Hi all!
It’s Maya again from do-business and be-event team.
I have a lot of stories to be shared since I met new partners recently but as I promised last week, I will continue the journey of our first export and we are finally here. The last part of this series.
There were a lot of checks during the export process, but for today’s blog, I will only share a few things that we should do after the sealing process, so it is not going to be a long blog, hopefully >,<
1. What to do after the sealing process?
We reported everything to our client and import company. Do not forget to take a picture or just write the code of the sealer. It is to proceed with the import requirement and for the client to receive the goods.
2. What’s next?
The logistic company (the one who handles export) will give you a draft of B/L. What’s that? It stands for Bill of Lading, a legal document issued by a carrier to a shipper that includes details of the type, quantity, and destination of the goods being carried. Please make sure that you have detailed information about the consignee, the description of goods, net weight, gross weight, and their email, so, the logistic company can track and inform the receiver.
3. One important thing before the final B/L, you need to make sure with your client whether it has to be surrendered or not. Yes, there’s a new term here.
From my experience, I think I still need to improve my communication skill with the partner/client. Last time, I did not give complete information or a summary of that. I asked the client right after I got a question from the logistic company, so, I understand that it was confusing for them. For example, in this case, I should’ve explained what surrendered B/L means. For example, are there any additional costs if it’s surrendered? or does the import company have a regulation that it has to be surrendered? All in just one message. It’s much better and clear for the partner. Those are the questions that you need to ask the logistics company.
Anyway, this surrendered B/L is simpler than a non-surrendered one. As you can see from the picture above and the explanation from the website, it will be received and checked by the import company and custom&clearance before the goods arrive. What will happen if it is not? There are several cases that may happen, we can say that the non-surrendered B/L is riskier. The process will take longer. The logistic company has to check the document, they need to also ship it by international logistics such as EMS, FedEx, and so on. Not only is it expensive, but it can also delay the goods because the B/L may arrive after the goods arrive. Simply, the surrender also means that the shipment can be released at the destination without the original B/L, however, the original COO is needed.
4. Why do you bring this COO again?
Previously, I only explained what it is and why we need this COO. In this case, we have to add more costs to make the B/L surrendered. There’s still another option if you don’t want to double the cost, which is using the COO. We got a suggestion from the logistic company that it’s better if the B/L origin and the original COO are sent to the client directly, so, the B/L does not need to be surrendered. The final COO will be done after the B/L finished. So, it can be an option to reduce the cost of export.
5. Then, what’s the final step for this export?
The import company asked the logistic company to surrender the B/L and we needed to pay for the service. After it is done, the logistic company will inform you of all the documents like COO, IPL, Phyto test, etc to us, the client, and the import company.
6. The payment.
Once all the documents are ready, the logistic company will send us an invoice and we can process the payment. Through all those processes, please make sure that you always communicate everything to your client, ask them too if there are some requests.
I learned a lot from this export journey. I learned how to be really detailed both in communication and document checking. Through this process, I really learned how to communicate with people from another background, from the logistic company’s administration staff, the driver, the warehouse staff, the client, the team, etc.
Thank you for the opportunity su-re.co and for the trust. This is going to be my greatest experience this year. Thank you for you guys who also read my blog since the beginning of this series. Hope this export experience can be really helpful once you have to deal with your export experience. Stay safe and see you on my next blog!