Shipping

Save BIG on Shipping

Global Sales knows how to help our customers save on shipping to the Caribbean and Bermuda. After 40 years of exporting, we know the hundreds of methods, policies and regulations involved in shipping to the islands and how to use them in your favor. While shipping companies get your products from Point A to Point B, they have no incentive to save you money.  That’s where we come in. We find ways to help you save big on shipping. It is a key part of our service and value. We take our knowledge along with a customer-focused attitude to find creative shipping solutions every day. In fact, we’ve saved our customers tens of thousands of dollars.

2024 Shipping Schedule To Bermuda

Global Sales partners with Somers Isles Shipping Ltd. for Bermuda direct ocean freight service from the port of Fernandina Beach, Florida. Click below for more information on the dates and timing of Somer Isles’ shipping schedule.

Bermuda Schedule

2024 Shipping Schedule To Caribbean

Global Sales partners with Tropical Shipping for freight service throughout the Caribbean from the ports of Miami and Palm Beach, Florida. Click below for more information on the dates and timing of Tropical’s shipping schedule.

Caribbean Schedule

Heavy Duty Items

There is a flat fee for a container which is usually about $3800 from Florida to Bermuda. The key is to maximize every inch of that space. But, you also must keep the weight under 40,000 pounds. That sounds like a lot, but once we start adding building products like pavers, you can quickly reach your maximum and still have a lot of space in your container. We call this wasted space “SHIPPING AIR”.

Global Sales Approach: We combine heavier small items with large light items to fill the space and max out the weight. For our contractor customers who ship frequently, we’ll spread out large paver shipments over several shipments. And, we’ll carefully time the deliveries to avoid storage charges.

Check out the scenario to the right where we took two separate shipments and combined them to save the customer $2369 in shipping costs!

Big Stores Can Be a Big Problem

Shipping and ordering building supplies is an art and a science. If you’re working with a company who doesn’t specialize in this – like a big home improvement store – you’re not going to get the service and attention to detail that saves you money and headaches.

We worked with a customer in the Caymans who came to Florida to order a kitchen from one of the big home improvement stores through their “international” group. What happened was a huge disaster. Her shipment arrived, but was not complete. She was shorted key items that were on the manifest, but not in the actual order. That means she paid duty on products that were not there AND had to pay for AGAIN when the items finally arrived. She paid shipping TWICE and had to make several trips to claim her items. The worst part was she was very unhappy with the kitchen and ended up scrapping the entire project.

Global Sales Approach: Next, she called us and had a great experience. We helped her design and order her new kitchen. Then we made sure EVERY PIECE was ready for one, consolidated and efficient shipment. We will not release the container until we know you have everything you need.

Creative Solutions for Commodities and More

Lumber is considered a commodity item and is a key element in construction. Shipping efficiently is a great way to keep costs low.

For one of our customers, we recently shipped $16,000 of lumber. We found the most economical way to ship the lumber was on a flat rack. Eight bundles fit perfectly, but there was still some dead space at the top of the rack.

So, we approached it like a puzzle of individual pieces, not “packs”. By breaking the packs, we were able to fit everything on ONE RACK. We were able to ship an additional $1173 of product for FREE. If you’ve already paid for the space, you definitely want to MAXIMIZE IT! If the additional lumber had gone as LCL (less than container load), it would have cost $580.

Important Questions to Ask:

  • Do you ship “Short Shipments” or can you hold all products until the entire order is ready to ship?
  • Do you charge for storing items?
  • Do you specialize in shipments to Bermuda and the Caribbean?
  • How many shipments a year do you ship to Bermuda and the Caribbean?

Minimums and LCL

Sometimes you just need a few things and shipping at less than container load (LCL) makes sense. But, you don’t want your shipping cost to be far more than the cost of the product. If you don’t ask the right questions, this can easily happen.

One of our customers needed 4 pieces of lumber. Lumber would normally go on a flat rack instead of a container. But in this case, the shipping minimum cost came to $375 – over twice the cost of the lumber. We found it was less expensive to ship it in a container – just $54.

That’s just one of a hundred examples of knowing what to ask to save money. Regulations and fees change all the time. It is our business to stay in front of the changes in the regulations to get the best deal for our customers.

Emergency Parcel Service

When you have a contractor there, time is money. Not having the right part can mean having to have your contractor come back later – leaving your project incomplete. Your job doesn’t have to come to a screeching halt because you are missing something. We will get you the part you need and send it to you within a few days – not weeks.