By Allan McPhie, Author
Still on Tap Brewing and Distilling Company
Published: 15-Sep- 2021
Shipping with Still on Tap
Shipping with Still on Tap is customized for each order. You will notice a button to request a shipping quote rather than a button to buy the item. When you consider purchasing from Still on Tap, you have to consider the shipping options. This is because we do not carry inventory. We designed Still on Tap to ship directly from the manufacture to you and we calculate the best shipping package for you with your cooperation. It can either be based on delivery time or the cost of shipping.
Our company strategy is to be transparent with the costs on our quote. We will show you a breakdown of the equipment, shipping, taxes, and landing costs. We do our best to calculate all fees ahead of time. Unfortunately this is not always a 100% of the time, and things come up. We work with our customers to resolve any unexpected extra fees that come up.
Shipping can occur in many ways. For us, shipping can occur two ways, either by sea (then by truck to inland terminals) or by currier (door to door). Both carry their pros and cons, which I will discuss in this post. And I will describe the costs associated with both in my next post. These pros, cons and costs are associated with any international shipping regardless of what company is the importer.
Shipping by Sea
Also known as Ocean Transport. Shipping by sea is your least expensive shipping option, however it takes the longest time to transport your order. The main thing to consider when shipping by sea is the size of your order. Such as if you are ordering bottles, there is usually a minimum quantity required. Or, the size of the still. A 100L still is cheaper to currier and a 200L still is cheaper to ship by sea.
This is because the still’s weight makes it calculated higher if shipped by planes allowanced or that is taking up a lot more space than one pallet in a shipping container but not the entire container. This is Less than Container Load (LCL). On larger orders you may be using the entire shipping container for your order in some cases. This is Full Container Load (FCL).
FCL/LCL
As I mentioned above, there are basically two types shipping categories when shipping by container, Full Container Load (FCL) and LCL, and Less than Container Load (LCL),
Full Container Load (FCL) is when you fill up the entire container with the contents for one customer. The customer pays the entire cost of the shipping for the container. This is the cheapest per item shipping cost, but the most expensive overall cost for shipping due to the size.
Less than Container Load (LCL) is when your order does not fill up the entire container and is shared with another order. The customers share the cost of the shipping of the container based on the amount of space they use. This costs more per item. But when you only have a small order such as one to a few pallets, it is the only way to ship the order and is cheaper than currier costs.
This can be slower depending on the destination of the other orders in the container. The shipping costs can change up to the day of the shipping because they change daily. However most quote have a 30 day guarantee on the LCL shipping costs. FCL costs will change up to the day of shipping.
The order is only shipped to the seaport or the inland port and must be picked up by the customer. Or, the Customer must organize local shipping arrangements to complete the delivery to its final destination.
Shipping by Currier
Shipping by a currier is the fastest and easiest way to get your ordered delivered to your door. However, it comes with the largest price tag. All the shipping costs that you have seen in the freight shipping are included in the currier shipping costs. However, it is calculated into the curriers single cost. The currier will deliver your order to your shipping location, and you won’t have to either pick up your order at the seaport or arrange further transportation from the seaport to your shipping address.
The currier will pick up your order if it is flagged and inspected by customs. You will still be required to pay the inspection fee.
In summery, as an importer, there is a lot less communication required when shipping by a currier than by ocean transportation. You don’t have to contact the manufacturer for the commercial invoice. You must communicate this to your customs broker and pay your customs broker. You have numerous emails with the shipping broker to set up the consignee information, pay port fees and release the cargo to the customer who is picking up their order at the seaport. There are just numerous emails back and forth. However, the customer doesn’t see this. This is just on our end.
So, shipping by currier is easier for everyone involved, but shipping by freight is cheaper for the customer and more work for the importer.