Shopping and shipping from the US to Australia may sound complicated and expensive. But it is actually not. The thing is that you just need a freight forwarder to help you with your US purchases and safely ship them to your doorstep.
Freight forwarders make it possible for people to shop and ship from other countries worry- and hassle-free. Yes, you got it right! They handle the necessary procedures and documents to ensure the safe transport of your shipments internationally.
Freight forwarders oversee:
- The decision on the best routes and conditions for the physical transport of the shipment;
- The handling the documentary requirements for international transport of goods;
- The booking consignments with top courier partners such as DHL and FedEx; and
- The monitoring the movement of consignments and providing tracking information to the client or customer.
Freight forwarders are everywhere nowadays. That is why you should look for several requirements or qualifications before choosing who to entrust your shipments to. To help you identify the right one, we listed below some qualification you need to consider taking a look:
1. A highly accessible and reliable Customer Support is a must.
An essential foundation of a trustworthy freight forwarding service is its Customer Service. In the shipping business, it’s important to have people who are always ready to assist customers, especially those with concerns for special cases such as shipments containing battery-powered electronics.
For comGateway, one of the leading US freight forwarding services today, their world-class Customer Service team is reachable through email or Live Chat. Their email response is within 24 hours, while their Live Chat is accessible daily at selected times. Customers can even go to comGateway’s website for their FAQ database to look for query answers.
Do you have a limited budget for an international shipment? Then your freight forwarder should have a Cost Calculator or a Live Estimate tool like comGateway’s. These tools help customers see the shipping cost and assess if they can move forward with their shipment.
2. The forwarder must be able to provide necessary documents (tracking numbers, invoice, etc.) to the client as soon as possible.
Customers trust their freight forwarder to handle all the necessary procedures for their shipment, from securely packing the shipment to coordinating with couriers. All that.
In exchange, a forwarder must obtain and provide tracking information to the customer as early as possible to give them peace of mind and assurance that their shipment is in good hands.
On top of these, the freight forwarder should have a secure website where customers can organize and track their shipments with real-time notifications—an online account dashboard for short. You better scan their website for such a dashboard as this will help you track your shipments accordingly.
3. They must have shipment insurance policies.
Insurance policies in shipping are a must because there are shipments that might get damaged during transport. That’s when shipment insurance shall follow.
For example, at comGateway, all packages for international shipping are insured against loss or damage. You can check their policies here to get to know them better.
4. Are they offering discounts and deals?
A good freight forwarder helps in the documentation and transportation of shipments, but a perfect freight forwarder also helps customers maximize their savings. Don’t you agree?
Create an account on comGateway at no cost and you’ll receive a sales-tax-free US address. The amount of sales tax varies per US state. But a comGateway US address is located in the sales-tax-free state of Oregon. So have your US purchases delivered to your comGateway US address, and you’re already saving several bucks.
Aside from a sales-tax-free address, comGateway also offers affordable shipping rates and premium shipping services. They have repacking and consolidation services and their famous OneBox service, which could reduce shipping weight by up to 80%. Pretty cool, right? But the discounts does not end there!
After three international shipments, comGateway even automatically upgrades a customer’s account to Prime status to top it all off. Under Prime status, more perks and discounts become available to the customer.
5. They provide no limits to US online shopping.
Not all US online stores accept non-US-issued credit cards. What happens now? You look for other services that your freight forwarder might offer, just like comGateway’s BuyForMe (BFM) service.
In BFM, comGateway will shop on your behalf for a small fee. Just fill out the BFM form, and wait for notifications on your email to see the progress of your purchase. The fee ranges from 5% to 10% of the cost of goods purchased. Totally hassle-free and worry-free as you can monitor your order through your comGateway account!
6. They must have a good or positive reputation based on customer reviews and feedback.
Everything is online. You can find the most reliable freight forwarders on review websites through online customer reviews and feedback. Websites such as Trustpilot and ProductReview can help you screen the best US freight forwarder that fits your needs perfectly.
Beware, though. Troll reviews all over the internet. Tip: Reviews that have photos of the shipment are the most trustworthy.