Generally speaking, the operation of international freight business is mostly completed by freight forwarding companies. The majority of cargo owners' enterprises, especially those that have not carried out import and export business for a long time, are not completely clear about the freight rate, which leads to the lack of decision-making basis in accounting transportation costs. According to the business personnel of a shipping company in Hong Kong, the price increase of routes mainly changes according to the fiscal year and sales peak season of each country. For example, Japan's fiscal year settlement is in March, so the shipping company will increase the freight rate of the Japanese line in mid-March to correspond to the timely increase in freight volume. For American Airlines, the price increase began on April 3 1 the day after the fiscal year settlement date, that is, May 1. In addition, during the so-called peak season from June 15 to June 10 to1October 3 1, a "peak season surcharge" will be added, the most influential of which is Christmas, during which many goods are delivered just to seize this most important market. The insider also analyzed that the sea freight includes several parts. Taking Yantian Port in Shenzhen as an example, the FCL freight rate of export containers includes basic sea freight (refer to the freight rate published by the shipping company), BAF (fuel surcharge), PSS (peak season surcharge) and GRI (general price increase). Among them, the basic freight rates of shipping companies are different, but for the shipper, if the freight forwarder who provides freight services for you has signed an agreed freight rate with the shipping company, or even some have preferential policies such as box buckle because of the large volume of goods, then the freight rate that the freight forwarder can provide may be far lower than the freight rate announced by the shipping company itself. BAF generally has little difference, while PSS and GRI are related to the whole freight volume and market environment, and there are many uncertain factors. However, some freight forwarding companies have signed special terms with a shipping company in this regard, and they can often enjoy very preferential policies.
According to the composition of ocean freight rate, when consulting freight rate, we should pay attention to:
First of all, there may be several shipping companies operating on a certain route. After choosing a shipping company with a suitable shipping schedule, you should pay attention to whether the freight forwarding company that provides freight services for you has signed an agreed freight rate with this shipping company. If there is, you can enjoy lower freight; Second, if you have a relatively stable forward futures volume, you can directly sign an agreement with the shipping company, and the shipping company will appoint its agent to provide freight services for you;
3. For PSS and GRI, if your transportation plan is correct, you can negotiate with the shipping company or freight forwarder to reach a certain degree of relief.