The trade groupage feature covers general information designed to provide groupage services to help companies that are unfamiliar with shipping to understand what’s required and where to go for advice and reliable services.
A guide to what’s what and who goes where
Trade groupage has been a feature of the moving industry ever since the first container ships sailed the oceans in the 1960s. Until then, household goods shipments, large and small, were packed into timber cases and shipped as conventional cargo. It was slow and expensive especially for small consignments.
Today we live in a different world. The container revolution has provided a new option that is fast, safe and comparatively inexpensive that can be used by any moving company, even though they might have little shipping experience. The groupage operator, packed and loaded by shippers who specialise in their particular markets, allows companies that do very little shipping to accept an overseas move with confidence whether it’s going to a common destination such as Australia, South Africa or the USA – or somewhere altogether more exotic.
This feature is designed to help those companies that are unfamiliar with shipping to understand what’s required and where to go for sound advice and reliable services. It is not an exhaustive list, there are too many groupage operators to itemise in these pages. The Mover will, however, be building a more comprehensive list in its Trade Groupage Directory.
Thanks to all those companies that contributed to this feature. As well as providing details of services we asked for general information to help those that were not familiar with groupage services.
Rule one is, of course, that everything should be fully export wrapped, be accompanied by a full inventory of the packages (with the numbers on the list and the boxes matching) and details of the port it’s bound for and who to notify when it gets there. Any items, especially cartons, trunks, suitcases and boxes, that have been packed by the owner should have a full description of the contents.
The goods will be shipped in 20ft or 40ft containers. A 20ft container holds about 1000 cu ft and a 40ft holds twice that. But, depending on the destination, it might be best to have the exclusive use of a container even if it’s not quite full. Ask your operator for advice. In general, any shipment less than about 700 cu ft will be cheaper to ship as a groupage shipment (i.e. a part load with other household goods going to the same place) for most of the popular destinations. Even if you have a full container load (FCL) most groupage operators will be pleased to handle the shipment and do all the paperwork for you.
Many groupage operators run services to mainland Europe by road. The same principles apply.
Everything should be insured. You can handle the insurance yourself or, if you’d prefer, the groupage operator will do it for you. David Ozard, Trade Shipping Manager from John Mason, said that this was simple to arrange. “The trade shipper can do it themselves in which case we don’t need to be involved. If they want us to handle the insurance we’ll send them a proposal form to be completed by their customers, we’ll do the rest.”
Every country has different rules about what may or may not be imported. Untreated timber, wicker and bamboo are often not allowed and all items should be clean without soil adhering to bike tyres or garden tools, for example. It’s a good idea to contact your groupage operator to find out what regulations apply to each destination before doing the packing. They will also send you the relevant customs forms for completion.
Stephen Denning, Director of Fox Moving & Storage, who has regular services to all the most popular destinations commented that owner packed goods are prohibited to some destinations for security reasons. It’s wise to check with your groupage operator if owner packed items are included in a consignment. If they are allowed in it will be necessary to provide a full, accurate and detailed list of the contents of each carton from the customer.
Although all groupage operators will ship goods to their destination, the details of the services on offer will vary. Most will include: receiving, loading, shipment, customs and quarantine clearance, delivery to residence, unpacking and the removal of waste materials. Some also offer other services such as storage at both ends, insurance, crating services for fragile items and special services at destination such as handyman or maid services. One key point to check is the expected transit time. If a company is running a regular service they should be able to tell you when their next container is planned and, therefore, when it will arrive. The more often they ship to a destination, the faster the service will be.
Anglo Pacific handles 20,000 consignments annually to destinations worldwide giving smaller removal companies the opportunity of sharing its competitive container shipping rates. With such a large volume of traffic Anglo is able guarantee frequent sailings on all major routes worldwide and publishes a weekly sailing schedule online. The company also points out that the groupage operator’s choice of destination agent to handle the customs clearance and delivery is a vitally important part of the whole service. All its destination partners are FIDI-accredited. Anglo also alerts shippers to the need for financial security to protect both the shipper and the owner of the goods against financial default. Anglo, for example, has the highest ‘A’ credit rating with IMMI (International Movers Mutual Insurance) the company that operates the advance payment protection scheme for the BAR Overseas Group.
Henk Schutte, Assistant Trade Manager with Excess Baggage said that documentation requirements for most destinations are fairly basic and his company would supply the necessary forms. However, he added that the ‘Advanced Manifest System’ (AMS) is becoming pretty much a global customs requirement nowadays. “This is a requirement for lodgment of shipper and consignee details with the overseas customs authority in adnvance of the goods being given permission to be loaded on to a vessel out of the UK,” he explained. “To help with this, we strongly recommend that trade customers ask for a copy of the client’s passport for all overseas shipments. This is because AMS in most countries requires the consignee’s passport number, nationality and date of birth.”
Henk also advised that trade shippers should also be aware (and should advise their clients) of various exclusions to rates quoted by groupage operators. “These generally include customs examination, X-ray fees, duties and taxes, etc.,” he said. “Service quoted is generally for normal destination access, delivery to ground and first floor, and with basic unpack of goods on to available surfaces. Shippers should make sure that this is the service required by their clients.” He added that any special circumstances at destination could be accommodated at an extra charge.
Trade Groupage Operators
Special Destinations from Excess Baggage
Restriction for Popular Destinations
Essential advice from Britannia