Logistics, in simple terms, is moving goods from one place to another. But when it comes to complexity, it hides countless “obstacles”. Enterprises that handle large quantities of goods are afraid that costs will get out of control. E-commerce companies engaged in cross-border trade worry about getting stuck at customs. Individuals who send packages worry about losing their items and can’t even explain the situation… As a professional in the international logistics industry with 15 years of experience, we have witnessed numerous losses caused by “not choosing” or “lacking a plan”: some enterprises missed out on exhibitions due to lack of shipping by sea, some e-commerce companies had their peak-season inventory rot in the warehouse due to slow customs clearance, and some individuals lost their valuable items during the transfer process without any explanation. Today, we will focus on the most common logistics pain points faced by enterprises, e-commerce companies, and individuals. We will break down practical solutions that can be implemented – no fancy tricks, just methods that can actually solve the problems and avoid pitfalls. 1. Logistics for enterprises: Stabilizing the supply chain, controlling costs, and preventing risks are the core. When enterprises handle international logistics, they are most afraid of “plans falling behind changes”: The delivery date is set in the contract, but the shipping price suddenly goes up; the shipping space is booked, but the shipping company refuses to load the container at the departure time; when arriving at the destination port, a single page of the customs clearance documents is missing and the waiting time is one week… These problems are essentially “insufficient supply chain flexibility” and “lack of risk anticipation”. Pain point 1: Transportation costs fluctuate greatly, and the budget always exceeds the budget. Solution: Use a “combined approach” to lock in costs. Long-term cooperative shipping routes (such as fixed monthly departures from Shanghai to Rotterdam) directly sign “container booking agreements” with freight forwarders – our cooperation with shipping companies like MSK and CMA can achieve “fixed price for 3 months”, which is 15%-25% cheaper than temporary booking; When the cargo volume is unstable, flexibly combine “full container (FCL) + less-than-container (LCL)”: for shipments over 10 CBM, going by full container is more cost-effective; for 3-10 CBM, use LCL splitting to avoid “paying extra for empty container fees when trying to pack full containers”; For non-goods, choose “multimodal transport”: for example, the China-Europe route, shipping to Hamburg and then transferring by land, costs 70% less than full air transportation, and the delivery time is only 3-5 days slower. Problem 2: Unresolved emergencies fail to ensure delivery deadlines Solution: Prepare “dual contingency plans” in advance Cabin layout: For peak seasons (such as the three months before Christmas in Europe and America), booking should be done 45 days in advance, and two different shipping companies’ cabins should be reserved (for example, 60% from Company A and 40% from Company B) to avoid a complete shutdown due to one company’s failure to deliver goods; Pre-cleaning modification period: 7 days in advance, the packing list, commercial invoice, etc. should be given to the port agent for pre-review. Our destination customs team can achieve “feedback within 24 hours if there are errors in the documents”, which is 3-5 days faster than handling after arrival at the port; Exceptional response: Agree with the freight forwarder on a “4-hour emergency supervision hour” – for example, if the storage fee for the goods increases after arrival at the port, it can immediately coordinate for a port transfer or expedited pick-up (last year, we helped a machinery enterprise handle a crisis of storage in Singapore, transferring to Barisan Port within 3 hours, saving 80,000 seemingly滞期费). II. Cross-border e-commerce logistics： Speed， inventory protection， and termination control are key When e-commerce conducts cross-border business， logistics directly affects “GMV and negative review rate”： if the head journey is slow， Amazon FBA will run out of stock； if the tail journey is chaotic， customers will give negative reviews； if the customs clearance is blocked， goods cannot be sold during peak seasons… The core is “to make the goods move fast， arrive accurately， and satisfy the customers”. Problem 1： Head journey timeliness is unstable， and the risk of stockout during peak seasons is high Solution： Warehouse distribution for stock preparation + multiple channels for delivery Make “sales forecast” 3 months in advance: For example, for the European and American lines, 30% of the goods will be shipped by sea (45 days to arrive), 50% by rail (18 days to arrive), and 20% by air (7 days to arrive), ensuring that the warehouse always has goods in stock; Adopt “leading overseas warehouse in China”: We have our own warehouses in Duisburg, Germany and Los Angeles, USA. E-commerce