What happens after you ask for a quote?
Here's the whole run, step by step. Every row says what you do, what we do, and who else is involved, because a shipment usually passes through four or five pairs of hands and you should know whose.
Step 01: Request
- You
- Send the quote form, or call.
- Us
- Read it and check what's missing.
- Also involved
- Nobody yet.
Step 02: Written quote
- You
- Look it over, ask questions.
- Us
- Reply within one business day, Mon–Fri, with a written quote or our questions. Ocean and air quotes hold 7 days; crating and warehousing 30.
- Also involved
- Carriers and partners, for live prices.
Step 03: Accept and documents
- You
- Accept in writing. Send the commercial invoice, packing list and anything else we ask for.
- Us
- Book the space, send booking details to you and your supplier, and invoice you.
- Also involved
- Forwarder and carrier, for the booking.
Step 04: Pickup, packing, crating
- You
- Have the cargo ready and accessible.
- Us
- Arrange the pickup and the packing.
- Also involved
- Our packers or a partner crating shop; carrier partners for the truck.
Step 05: Main carriage
- You
- Nothing, unless something changes.
- Us
- Watch the booking and tell you about delays or rolled sailings.
- Also involved
- Licensed ocean carrier through an FMC-licensed forwarder, or an airline through an air freight forwarder partner.
Step 06: ISF and customs entry
- You
- Get ISF data to us as soon as the booking's confirmed. Pay duties and fees when invoiced.
- Us
- Collect the documents and pass them to the broker.
- Also involved
- Licensed customs broker partner files ISF (at least 24 hours before loading at the foreign port) and the entry.
Step 07: Delivery, storage or Amazon
- You
- Be ready to receive, or tell us where it's going next.
- Us
- Book the delivery or the warehouse slot.
- Also involved
- Carrier partners; partner warehouses.
Who does what
We don't hold carrier, forwarder or customs broker licenses ourselves. The parts that need one are done by partners who do.
| Task | Done by |
|---|---|
| Quote, booking, coordination, paperwork chasing | We✓Us |
| Packing, crating, palletizing | PackersOur packers or a partner crating shop near the cargo (named in your quote) |
| Ocean carriage | CarrierLicensed ocean carriers and FMC-licensed forwarders |
| Air carriage | AirlineAirlines, booked through air freight forwarder partners |
| ISF, customs entries, bonds | Broker partnerLicensed customs broker partners |
| Storage, devanning, pick & pack, FBA prep | Partner warehousePartner warehouses |
| Cargo insurance | Third-party insurerThird-party insurers |
| Pickup and final delivery in the US | Carrier partnerCarrier partners |
Paying
There's nothing to pay on this website, and we never ask for card numbers through a form. Once you accept a written quote, we send an invoice by email. Payment terms (paid before booking, or before cargo is released) are set out in your quote. Duties and government fees are passed through at cost and invoiced as they're assessed.
Where's my shipment?
We don't have a live tracking portal. Ask us instead: use the contact form with "Shipment status request" or call, and give us your quote reference (PUC-…), booking, bill of lading or container number. We'll check with the carrier and reply within one business day. We may ask you to confirm a few details before we share shipment information.
When things go wrong
Most shipments are uneventful. These are the things that aren't, and what happens.
- Customs picks it for an exam. It goes to an exam site, and the exam, drayage and storage are billed to the importer. We tell you as soon as the broker does and keep pushing it along.
- The booking gets rolled. Carriers sometimes bump cargo to a later sailing. We'll tell you, and look at the next option.
- Something arrives damaged. Note it on the delivery receipt before you sign, take photos, keep the packaging, and tell us within 7 days (30 if the damage was hidden). We'll pass the claim to the party responsible. The details are in our Shipping terms.
Tell us what's moving.
A few details about the cargo and where it's going. We reply within one business day, Mon–Fri 9:00–18:00 ET, with a written quote or the questions we need answered first.
No online payment · Written quote first