International Shipping Guide

This guide brings together what you need to know before sending your first shipment: how to choose the method, what sets the price, which documents are needed, and where shipments usually get held up.

First: choose the method

Sea — the most economical for large volumes: a whole home’s furniture, a car, a container of goods. You pay by volume in cubic metres.
Air — the fastest, suited to urgent parcels and high-value goods. Charged by chargeable weight.
Land — balances price and time for neighbouring countries, and your shipment stays in one vehicle from door to door.

Second: understand how the price is worked out

This is the point that confuses customers most. Sea freight is charged by volume , not weight — so a light, bulky box costs more than a heavy, small one. Air freight is charged by chargeable weight, which is the greater of actual and volumetric weight.

This is why the site has two calculators: one for cubic metres and one for volumetric weight. Use them before comparing any two quotes.

Third: prepare the documents

For personal furniture: a copy of the ID or passport, and a detailed contents list.
For cars: the registration, deregistration, the export certificate, and the triptyque where the destination asks for it.
For commercial goods: the commercial invoice, the packing list, the certificate of origin, and the importer’s commercial registration.

Fourth: know where shipments get held up

A general description in the contents list — “household items” is the phrase that holds up most shipments at customs.
An undeclared restricted item — it stops the whole shipment, not the item alone.
A consignee name different from the identity document.
A value below the true one in commercial shipments.

Fifth: count the whole time

The sailing time is not everything. Add to it: the days of packing and collection, the wait for the sailing date, the days of clearance in the destination country, and inland transport to the address. The quote we send lists them all separately.

And finally

Do not choose on price alone. Ask: does it include inland transport? Does it stop at the port or reach the door? And what charges are expected on arrival? Two quotes with the same figure can be entirely different.