Importing through a southern port? You don’t need a southern agent!

If you’re a Scottish business trying to keep your business costs down when you’re importing goods from China and the Far East, it’s natural to assume that saving money on a shipping agent means dealing with an agent close to your chosen port of entry, such as Felixstowe or Thamesport.

This isn’t always the case; in fact you might find that even though your business is based in Scotland and you’re importing goods through Felixstowe, for example, it can work out more economical and convenient to use a shipping agency local to you, such as t ward shipping. It’s actually something of a widely held misconception that it costs less to use an agent close to the port of import, and t ward works with numerous different businesses who chose Thamesport and other southern UK ports for their LCL and FCL cargo shipments.

According to 2012 figures, China is currently one of the UKs main import partners, with only Germany exporting more goods to our shores. China is responsible for 8.2 per cent of goods imported into the UK and the amount of goods coming this way from the Far East is on the rise with enterprising online businesses finding bargains and selling them in the UK.

There has definitely been a surge in small businesses and sole traders who need to import goods from China, for example, to sell on sites such as eBay and Amazon. They need to be able to use a reliable shipping agent with competitive rates, and they come to us for help with their needs – we don’t just work with the big names, we’re happy to assist individuals and small businesses. It can work out cheaper for them to have their goods delivered in the south, but that’s not an issue for us, we have a transport network that efficiently moves cargo all around the UK, and quite often at a much lower cost than you might expect.

If you need to import goods through a port in the south of England, don’t automatically assume it will be easier and cheaper to use an agent locally. Contact t ward shipping for advice and a quote and we’ll see how we can help you.