How Businesses Can Reduce International Shipping Costs

For importers and exporters, freight is often the second-largest cost after the goods themselves. Cutting freight by even 10-15% can transform margins. Here are the most effective strategies businesses use to reduce international shipping costs.

1. Consolidate Shipments

Combine multiple small orders into fewer larger shipments. The per-CBM price drops sharply as volume grows. If you import monthly, consider shifting to bi-monthly or quarterly larger shipments.

Don't ship a half-full 40ft container when a full 20ft would do. Or — if you're using LCL but consistently shipping 12+ CBM — switch to a 20ft FCL where you'll get a better rate per CBM.

Cubic meters cost money. Use cartons that match standard pallet dimensions. Eliminate empty headspace. Disassemble bulky items. A few hours of repackaging can save hundreds of dollars per shipment.

If you ship regularly, ask your forwarder for a volume-based contract rate. Even modest commitments (10 containers per year) usually unlock 10-25% discounts off spot rates.

Last-minute bookings always cost more. Booking 2-4 weeks ahead lets your forwarder lock in better carrier rates and consolidation slots.

Carriers add seasonal surcharges during peak periods (Aug-Oct for many lanes). Ship before or after if possible.

Air freight is sometimes necessary, but defaulting to it is expensive. For non-urgent inventory replenishment, ocean is 5-15x cheaper.

Carriers and forwarders make billing mistakes. Review every invoice line-by-line: incorrect weights, wrong destination fees, duplicate charges. Even small errors add up.

Underinsuring exposes you to catastrophic loss. Overinsuring wastes money. Buy marine cargo coverage matched to your actual cargo value.

Consolidating freight spend with a single trusted forwarder gives you leverage for better rates and faster issue resolution. VELOX Logistics offers volume discounts to businesses shipping regularly from Canada to Africa.

If you are planning to ship to Africa, VELOX Logistics offers full container shipping, cargo consolidation, vehicle export and warehousing from Montreal. Contact us today on WhatsApp at +1 514-718-0282 or request a free quote.