customers can store the goods there in advance. After the order is generated, the goods will be delivered to the door within 48 hours, which is 10-15 days faster than direct shipping; Tail-end delivery chooses “local courier”: For example, use Royal Mail for shipping to the UK and USPS for shipping to the US. The price is 30% lower than international express, and the delivery time is also stable (our cooperative channel capability achieves a 98.2% 3-day delivery rate). Problem 2: “Blockage” in customs clearance, with goods unable to move in the port Solution: Solve the “trouble” in advance Category segmentation processing: For electrical products (such as mobile phone accessories), apply for CE certification in advance; for textiles, prepare the original certificate of origin to avoid being detained due to incomplete documents; Low declaration prevention: Don’t underreport the value of goods to save on customs duties (the EU is currently strictly inspecting packages under 300 euros). We will help customers declare according to the “industry average price range”, which is both compliant and less tax; Special category contingency plan: For liquid and powder goods, go through the “sensitive goods channel” 7 days in advance. Our cooperation with Dutch and Belgian customs can achieve “clearing within 72 hours”, which is 50% faster than the ordinary channel. III. Personal shipping: Fear of losing items, fear of high costs, fear of having no one to handle after-sales When sending international express by personal, the demand is very clear: don’t lose the items, don’t be cheated in price, and be able to find someone when there is a problem. But in reality, we often encounter: the online quotation and the actual charge differ by half, the package shows “delivered” but no item is received, and trying to check the logistics information always results in a robot’s reply… Problem 1: Price is not transparent, there are many hidden charges Solution: Choose the “fixed price” channel Clarify what is included in the “all-inclusive price”: For example, when sending DHL to the United States, make sure to confirm whether it includes shipping fees and remote fees (many suburban addresses will incur an additional 30%). Our quotation sheet will clearly list “all door-to-door expenses”, and the additional fees will be waived upon delivery; For small and light items, choose the dedicated line: For example, documents and samples weighing less than 2kg, choose the “postal dedicated line” (such as the China-US dedicated line, which takes 8 days and costs 60 yuan per kg), which is 40% cheaper than commercial express delivery; Don’t neglect insurance: For valuable items (such as luxury goods and electronic products), the insurance rate is 1% – 3%. Last year, we helped a client recover a lost watch through insurance, and within 3 days after the insurance was taken out, we received a full compensation. Problem 2: Unable to find logistics information, and no one will handle problems Solution: Choose “full-process visualization + live customer service” Confirm the existence of “Independent Tracking Number”: Through the emails we sent, you can view all the stages – “Domestic Collection – Airport Security – Destination Port Customs Clearance – Delivery” – on the official website in real time. There are timers for each period. Seeking “Contact Person” for after-sales service: Don’t trust the “400 robot”. We will assign each customer a dedicated consultant. They respond via WeChat or phone 24/7. Even if it’s in the middle of the night when checking the package, we can reply immediately. Emergency Handling Plan: For example, when delivering packages locally throughout the year, we can directly contact the local courier outlets (such as the FedEx branch in the United States) to handle it first. Last year, a customer’s birthday gift was sent to Antarctica. After coordination, it was expedited within 24 hours, and the customer received it on the birthday itself without any delay. Why can these solutions be implemented? No matter how many times we say it, the core of logistics is “reliable resources + practical experience”. We have customs clearance agents in 130 countries and have signed long-term agreements with 20+ shipping companies and customs authorities. We don’t rely on “empty promises”, but on these hard resources to help customers solve problems: For enterprise customers, “cost control” is achieved through chartering agreements and various intermodal transportation methods; For e-commerce customers, “timeliness stability” is ensured by overseas warehouses and customs clearance leadership; For individual customers, “ease of mind” is guaranteed by full tracking and dedicated customer service as the backup. If you are having trouble with logistics issues, please take 5 minutes to have a chat – whether it’s large shipments for enterprises, cross-border packages for e-commerce, or small items for individuals, we will provide you with a specific solution to address the problem first, and then discuss cooperation.