Freight Guides
Practical guides on freight costs, 3PL pricing, customs and shipping operations for Shopify and Amazon sellers. Every figure is checked against a primary source before it is published.
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Shipping Lithium Batteries: The Rules That Decide How Your Freight Moves
Wh thresholds, the passenger aircraft ban and the 30% charge cap — and why batteries fitted inside a product follow different rules.
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Anti-Dumping Duties: The Tariff That Can Exceed Your Cargo’s Value
AD/CVD is set per factory, governed by written scope not tariff codes, and assessed retrospectively. How to check before you place the order.
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Importer of Record: The Liability You Take On Without Reading It
Duties are a personal debt of the importer of record. Who can legally hold the role, and why letting your supplier take it costs more than it saves.
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Container Weight Limits: The 80,000 lb Ceiling That Decides Your Payload
A 40ft container holds nearly 59,000 lb but road law allows roughly 44,000 lb of cargo. The three limits, and which one binds.
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Drayage: The Port-to-Door Charge That Is Never in the Ocean Quote
Drayage moves your container from the port to your door. What the line items are, why quotes vary, and the charge that dwarfs it.
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LTL vs FTL: The Weight Where a Full Truckload Gets Cheaper
LTL and FTL rates converge between 8,000 and 12,000 lb. Where the crossover sits on your lane, and the four things that move it.
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Questions to Ask a 3PL Provider Before You Sign
The 31 questions that separate a 3PL quote you can trust from one that grows after signing – on pricing, capacity, integration, and getting out.
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Pre-Shipment Inspection: What AQL Actually Means
A few hundred dollars at the factory beats a container of unsellable stock. How AQL sampling works, when to inspect, and what the numbers mean.
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Amazon FBA vs 3PL: The 2026 Cost Comparison
FBA fees rose again in 2026 and inbound placement fees now reach $6.50 a unit. Where a 3PL wins, where FBA still wins, and why most sellers should run both.
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Freight Damage Claims: How to Actually Win One
Most damage claims are lost in the sixty seconds before you sign the delivery receipt. The notation rule, the 5-day and 9-month deadlines, and the evidence.