Shipment Management

Almost half of all importers use spreadsheets for shipment management; we think there’s a better way. Once your shipments are underway, the new Freightos shipment page provides a one-stop view across all shipments, including actions required, tracking, status, messages, and more. Here’s how it works.

The map at the top will show all shipments in process, including airport arrival and departures for air shipments, as well as live tracking of ship locations for your ocean shipments. Click on an individual shipment to dive into more details or, if you’re not the map-type, just hide it completely.

Make this page your own by choosing the right layout at the top. If you like this view, remember that all columns can be reorganized, sorted, or filtered to showcase the information you actually want to see. You can also use the search at the top to quickly find any specific shipment. If there’s an action required to get your shipment underway, you’ll be notified about it in the status section.

If your shipment is already underway and you have a message waiting from the provider, you’ll also see it right here. At any point, you can click on an individual shipment for more information. And since some companies really like their Excel, we’ve also made all information exportable into a CSV file - just click right here to download the file.

Messenger

Communicating with your logistics providers is also much easier through Freightos. Once your shipment is confirmed and the commercial invoice is submitted, you and your logistics provider can communicate directly through the messenger regarding each individual shipment, whether it’s about shipment updates, changed shipping dates, or updated charges Messages can be read and sent through the Freightos platform directly from the messenger page.

When you have a message, you’ll be notified in platform, on both the high-level shipment management page, as well as the individual shipment page, as well as through an email update. To reply, either respond to the email or log in to the platform.

One quick note about the messenger; with dozens of providers worldwide spanning timezones, you shouldn’t always expect an instant response. We closely monitor provider response time to encourage speedy response but think of this as more of a unified conversation platform than a live chat.

And of course, if you ever need support from Freightos, we’re available by either chat or phone.

Billing Management

Part of making international freight transparent is making pricing more transparent as well. We’re bringing that to your payments as well, concentrating financial details regarding each individual shipment on one page. When you’re in an individual shipment, clicking on the billing page tab will show you the full breakdown of your shipment’s cost, including the initial quote, as well as any shipment cost adjustments that may have happened along the way.

You can pay for these charges directly from this page, or just enable auto-pay to automatically pay them. If there’s a cost you disagree with, you can also dispute it from this page by clicking on this button.

You can also find your invoices here, whether it’s the pro forma invoice prior to payment or the actual invoice once the shipment is delivered and finalized for.

Vendor Profiles

We want to make it as simple as possible to choose the perfect logistics provider for every one of your shipments, so we’re bringing even more information about each provider to your fingertips.

After you search for a quote, you’ll notice that we’ve started to include the number of shipments each provider has shipped for Freightos users. Clicking on the provider’s icon or review link in any result tile will slide in more information about them from the right.

Here you can see a short description of the provider, service specialties, and the provider’s website. You’ll also see reviews written by verified users that shipped with this specific company, helping you see exactly where they excel. We work hard to help our providers constantly improve, with ongoing feedback about their pricing, transit times, communication with customers, and user satisfaction.

One quick note - we include the provider’s website because we want to empower you with as much information as possible; we’re confident that the ideal shipping experience comes when you book through Freightos, with exclusive pricing, secure payment and escrow, inline communication, shipment tracking, and more.

Credit

Part of easier freight are credit terms that work for you. You may be eligible if you’re either a multinational company or if you shipped twice with Freightos at a total cost of over $2,000. To apply for credit, click the Apply for credit button on the top of the page. That will enable you to request an application form by email. Click on the button in the email for the credit application form.

After a quick legal agreement, you’ll be asked to fill out some brief information about your business, the requested credit terms, and information about your bank or guarantor. You’ll be notified if your credit terms have been approved by email, after about five to ten days.

Once your credit terms are approved, you can complete your checkout on Freightos by credit card, wire, or with your line of credit.

FCL Support for FBA

At the request of larger Amazon FBA sellers, we’ve expanded instant quoting to Amazon FBA warehouses to support full container loads. You’ll now see a container load type option on the Ship to Amazon FBA page,  where you can select quantities and container sizes.

