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Freight from the USA
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U.S. Sea freight Price Calculator
Shipping Boxes, Crates and Pallets (LCL)
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USING OUR SERVICE
Please note that we reserve the right to refuse service for legitimate business, legal, or safety reasons, including, but not limited to, violations of U.S. international shipping regulations, fraudulent activity, or failure to provide required documentation.
To use international cargo transportation services provided by Amid Logistics, LLC (after that, we, us, our, etc.), all users of these services (after that, shipper, you, client, customer, he, she, etc.) MUST agree to the General Terms and Conditions. You may NOT use these services unless you accept these Terms and Conditions.
You accept these Terms and Conditions by:
BUSINESS AND LICENSING
Amid Logistics, LLC is a licensed and bonded U.S. OTI—Ocean Transportation Intermediary—U.S. Freight Forwarder. Upon request, authorized parties may be furnished a copy of our OTI license, accompanied by proof of financial responsibility (the surety bond).
According to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations: "...An Ocean freight forwarder is an individual or company that dispatches shipments from the United States via common carriers and books or otherwise arranges space for those shipments on behalf of shippers. Ocean freight forwarders also prepare and process the documentation and perform related activities pertaining to those shipments..."
ATTENTION ROGUE MOVERS (OR UNLICENSED OCEAN TRANSPORTATION INTERMEDIARY)!
The U.S. Federal Law (the Shipping Act of 1984) requires Ocean Transportation Intermediaries to be licensed and bonded. Accepting cargo from unlicensed OTI constitutes a violation of the Act. Knowing and willful violations of the Act carry a possible civil penalty of up to $30,000 per occurrence.
Amid Logistics, LLC is held responsible for not providing service to unlicensed OTIs (rogue movers) as a licensed and bonded U.S. OTI. To do so, when booking a shipment with us, the party booking the shipment must confirm that they are not an unlicensed OTI and do not arrange international shipping for a shipper unless operating under an OTI license.
Falsification of this statement is considered an attempt to violate the Shipping Act. Information about the attempt and the obtained information regarding the unlicensed OTI will be forwarded to the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to penalize the unlicensed OTI for engaging in illegal activity.
GENERAL
All information published on our website, including prices quoted, is subject to change without notice. All texts, references, and links should be considered only as suggestions based on our working experience in the international cargo transportation industry. While we strive for accuracy, rates and regulations are subject to change. Customers must verify all critical details (e.g., tariffs, customs rules) via email confirmation before booking. We CANNOT ensure that our website is free from typos in the content or numbers in rates, charges, etc. If a consumer faces a misunderstanding or error, we will do our best to resolve the issue with minimal harm to both parties as soon as possible upon notice.
To eliminate confusion, customers must NOT accept any verbal agreements. All binding agreements require written confirmation via email or a signed contract. Verbal discussions are preliminary only, and any perceived promises should not be considered binding. All pricing, commitments, and contracts have to be in writing.
The back of the ocean bill for the carrier used on a particular load contains detailed service conditions from that carrier. Consider a bill of lading as evidence of a carriage/contract between the carrier and the shipper.
COMMUNICATION
In our practice, email is considered the mandatory method of communication with our customers. The customer is responsible for providing the correct contact email at the origin and destination. Failure to receive our email for any reason may result in delays, additional charges, and other issues. If a client does not receive our email as expected, it is the client's responsibility to contact us and find a reason for not accepting it.
Our employees are trained and responsible for ensuring the quality of freight forwarding for particular cargoes. However, we cannot educate our clients on all aspects of international shipping, including conditions and procedures.
We have compiled a library of references and frequently asked questions (FAQs) on our website. We strongly recommend reading these references and FAQs for further information. Before contacting us with questions, customers must obtain a price quote or booking reference number via email from our website. Without such a reference number, i.e., without information on a particular shipment, we will most likely be unable to answer questions.
SHIPPING DOCUMENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS
Shippers are held responsible for cargo description, the legality of the commodity, and the sufficiency of documents submitted with shipments. We are not responsible for any information that shippers submit in their paperwork. Shippers are responsible for providing all documents that the officials of the origin and destination countries require.
All export documents MUST be completed by the shipper and sent to us before the load is delivered to the carrier's possession. Failure to complete international shipping documents may result in delays, storage charges, increased costs, and/or penalties.
