Shipping Agent Referral

One of the biggest challenges when you are relocating is how you will transport your personal belongings, household goods, and cars, or motorbike. Thankfully there are shipping agencies that will look after your transport and shipping needs. In some cases they will offer you an entire door-to-door or port-to-port service package, which essentially describes how you can expect your cargo to be picked up and delivered.  So, to find the best one, ask around for a shipping agent referral.

Depending on your needs, the destination where you want to ship your cargo, and your budget, you will need to contact a reliable shipping agent who can take on all port operations, marketing, documentation and reporting. Plus, he should be able to help you with even the minor details (not from your perspective!) such as the kind of container you should choose.

One of the big reasons when choosing a shipping agent is ensuring that the transport agency he represents has offices at various destinations along the route that are linked for easy tracking of your cargo.

Ideally look for a Shipping Agent who can offer you personalized services and yet be linked to offices that are strategically located in the part of the globe where you are shipping your goods. It also helps if the whole shipping operation is carried out in a cost-effective manner.

To locate a good shipping agent, check out if anyone in your social network or your colleagues has relocated recently. Ask them to give a shipping agent referral for agents who did a good job of moving their cargo. This is important because if they have had a good experience with their shipping agent, it is likely that you will too.

Once you have listed agents through referrals, talk to them. Find out exactly what services they can offer. For instance if you are shipping a bike, ask them if they will collect the bike and pack it, because if you crate it you might not have the means to lift it onto a truck.
Ideally, you should think of a number of difficulties that you might face while packing or shipping major items of your cargo and prepare a list of questions to know how the shipping agent will tackle them.

Another important way to select an agent is through a shipping agent referral so that you can see how customer-oriented he is. For instance, if you are concerned about keeping your costs down, he can suggest that you drive it to the port instead of having it collected from your home or he can provide you with other cost effective ideas such as packing your cargo in re-usable approved crates.
Last but not the least; your shipping agent referral should also be able to help you with your insurance and other details in the event of an accident.