You’ll also be asked on how you’ll fill the container, with three options:

1. You can have the supplier load the container with boxes at the factory. Your Freightos provider will then transfer the boxes to Amazon-accepted pallets for delivery, which will include a small palletization fee.

2. Your supplier can also load the container with pallets themselves for direct delivery to Amazon

3. Finally, your supplier can floor-load the container with boxes and send it straight to Amazon. Note this may extend delivery time, as Amazon prefers palletized deliveries.

For all three options, ensure your boxes are correctly labeled - you can see more about Amazon specifications for packaging and labeling on the Help Center.

Continue with the booking as you would with a typical shipment.

It is completely free to sign up and search on Freightos.

You'll only be asked for payment once you choose a quote and book a shipment.

You can learn more about paying for shipments through Freightos here.

You can ship almost anything on Freightos, however, there are some shipments that our forwarders do not currently support (and which cannot be insured):

• Personal effects
  

• Hazardous materials HAZMAT (with some exceptions)
  

• Refrigerated/chilled/frozen/dry ice goods
  

• Leather, hides (exc. processed leather)
  

• Scraps (metal, plastic, etc.)
  

• Films and optical material
  

• Documents, stamps, money, banknotes, bonds, securities, and checks
  

• Accounts
  

• Bills
  

• Evidence of debt
  

• Money orders
  

• COD payments
  

• Tickets, deeds, treasury notes, or any cash equivalents
  

• Gift cards
  

• Manuscripts
  

• Original/fine art valued over $20,000 USD per piece
  

• Military equipment or weapons of any kind
  

• Goods in bulk vessels
  

• Cement
  

• Marble plates/slabs
  

• Bamboo
  

• Charcoal
  

• Crude oil
  

• Fresh produce (fruits, vegetables, etc.), seeds, plants, flowers, livestock, chicks, and perishable goods
  

• Livestock
  

• Jewelry, precious stones, valuable metals, gold, silver, diamonds
  

• Consumer electronics (cellphones, tablets, etc.)
  

• FDA-regulated items lacking FDA approval
  

• Boats/yachts/tankers
  

• Cars/motorcycles
  

• Neon items
  

• Cigarettes and tobacco
  

• Medicine
  

• Alcohol/wine/beer/similar spirits
  

• Grandfather/grandmother clocks
  

• Models (including but not limited to: ships, cars, airplanes, and architectural)
  

• Mobile phones
  

• Windows
  

• Plate/flat glass
  

• Antiques, used furniture, used clothing
  

Freightos quotes include all charges stemming from freight services, including handling fees, loading charges, documentation processing, and any other costs related to the movement of your goods.

You can also opt-in to other relevant charges if needed (eg, customs bond or broker and shipment insurance).

There are some costs that simply cannot be included upfront, however...

Charges Not Included

Customs Duties

Customs duties are paid to the government via your forwarder or customs broker, and are calculated based on your goods’ value. The charge is only determined upon the arrival of your goods at the destination. You can estimate customs costs with our customs calculator

Unanticipated Charges

There are some costs that cannot be anticipated. For example, some shipments get randomly chosen for customs inspections at the port, incurring a charge from the Customs Border and Protection Agency. There’s also the possibility that an Act of God like a major storm, or a port strike, can delay shipments, resulting in extra fees.

Booking Mistake

If information you provided for your quote is missing or inaccurate, if your factory keeps the truck waiting too long, or if you’re missing crucial paperwork, charges may be applied that are simply out of our control. To avoid such charges, we recommend talking to a member of our Freight Team to ensure that all necessary details are accurate and accounted for.

List of Freight Charges
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Freightos provides rates for within certain validity periods with some lasting days, weeks, or months from when you search. A quote's Valid Until date is clearly listed on the quote result.
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If you have a shipment ready, but do not plan on shipping until after any of the valid dates of the quotes provided, please contact us and we will try to get you a valid quote.