Our customers should schedule shipments online and receive our emails with instructions. Customers must follow these instructions. Failure to follow these instructions may result in cancellation, delay, and/or unpredictable charges and penalties. We will NOT be held responsible for any issues that may occur due to failure to follow our instructions.
PICKUPS AND LINE HAUL
Pickup and line-haul rates depend on the pickup site and the type of commodity. When shippers request quotes or bookings, they MUST select the proper pickup site and commodity type. Choosing an incorrect pickup site or commodity type may change prices.
Residential or business with limited access pickup is a curbside service. The driver will load cargo from a driveway, front porch, garage, or acceptable loading area. No inside service is permitted. Some additional charges may apply if pickup conditions or areas fall outside the regular range. Such charges will be calculated and included in our final or separate invoices, which will be forwarded to shippers. The following additional expenses may occur, but are not limited to attempted pickup, debris removal, inside pickup, and waiting time, among others.
Detention (waiting time) charges: With pickup or line-haul services, detention or waiting time charges may occasionally occur. A detention/waiting time charge means an LTL carrier's truck delivers a load to an ocean carrier's terminal (CFS), but the CFS is overloaded. Then, the truck stays in line for an uncertain time. It may take hours. LTL carriers' tariffs require the shipper to pay detention charges. Typically $90.00 per hour. If detention charges occur, we will forward these charges to the shipper to be paid upon receipt of a copy of the LTL carrier's invoice.
Dimensional Weight: Pickup and line-haul freight are based either on the Actual or Dimensional weight of cargo, whichever is greater.
Freight Class: Freight Class is defined by the U.S. National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA). It is also referred to as NMFC: National Motor Freight Classification. Higher classes are subject to higher costs for ground cargo transportation. When shipping NMFC-rated cargo, the shipper MUST be assured that the class provided is accurate. Shippers may call the NMFTA at (703) 838-1810 to reconfirm the classification on their loads by commodity descriptions. The shipper is held responsible for the freight class declaration. Pickup and line-haul price quotes are based on the freight class. A declaration of incorrect class may change the price schedule.
NO FOODSTUFF, WINE, DRUGS, AND OTHER RESTRICTED COMMODITIES
International shipping of foodstuff, including wine and drugs (any edible item), edible animal byproducts, supplements, and other restricted commodities, is subject to detailed regulations. Violations of these regulations may result in detention, confiscation, or destruction of cargo, fines, and criminal charges. Shippers' responsibilities include determining restricted commodities, providing proper documentation, and obtaining the necessary licenses and permits. Any costs and fees that may occur on prohibited commodities are on the shipper/consignee's account.
OCEAN FREIGHT BILL OF LADING
The Ocean Freight Bill of Lading is the final document received from a freight forwarder. Consider the Bill of Lading a title for your international shipment. The Bill of Lading transfers ownership of the shipped goods to the consignee. Find more about the Bill of Lading at this link.
By default, all international sea shipments with us are released on an express basis. Express = Telex Release means the consignee does not have to provide an original bill of lading to claim the shipped goods at the destination. A shipment on express release should be released upon providing a copy of the bill of lading received from us in a PDF file. No originals are required.
Several countries, particularly Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, and Certain African countries, do not accept bills of lading on express releases. Ocean carriers should specify that upon the issue of a bill of lading. If applicable, we should receive the original bills of lading from the carrier and mail them to an authorized party via USPS First Class Mail within the USA or Canada at no additional cost. Expedited or international mail MUST be prepaid. If a customer requires a set of originals of the bill of lading to be sent to a country that accepts express releases, we will request the carrier to facilitate this possibility. A $50 fee will be added to the mail's cost.
Amendments in bills of lading: After a bill of lading has been issued, amendments in the bill of lading may not always be possible. We strongly recommend paying extreme attention to the information entered when booking a shipment. There should be several opportunities to verify the data while processing a load at the origin. As soon as a bill of lading is issued, and amendments are still possible, the amendments may be subject to an amendment fee. Such a fee varies from $70 to $200 or more.
The completion of our service: Issuing a bill of lading means that the service provided to a customer is completed as agreed. We may continue to support customers until the load arrives at the destination. However, as soon as the load leaves the U.S. commerce zone, we cannot impact it.
