3 Basic Things You Need to Know About Shipping to Jamaica from the UK
Maybe you need to send goods to family members living in St. Lucia, Jamaica, Grenada, or Barbados. Maybe you have an island home in Antigua, Trinidad & Tobago, or St. Kitts. With almost one million Jamaica residents currently living in the UK, shipping goods back and forth has become quite efficient as an everyday occurrence.
When you need to ship goods to or from the Jamaica and the UK, you need the most affordable method. It’s important to select a shipping agent you can trust, make sure your goods are packed properly, secured, and fit within your barrel or crate. Finally, for extra peace of mind and protection, consider purchasing shipping insurance.
Following are the three important things to know about shipping to the Jamaica from the UK.
Choose a Shipping Company Who Has a Good Reputation
Make Sure Your Items Are in Good Hands
When you are entrusting your goods with a shipping agent, you need to be sure they are reliable and trustworthy. Determine this by first checking out their reputation, what reviews say about them and how often they ship. Don’t be afraid to ask friends and family members for recommendations.
Do your homework before signing anything or handing over your items. Ask about the frequency at which they ship cargo. Is it on a regular basis? A regular frequency not only means that the shipping company has experience but also that if you miss a shipment, you will probably only have to wait no longer than a few days before another ship will set sail that will be able to accommodate your items efficiently, quickly, and safely.
Ship to Main Ports
Send Your Cargo to a Solid, Experienced Point of Delivery
Make sure your goods are being shipped to the main port in the major city where your items are headed. The staff on hand at these main ports have experience handling shipments and will understand all of the rules and regulations for imports and exports. Since these main ports are located in major cities, you will also be assured that there will be enough hands on deck, so to speak, to handle your items properly.
For instance, goods heading to Trinidad should be sent to the Port of Spain. Goods being sent to Barbados should go to Bridgetown. If you are shipping from the UK to Jamaica, your items should be sent to or from either Kingston or Montego Bay ports.
Package and Measure Your Shipment Correctly
Make Sure Your Shipment Will Fit
Be sure that your items are properly packaged. There are so many ways to load a barrel or a crate, and not all of them are the best for the items inside. They have a long way to go on a ship that is often tossed to and fro, even during quiet waters, causing the cargo to shift back and forth and sometimes bump into each other and become broken.
Pack your goods inside a barrel, a container, or a crate making sure that any room left free inside is filled with some form of padding. Some pack clothing or soft materials to surround any potentially breakable items. Many are quite skilled at packing items so tightly that it’s difficult to fit back inside once opened to clear customs.
Make sure your items are protected from shipping damage the best you can by securing your valuables with bubble wrap, packing tape, or maybe even a seal lock.
Measure Carefully and Accurately
You will also need to know the exact size of your packages before shipping them.
To determine the size of a container, multiply the width by the length by the height, keeping in mind that the actual inside of a crate differs slightly from the outside measurements.
Crates are often measured by imperial methods and not metric, so having a conversion chart on hand may also be a good idea. Crates typically come in 20 and 40 feet, sometimes smaller or odd-sized options are available.
Make sure you use the container that best fits your items and overall needs.
Measure Carefully and Accurately
You will also need to know the exact size of your packages before shipping them.
To determine the size of a container, multiply the width by the length by the height, keeping in mind that the actual inside of a crate differs slightly from the outside measurements.
Crates are often measured by imperial methods and not metric, so having a conversion chart on hand may also be a good idea. Crates typically come in 20 and 40 feet, sometimes smaller or odd-sized options are available.
Make sure you use the container that best fits your items and overall needs.
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