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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Ocean Transit Times from China: Why 20 Days Becomes 45
The transit time you are quoted is port-to-port on a good day. Here is what the full door-to-door timeline actually looks like, and how to plan around it.
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Demurrage and Detention: How Free Days Actually Work
Two different charges, two different clocks, both running daily. Typical free time, 2026 per-diem rates, and the delays that trigger them.
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Cargo Insurance: Why the Carrier Only Owes You $500
If your container is lost at sea, the carrier may owe $500 total – not $500 per carton. What COGSA limits, and what insurance actually covers.
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HTS Codes: Why Getting Classification Wrong Costs More Than You Think
Your HTS code sets your duty rate, and the importer of record owns the mistake. Penalties reach 2x the shortfall for negligence and 4x for fraud.
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The $800 De Minimis Exemption Is Gone: What Small Importers Pay Now
The $800 duty-free threshold ended in 2025 and Section 321 is repealed from July 2027. What replaced it, and what it means for your landed cost.
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Original B/L, Telex Release or Seaway Bill: Which One to Ask For
Three ways to release ocean cargo, and picking wrong can strand your container. What each one does, and what happens if an original B/L goes missing.
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Freight Class Explained: The NMFC Density Overhaul and Your LTL Rates
Freight classification moved to a density-based system in 2025-26. How to calculate your PCF, why reclassification bills happen, and what changed.
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Freight Forwarder vs Customs Broker vs 3PL: Who Actually Does What
Three companies, overlapping pitches, and only one holds a customs licence. Who does what, and which one you actually need right now.
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Chargeable Weight: Why Air Freight Bills You for Space, Not Weight
Shipped 80kg, billed for 200kg? That is chargeable weight. The IATA formula, a worked example, and how to stop losing money to it.
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Incoterms for Small Importers: Why FOB Usually Beats EXW and DDP
What EXW, FOB, DAP and DDP actually shift onto you, and why FOB is the sensible default for sea freight from China or Vietnam.