Suppose a shipment has been paid for by credit card(s) before issuing a bill of lading. In that case, we will request an email confirmation that the payer understands the bill of lading is our final document for this shipment. It is the title on shipped goods, and proof of the transfer of the ownership of the imported goods to the consignee stated on the bill of lading (the recipient of the shipped goods). The email will confirm that upon receipt of the bill of lading, our service is completed as agreed. All parties concerned about the payment(s) for the shipment made by credit card(s) will consider this email as receipt of the payment(s) with the payer's signature.
DISCREPANCY IN INVOICES FROM OCEAN CARRIERS. SMALL DISCREPANCY +/- $25.
As a U.S. OTI – Ocean Transportation Intermediary, a U.S. Freight Forwarder, we work on a flat service fee added to freight cost from direct and indirect sea carriers with whom we work and have accounts, contracts, and/or international shipping agreements. We DO NOT mark up carriers' freight. Our database contains these rates, which are constantly updated. However, due to the vast amount of data, GRI, continuous changes in BAF, CAF, etc., actual rates from carriers may slightly differ from those published online.
In our practice, we strive to honor our commitments to clients. If updated rates from carriers differ from those we offer by $25 or more, our invoices will indicate the discrepancy by default and disregard it. However, if a difference is significant, we may inform our client about the discrepancy and consider resolving such issues on a case-by-case basis. THE EXEMPTION is the increasing sea freight rates due to incorrect information on a shipment submitted by the client. Refer to RISKY SHIPMENTS below.
TRANSIT TIME IN OCEAN FREIGHT
ETT - Estimated Transit Time in quotes is not precise and should be verified upon a booking request. Transit time in booking confirmations for international shipments CANNOT be guaranteed. If carriers announce changes in transit time, we will do our best to inform shippers as soon as possible via email updates.
WOODING PACKING, PALLETIZING, W/M, AND INSURANCE
Shippers should be aware of the conditions for wooden packing, palletizing, weight and measurements (w/m), insurance, and related charges. Our website provides references to these conditions. If this is not sufficient, the shipper may request clarification or seek additional information about these conditions from other sources.
SHIPPING PARTIAL CARGO. COMBINING TWO OR MORE CARGO DELIVERIES/DOCK RECEIPTS INTO ONE SINGLE SHIPMENT/BILL OF LADING
Regarding LCL service, a partial cargo refers to the number of smaller deliveries that need to be combined into a single load. An example is several smaller U.S. eBay or Amazon purchases, delivered to a Container Freight Station (CFS) in the USA, which are consolidated and shipped as one Less-than-Carload (LCL) shipment.
Typically, each LCL shipment (and the one related to the shipment booking and customer reference number) is associated with a single cargo delivery (and is related to the delivery CFS's warehouse receipt). Each delivery to CFS should be automatically released for international shipping overseas without any additional notice.
Suppose a shipper needs to combine several deliveries into one load (and a bill of lading related to the load). In that case, it must be requested at the time of booking and approved in writing or by email by us. If approved, partial cargos are subject to AMID Logistics, LLC's fee of $35 per additional delivery (warehouse receipt) in addition to the first delivery. Fees may also apply for carriers' storage, handling, documentation, and other related services.
Important: Some international ocean carriers do not offer partial cargo service. If a partial shipment is not approved by AMID Logistics, LLC, at the time of booking, then every load delivered to CFS will proceed regularly, such as a single shipment.
Please contact AMID Logistics, LLC in advance for more details regarding partial international LCL shipments.
DEALING WITH THE CARRIER'S DESTINATION AGENT
When shipping loads with a U.S. freight forwarder, customers should be prepared to deal directly with the ocean carrier's destination agents upon their arrival at the destination. A U.S. freight forwarder cannot impact shipments when they leave the U.S. Commerce zone. While the shipment enters the destination country's Commerce zone, the carrier's agent should handle the cargo recovery. The contact information of the agents is available on the bill for ladings.
DESTINATION CHARGES
All international freight is subject to destination charges. Destination charges (also known as "local charges") are incurred at the destination. Therefore, they are not considered freight charges. These charges vary according to the destination country, port of entry, and carrier. These charges are NOT included in the ocean freight. As a U.S. freight forwarder, AMID Logistics does not connect to the charges in any way. Local charges can be assessed on/after the day the shipped goods are entered into the destination country's customs zone. The consignee must clear their import through customs at the designated port of entry and pay all costs related to the cargo release directly to the parties involved in their import recovery.
