Hidden Shipping and Transportation Costs to Look Out For

Your business’s shipping and transportation choices are critical to keeping a hold on your bottom line. For many companies, shipping costs can make up a substantial chunk of operational costs. If you’re not actively shopping for the best deals or ensuring you eliminate any unnecessary expenses, your bottom line will suffer. It’s particularly critical also to understand what you’re being charged for so you can do your best to avoid pesky, unnecessary, and burdensome hidden costs.

If you’re not used to poring over a shipment invoice’s details, hidden shipping and transportation costs are easy to overlook. To help you stay on top of where your business costs are going, here are four hidden shipping and transportation costs to recognize.

Customs and Duties

Most shipping and transportation organizations will include line items denoting customs and duties. However, it’s essential to ask to have those items explicitly spelled out for you. You want to ensure you aren’t being charged a flat rate that isn’t specific to your shipment. Some shipping and transportation companies will include higher customs and duties as a hidden cost, not expecting users to dig deeper into them.

Additional Fees

Some ‘additional fees’ will be added to your shipping and transportation costs, so always ask for more details about what they mean. Some shipping operations will add on expedited fees, but if you don’t need it, be sure to clear that up, so an unnecessary charge isn’t added to your bill. Similarly, certain fees may be added for delivery to specific zip codes or even regional surcharges.

Cargo Insurance

Did you know some shipping and transportation companies will try to inflate the cargo insurance without your knowledge? Cargo insurance must be specific to your shipment’s size, value, and specifics. Otherwise, if you’re not careful, your shipping and transportation bill will be charged more cargo insurance than you want or need.

Rate Hikes

Lastly, never assume that a shipping and transportation provider you’ve been using for a while will keep their prices constant. It’s not uncommon for providers to raise their prices on an annual basis. If you’re using a single shipping and transportation company, you’ll want to perform regular checks on the rates and shop around to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Always be sure not to let complacency eat away at your bottom line.

If you want to learn more about the best and fairest rates for your shipping needs, be sure to get in touch with Econo-Courier. We know all the ins and outs of shipping and transportation services and can help quote you the fairest rates. Contact us today!