How to control the calculation error of volume weight in cross-border multi batch LCL shipments and avoid filling the price difference
Multi batch and time-based stocking, combined into the same LCL container, is a normalized shipping mode for cross-border small and medium-sized sellers. However, batch delivery and warehousing are prone to volume re accounting errors: the measured cubic meters in the warehouse, the cubic meters received by the freight forwarder, and the cubic meters charged by the port do not match. After shipment, the seller is forced to pay the difference in cubic meters, with a single additional fee of hundreds to thousands of yuan, which significantly compresses the profit of small items over time.
Firstly, clarify the rules for determining container consolidation billing: for sea freight container consolidation, the unified implementation of "volume based billing" will be used, and multiple batches of container consolidation will be combined to calculate the total volume, rather than accumulating the volume of a single batch. Industry chaos: Freight forwarder warehouses are loose in measurement, port terminals are tight in measurement, cardboard box bulges, outer box wrapping film, and pallet corners are all included in the billing volume, and the outer boxes are deformed during batch delivery, directly increasing the volume error. If the error exceeds 3%, the shipping company will automatically charge additional volume compensation fees.
The three core causes of volume errors in multiple batches of consolidated containers can be avoided by sellers in a targeted manner. One issue is inconsistent packaging standards in batches: the first batch of goods is tightly packed, while later restocking is loosely packed, resulting in an increase in the volume of the outer box due to expansion; The second issue is that there are different measurement standards from multiple sources: seller's external measurement, freight forwarder's net measurement, and dock and corner measurement, with differences in diameter increasing; The third is that the combined stacking loss is not included: the gaps between multiple batches of container stacking and the space occupied by pallet bases are shared among individual customers in the container by default, increasing the billing volume.
Five sets of practical control methods are used to strictly control volume errors within a free tolerance of 3%, without the need to pay price differences. Firstly, standardized packaging: all batches of goods should have uniform cardboard box sizes, uniform wrapping film packaging thicknesses, and uniform pallet specifications. The outer packaging of the replenished goods should be exactly the same as the first batch to avoid external expansion increments; Secondly, lock in the unique measurement caliber: Prior to booking, it is agreed that the final billing volume will be based on the laser measurement data received by the freight forwarder. The freight forwarder will be fully responsible for the additional measurement in the port area, and the seller will not be responsible for making up the difference; Thirdly, centralized batch delivery: try to consolidate the replenished goods into the warehouse within 2 days to reduce the loss of gaps in the stacking process; Fourth, reserve fault-tolerant volume: reserve a 2% compression margin when stocking up, and cardboard goods can be slightly compacted and packaged to offset the measurement increment at the dock; Fifth, a written agreement on fault tolerance clause: The contract specifies that errors within 3% of the total volume are free of charge, and the freight forwarder will bear the cost for any excess.
Closing and Avoiding Pits Reminder: Do not deliver goods to the warehouse in batches privately, and have them collected and packaged by a cooperative freight forwarder. Organize the cargo stack to reduce the volume of gaps; Verify each batch of laser measurement base maps during reconciliation to prevent manual estimation and false reporting of volume. By controlling the volume error of multiple batches of consolidation, we can completely avoid unnecessary price differences and make the logistics cost of each consolidation completely controllable.