In general, local charges include (but are not limited to): 1. Destination Country Government (Customs) related charges, i.e., duty and taxes (if any), harbor fees, fee on entry filed by a destination Customs Broker, etc.; 2. Destination terminal(s) handling charges (THC) and other expenses related to cargo de-consolidation at the destination; 3. 'Door delivery' charges (if consignee requests a "door delivery")*.
*No "door delivery" service is offered. Cleared with the destination country's Customs and released by the destination freight terminal (CFS), cargo must be self-picked from the CFS. Most ocean carriers' destination agents or terminals offer domestic delivery services, which allow delivery "to the door" for an additional cost. Otherwise, the consignee may hire a local trucking company to pick up released goods from the CFS to be delivered "to the consignee's door."
Depending on the port of entry, a load may continue traveling to its final destination after being cleared by customs. Otherwise, it will be transported in a bond and must be cleared with customs at the destination country's bonded freight terminal (CFS). Local charges may be divided into invoices for particular parties involved in the import recovery.
Sea carriers' agents should typically guide consignees in import recovery procedures. Otherwise, importers must search for a Customs broker in the destination country. However, regardless of who implements customs clearance and obtains freight release on the importer's behalf, the consignee must still meet the obligations and comply with the laws governing freight entry, get the release, and pay all associated charges.
All operational costs and charges until the import is eventually recovered will be debited to the consignee, with recourse against the consigner for any unpaid invoices.
INSURANCE
Insurance in our business is optional. AMID Logistics, LLC is NOT an insurance provider. AMID Logistics, LLC is NOT responsible for any damages or loss, missing cargo, etc. We hold several accounts with marine insurance providers, and upon the customer's request, we can obtain an insurance certificate on their behalf. Then, in the event of an insurance claim:
For more information, refer to the Marine insurance web page and read the insurance certificate attached to our invoice in a PDF file.
PAYMENT TERMS AND RETURN POLICY
Typically, we invoice our customers via email within a few days after the estimated day of departure (ETD). The payment term is 5 (five) calendar days from the date of issuing our invoice via email. However, if agreed in writing in advance, payment terms may vary depending on the type of service and the shipper's credit with us. Our return policy is published on this website.
In our business practice, email is considered the mandatory method of communication with our customers. All invoices are issued via email. If, for any reason, a customer does not receive our email as expected, it is the customer's responsibility to contact us to find a reason for not receiving the email.
PAYMENTS VIA PAYPAL
Unless agreed upon in advance in writing via email, payments via PayPal are limited to US$750.00 of the total international shipping cost. Payments (full or partial) related to shipments with a total cost exceeding US$750 CANNOT be made via PayPal. Such shipments must be paid by an original (business or personal) check, a draft of the check online, money order, wire, direct bank transfer, or Western Union.
Without notice, we reserve the right to refund unauthorized payments less than a non-refundable transaction fee and a $50 refund processing fee.
If we authorize a PayPal transaction but it is not covered by PayPal seller protection, we reserve the right to refund the transaction less the non-refundable PayPal transaction fee.
The email confirmation for PayPal payments: To secure funds transferred via PayPal, before issuing an ocean carrier's bill of lading, we always ask the PayPal account holder in an email to confirm that they clearly understand that the bill of lading is our final document for their shipment. It is the title on the shipped goods and proof of the transfer of their ownership to the consignee, as in the bill of lading (to the recipient of imported goods).
By properly replying to our email, the PayPal account holder confirms that upon receipt of the bill of lading, our service will be completed as agreed. All parties concerned about the PayPal payment(s) should consider this reply email as confirmation of receipt of the payment(s) with the payer's signature.
If, for any reason, we do not receive a proper reply from the PayPal account holder to our email, the issuance of the bill of lading may be suspended, and the shipment will be considered at risk.
