Shipping internationally from India can be completed one of three ways. For countries that are accessible by land and close to India, international courier services may provide transportation by vehicles or by air for expedited types of packages.
For international locations that not available by land, air or ocean international cargo services are the two choices. Determining which is the most effective and efficient choice for your shipping needs starts with a comparison of the benefits and potential challenges of all methods of shipment.
Cargo by Air
The biggest advantage to shipping by air when choosing international cargo services is the speed of delivery. Packages, cargo containers, vehicles, documents or almost anything else you may need to ship can now be handled by the fleet of cargo planes in service by major airlines. Delivery can typically be guaranteed in about four to six business days for most locations, slightly longer for remote areas.
Airlines are also more reliable than shipping on large ocean liners when it comes to delivery. Weather factors, mechanical failures or other factors can easily add days to a ship’s scheduled arrival, and there can also be problems in the timely unloading of ships at some ports.
The biggest disadvantage to shipping by air is the cost for larger cargo items. As a general guideline small parcels, documents or larger shipments up to 500 pounds are often considered cost-effective to ship by air while larger and heavier containers become much more expensive to ship.
Cargo by Ocean Freight
The major advantage of international cargo services by water is the ability to move very large or very heavy items at relatively low cost. This factor can be very important if there are regular shipments or ongoing orders that may happen infrequently.
While it will take longer for items to arrive, with these repeat orders, a schedule can be set to account for the longer shipping time. New types of vessels used for international cargo movement are faster and more efficient, with many taking less than a month and some as little as two weeks or less, to get to destinations all around the world.
Both air and ocean freight will be subject to a variety of fees. This will include customs fees, and in some cases warehousing fees at the airport or at the port. It will be important to compare the cost of the warehousing fees at both options as these can vary dramatically, but the custom’s fees will remain the same regardless of the choice.
