New to Importing?
If you’re a business thinking of importing to the UK for the first time what do you need to consider?
Importing for the first time?
Are you a business thinking about importing cargo from overseas for the first time and worry about the formalities involved? We ensure the process for your shipment is made easy and hassle free. We will chat to you to ensure you get the right shipping service and advice for your cargo. We explain all the procedures involved and how they will affect you and your business. We can give you complete all-in shipping import costs with no hidden extras.
We import to the UK from all over the world but popular importing countries are China, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and the USA. We import anything from small cartons to full container loads, whether by sea freight (LCL + FCL) or air freight. We offer a tailored shipping solution to meet your requirements. If you are importing to sell on popular online market places, we have some specific advice on our blog.
The best methods of shipment for your goods
As a freight forwarder, we offer air freight, sea freight or road freight for importing your goods depending on your requirements.
We recommend more time critical items are best to go by air freight but this is more expensive. Sea freight is cheaper but comes with longer transit times. We can also arrange transport by road to the UK from Europe, Middle East and North Africa.
We can offer prices for LCL (less than container loads or space in a container) and FCL (full container loads) for imported goods. Our in-house rule is once your goods start to total 15-20 cubic metres, that’s when it could be worth considering using full container loads instead of less than container loads. For more information on LCL and FCL see our blog post on the subject.
Whether you’re trying to save money, or time or both we’ll always offer a complete tailored freight solution that meets your requirements.
Customs Clearance for your imports
AIf you are looking to import cargo to/from a non-UK country, you will need to find a UK customs clearance agent that can process your imports with HMRC. We provide a customs clearance service for imports via sea, air or road. Find out more about customs clearance for importers on our blog.
Customs Charges
Understanding customs charges for the first time can be very difficult, but we can help you plan by estimating what they will be as accurately as possible. We can also advise how and when they should be paid.
If you’re importing for the first time you’ll need to apply via HMRC for an EORI number. This application will take about 3-5 days but it's imperative you have one before your goods arrive to avoid any delays and extra costs. If your business is registered for VAT, your EORI number should be linked to your VAT registration number. HMRC should be able to advise.
Incoterms terms for your shipment
When your sellers give you a quotation for your goods they will advise what the shipping terms are, for example – FOB Shanghai, FCA Hong Kong or even CIF Felixstowe – these are called INCOTERMS. We will explain what these terms mean and what the cost implications are for you and your shipment.
In our experience, we find importing on FOB terms tends to be the most cost effective and less risky as you then know what shipping costs you will pay in advance. When importing on CFR and CIF terms the seller arranges shipment to the first port/airport of arrival in the UK but there are additional costs to pay on arrival in the UK that can't always be determined before the shipment leaves the seller's country.
Classification of your goods for import with HMRC
What will the import VAT and duty be? As a shipping and freight forwarding agent we are more than familiar with the best way to correctly classify your goods with HMRC as well as understanding what the correct import VAT and duty levels will be for your goods. Just ask us if you’re unsure.
Import licensing
Some specialist goods, such as heavy machinery, may require an import license. We will advise our customers if this is the case.
Insurance for importing
When shipping by sea, air or road the value of your goods will not be covered to their full value. So if you are importing high value goods it's worth taking out extra cover to insure against loss, damage and theft.
Please contact us to discuss your import requirements and feel free to ask us anything.