If you decide to book a quote before knowing your goods ready dates, be advised that if your cargo is picked up too far past the expiration date the forwarder may need to re-quote at current rates.

Freight rates fluctuate for a number of reasons, including:

• Supply and demand
  Because the number of shipment lanes is constant, the higher the demand on each lane, the greater the prices will be.

• General Rate Increase (GRI)
  An anticipated increase made at a carrier's discretion that must be announced at least 30 days in advance, but may be lowered at any time.

• General Rate Increase (GRI)
  An anticipated increase made at a carrier's discretion that must be announced at least 30 days in advance, but may be lowered at any time.

There are many shippers who take advantage of anticipated market lulls, deferring shipments when possible. Two peak seasons to watch out for include Chinese New Year and the end of summer (August).

You can refer to the Freightos Global Index to view year over year pricing trends. As you continue to learn more about how freight works, you may begin to anticipate the trends yourself.

If you purchase customs brokerage through Freightos.com and this is your first time shipping with your freight forwarder, you will have to submit a Power of Attorney (POA).

A POA will be sent to you either directly from your provider or from Freightos.com.

The POA should be signed by the entity that is importing the goods -- the same entity that appears on the commercial invoice.

Importing as a company?
Input your EIN/IRS number. The signer must be the President, Vice President, Officer, Owner, or Treasurer. Provide a copy of your SS4 form or another document that serves as proof for your EIN/IRS tax ID number.

Importing as an individual or sole proprietorship with no EIN/IRS tax ID number?
Input your social security number instead. Provide a copy of your social security card or passport. If you are not based in the USA and don't have an EIN, please let us know so we can help you arrange one.

After submitting all your shipping instructions, your freight forwarder will handle it from there. They will be in direct contact with your factory to coordinate a time to pick up your goods, before the goods ready date.

To message your freight forwarder, you can do so directly on the Freightos.com platform, via the Shipment pages, once your shipment is confirmed.

Simply click on the “envelope” icon on the top right corner of your Shipment pages to send your message.

Please note, due to the time difference, allow time for your freight forwarder to respond.

To ship from an overseas factory to an Amazon warehouse, you need to fill out a few important addresses. Here’s a quick rundown of all of them, including some advice on entering a destination address.

1. Origin Address. This address is the location your goods are coming from (ie, the factory, warehouse, or port overseas).

2. Ship-From Address. This address must be entered on Amazon's. That’s because, in order for Amazon to assign you a warehouse to enter on our platform, you’ll need to tell them in Seller Central where your goods are coming from.

But here’s the catch: Amazon will likely assign you any warehouse throughout the country. This is fine, but it means that both the international and domestic freight may take longer to arrive and that means it will cost more.

What you can try doing is selecting an address near the port on the coast closer to where you’re shipping (ie, the port of Los Angeles if you’re shipping from China, or the port of New York if you’re shipping from Europe).

This way, the warehouse you get will probably (no promises) be closer to those ports, saving you on costs.

3. Destination: Amazon FBA Warehouse. The warehouse address you get from Amazon when creating your shipment plan becomes your ship-to or delivery address for your overall shipment. You can choose it from the dropdown on the platform.

You will be able to see the appropriate warehouse address provided by Amazon in the Freightos.com Amazon flow here.

4. Destination: UPS Pickup. If your shipment is going to multiple warehouses or its volume is under one CBM, you may choose to have UPS handle the last leg of the delivery from the forwarder’s warehouse to the Amazon warehouse.

Learn more here.

Consignor Address. You will need to fill this on your shipment page after you book a shipment. It refers to the address of your supplier or factory in the origin country.

Consignee Address. This also needs to be filled on your Shipment page, this is the contact address for customs to use in case there are any problems with duties. Amazon will not serve as the consignee of your shipment, so this contact will usually be you, the importer. If you’re importing on behalf of someone else, it will be their company.

Note: This needs to be an address in the country you’re shipping to; here’s some information about setting up an importer of record in the US. Check with your forwarder for requirements for imports to other countries.