PROCESSING SHIPMENTS UPON A COPY OF A CHECK OR MONEY ORDER
To expedite the international shipping process, we can proceed with a shipment upon receipt of a scanned or faxed copy of the check or money order. The shipper may fax or email a copy of the check or money order to us. We will confirm receipt of the copy in the email. A copy of a U.S. bank check may be considered the payer's authorization for electronic funds transfer. In the event of a delay in receiving the original check in the mail, typically more than 10 (ten) calendar days after receiving the copy, we reserve the right to process the funds transfer based on the amount and the payer's bank information as stated on the copy of the check.
FAILURE TO PAY INVOICE
The shipment cannot be processed unless a new customer pays a deposit.
As soon as goods depart from the USA and the carrier's express release bill of lading is generated, or within a few days after departure, we email the associated party our invoice, less a deposit already paid. PAYMENT DUE IS UPON RECEIPT OF THE INVOICE.
IF OUR INVOICE IS NOT RECEIVED IN A FEW WORKING DAYS AFTER THE ETD (ESTIMATED TIME OF DEPARTURE), THEN DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT US TO CLARIFY.
If our invoice is not paid within a few days of its issuance, we may send a few reminders via email. If our invoice remains unpaid after the final reminder, we will consider the shipment to be at risk. The late payment fee will apply. The fee is 3% per day on the total due in the invoice, or US$200, whichever is greater.
If not paid within 10 (ten) calendar days after the late fee is applied, we may cancel express release. As a result of the express release cancellation, the consignee will not be able to recover their goods at the destination unless they receive from us a set of original bills of lading. Expedited mail with the set of originals costs an additional US$200, in addition to other charges related to issuing the set of originals. We will not assume any responsibility for storage, demurrage, or extra charges resulting from freight release delays. We will not accept any responsibility for any costs related to any delay at any point during transit to the place of release. Cargo insurance, if initially requested, will be canceled, and the paid insurance premiums will apply toward the penalties.
Disputing an invoice does not extend the payment due. All disputing correspondence must be written in email and kept as evidence of the dispute. We do not discuss invoices over the phone.
If not paid within 30 days of arrival at the destination, the shipment may be considered abandoned. It will then be requested to be destroyed or re-consigned, and the consignee may be held responsible for covering expenses related to freight, storage, demurrage, and other charges. U.S. and destination countries' security officials will be notified, and additional fines will be levied.
UNLESS OUR INVOICE IS PAID, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ASSIST THE SHIPPER, CONSIGNEE, OR ANY THIRD PARTY RELATED TO THE SHIPMENT WITH ANY ISSUES.
RISKY SHIPMENTS
In certain circumstances, we reserve the right to reconsider any regular shipment as RISKY at any time. Risky can be considered for the following reasons (but not limited by these reasons only): suspicious money transfers or bounced checks, incomplete or incorrect consigner/consignee information submitted, discrepancy in estimated volume and weight submitted in a booking request against actual volume and weight retrieved by carrier more than 50%, the incorrect type of commodity, commodity description and/or pickup location declared in the initial booking request, failures to submit proper documentation and/or information required by carrier and/or U.S. Customs, failures to pay our invoices or proper reply to our email to reconfirm payments via PayPal, force majeure, etc.
As published on this webpage, the terms and conditions for risky shipments differ from those for regular shipments. Terms and conditions for risky shipments will be amended on a case-by-case basis. Changes in terms and conditions for risky shipments can include (but are not limited to) changes in cargo acceptance requirements, changes in payment methods and terms, changes in release conditions, amendments to bills of lading, and our invoices, among others.
Once we consider a shipment risky, the customer will be notified by email. As long as the customer is informed, no verbal agreements or commitments can be accepted. All communication must be documented in writing and may be used as evidence.
CANCELLATION OF SERVICE, REFUNDS.
Shipments with unpaid deposits will not be processed, and there is no obligation to cancel a booking. Clients with an account, please refer to our agreement.
If a carrier has not processed a shipment, and the load can still be put on hold and returned to the shipper, please refer to our return policy.
After the sea carrier has processed a shipment and it cannot be returned to the shipper, i.e., cargo is on its way to the destination, consolidated in the container, or entered into the international ocean carrier's container yard or pier to be loaded aboard a vessel, and a refund cannot be provided.
Force Majeure
Neither party is liable for delays caused by pandemics, war, cyberattacks, or labor disputes involving carriers. Affected parties must notify each other in writing within 48 hours of the event.
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