Shipping During the Holidays

Importing shipping containers to the U.S. during the holidays can be very tricky sometimes. This year, retailers' projections are higher than last year. Since the holiday shipping season began in early fall, we can see these increases month by month leading up to the holidays. If you require your cargo to arrive during the month of December, you will need to keep this in mind so that you do not get stuck. It does not matter what you are shipping because many retailers are shipping their cargo in excess to keep up with their projections and meet their quarterly and yearly goals. Even in this economy you will need to plan well so your cargo does not get lost in the holiday rush. Not only do you need to add weeks to your shipping window and get started earlier than usual, but you should also add time at the end your window to make up for any port congestion that may arise with the additional cargo arriving. Also, getting your cargo released after being discharged from the vessel may also be more challenging with more containers flowing through the port. Depending on the time of arrival, you may need to add an entire day to your transit time to accommodate such delays. The shipping companies try to plan for this and do their best to keep the flow of containers moving, but there can be stoppages beyond their control. As such, the most important part of importing in December is making sure you leave as much flexibility as possible in your planning so you can meet the deadlines you have agreed upon with your customers.