Shipping Custom Products from Overseas? Read This First
When it comes to overseas shipping, it’s important to know the full scope of what to expect — including potential issues that could arise in the process.
Generally, your shipping company will be a good resource for you while the shipment is in transit. It’s important to build a good relationship with them and stay in touch closely through the process so if an issue does arise during the shipping process, they’ll be more likely to help however they can or at least answer questions along the way.
However, when the shipment finally does arrive at your doorstep, it’s in your hands.
There are two steps I recommend you take as soon as the shipment arrives — inspection and inventory. Be ready to take notes and photos along the way.
Inspection
01. Walk around each delivered palette, and inspect the outside boxes for any damage. Take photos and notes of any damage you may see.
02. Remove a few boxes from each palette, taking them from different places on the palette: one from the top, one from the bottom, one from the middle, etc. Gather 3-5 boxes from each palette and make note of which box came from which part of the palette.
03. Open those boxes you’ve collected one by one, and take one planner out of each. Before removing the shrink wrap, flip the boxes over and inspect for anything strange before you unwrap them.
04. Unbox all planners, and thoroughly inspect them, flipping through each of them page by page.
If at any point during this stage you find any damages/imperfections/errors, take photographs and notes! More on damages below.
Set aside the planners you just unpacked. Use those for marketing, samples, personal use, keepsakes, etc.
Inventory
01. The cardboard boxes that your planners are packaged in will already have the quantity written on them. For the boxes you just removed a planner from, cross out that number and update it with the new quantity.
02. Tally the quantities on each box and the samples you just removed. Make sure that is the same number of planners you ordered and/or were invoiced for.
How to Handle Visible Damages
If you see damages to the boxes as they come off of the truck, then we know those damages occurred during ground shipping. In this case, speak with the driver about your next steps in filing a claim.
Anything else you find would be categorized as an imperfection or error from the factory. Examples of this could be: missing pages, pages that are upside down, bent coils, dents or scratches in the cover, imperfect foil stamping, etc.
So what should you do if you DO find any damages, imperfections, or errors in any of the planners you unpack? Keep reading.
If a damaged planner is found in a box, then you should inspect every other planner in that box.
The level of damage will depend on your inspection. If it looks like dented/crushed keepsake boxes, then you should set those boxes aside, but also open them to see if the planner inside is OK. Determine if that planner is sellable or not. If not, you would seek reimbursement for the keepsake box only.
If you experience an instance such as a missing page in the planner, set that one planner aside until you have completed your spot inspection. But make note of which box it came from. These types of errors can happen. If they do, it is likely that there are others, but they can be hard to find. In an instance like this, I recommend contacting your factory to see what they say. If they insist that you inspect each planner, then do so. But keep a record of the cost of labor involved to do this as you could add this amount to the reimbursement you seek.
While there are countless different scenarios that I could detail here, many of them will follow this same process. The most important two things to remember when it comes to accounting for damages to your shipment or product:
01. Inspect and inventory your shipment as soon as possible upon arriving at your destination.
02. Document everything with photos and notes.
And remember: product and shipping damages are not personal or intentional. But it’s important to be diligent in the quality of product you’re selling to your customers and stand up for your company when necessary to maintain the highest standard for the brand you’re building.
Feeling ready to move production overseas?
I created a streamlined checklist so you know exactly what you need to do before making the leap to overseas manufacturing . . . and it’s available now at the link below.