Many people question whether ocean shipping or air freight is the best option to send their valuable goods from A to B. In order to choose which service is right for you and avoiding paying extortionate shipping prices, you should consider a few factors before you jump headfirst into sending your belongings to a new environment, including if you are importing from China. Find out exactly how to choose which service is right for you below.
Cost
The first thing you need consider when choosing which service is right for you is the cost. It sounds obvious, but you would be surprised at the amount of people who jump straight into their sea or air freight shipment without a second thought, lacking proper research. It doesn’t matter whether you are shipping on behalf of a business or sending your personal belongings to a foreign country, in order to ensure you remain in your budget, you must price compare the two freight services. Now, this is where it gets a little confusing. More often than not, shipping by ocean is far less expensive than shipping by air, but this is not always the case. In order to make the best decision, you must understand how different carriers charge for international shipping by both sea and air freight. Ultimately, the price of your shipping will depend on the destination, weight and size of your shipment, so keep this in mind when packing larger shipments!
Quickness
The next step to choose which service is right for you is to consider the speed of which your shipment will arrive by both sea or air freight. It is likely that you will want your shipment to arrive safe and sound as quickly as possible, and if you don’t question when your shipment will arrive in your desired location, you may be left waiting days, if not weeks, without your items! Typically, sea shipments can take up to a month to arrive, but air shipments can take as little as two days or even sooner to arrive at the desired destination. If you are moving abroad, it is worth considering how the extra time waiting for your goods to arrive could benefit you. However, if you are a business, time is money, and you may want, if not need, to choose the quickest option possible!
Reliability
Many people are unsure about the reliability of sea and air freight, and the truth is that both services are just as reliable as each other. Flights are just as often delayed as ocean carriers, so when choosing which service is right for you, we strongly recommend that you take a look at the reviews of the service you have chosen to help you determine the reliability of each particular service to avoid disappointment should your goods arrive later than expected. Nevertheless, it is paramount that you don’t miss the cut off in order to prevent unnecessary delay.
Environmental Impact
Ensuring your shipment arrives safely shouldn’t just depend on how much it will cost you to get it there or how quick it will arrive. An important factor to consider when choosing between sea freight and air freight is the environmental impact your shipment will have. In this situation, ocean freight wins! Despite the quickness of air freight, CO2 emissions are much less when your ship your goods by sea, and thus you will be leaving a much smaller carbon fingerprint and not damaging the environment quite as much.
Shipping your goods abroad can be a daunting experience. After all, you want your belongings to arrive on time, but most importantly safe and sound. In order to ensure your items arrive in good time, we suggest considering the price difference between sea and air freight, as well as the speed and reliability of the service you have chosen to use for a stress-free shipping experience.
