same page and praying that the import goes well.
However, the most advisable option is to hire a company that will take care of both tasks at the same time. The import companies will be in charge of pressuring the suppliers so that everything is in order (times, documentation, quality…) and they also have constant dealings with groupage companies so they can get better prices than a private importer.
This is undoubtedly the best option to save headaches and above all to avoid serious problems that could delay or paralyze our operation to import from China.
If you want to import from China, do not hesitate to contact us without obligation.
