Shipping Cars Overseas - Making Sense of Rates

Why You Don't Always Get What You See - You Get More

When shipping cars internationally there are myriad details that might not appear obvious when you first book your trip. At each point along the way, a reliable shipper takes many steps to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Chances are, when a specialist gives you an international car shipping quote, there are elements in that single number you might never expect to be included as part of the calculation. To better understand the complexity of international car shipping rates, we've broken them down and explained many pieces of the pricing puzzle.

Among the possible components are:

Domestic transport - a reliable shipper like West Coast Shipping (WCS) works with you to make optimal transport arrangements, offering open or enclosed options from anywhere in the US to both their west and east coast facilities.  

Read More Seasonal Variations in Ground Shipping Cars Domestically

Drayage - drayage is the process of trucking containers to port. Because WCS's facilities are close to both their west and east coast ports, they can charge less than industry average and pass the savings on to the customer.

Ocean freight charges - are the costs associated with moving a vehicle(s) from the local port to an overseas port. Because WCS is a large volume shipper they obtain preferred rates and priority placement with carriers, advantages that are passed on to customers. 

Vehicle photos and reports - Once a vehicle(s) arrives at the warehouse, a professional photographer takes multiples shots of the car to show it's exact pre-sail condition. A report is written up describing the vehicle(s) and both the photos and the report are emailed to the owner.

Professional car loading - unlike many other car shippers, WCS uses its own skillfully trained personnel to load cars and prepare them for their journey. Special care is given to high-value vehicles and classic cars. If cars need to be braced, shrink wrapped or padded, everything possible is done to ensure a safe arrival at the destination port.

Document Handling - Depending on the destination there can be multiple document checks along the way. WCS starts by assisting owners with expediting title clearance, AES and Bill of Landings through US customs. If other documents are known to be required, WCS sees that every customer's paperwork is properly handled by its partners and agents throughout the sail.

Read More How to Get Cars Through Customs

Cargo Damage Protection - not all shippers offer cargo damage protection for the vehicles they ship. WCS offers this valuable protection at very competitive, attractive rates.

Import agents - WCS has long established relationships and partnerships with agents around the world who assume responsibility for unloading vehicles when they arrive to their destination. As cars are offloaded they are checked against the original photographs/report to make certain the condition of the car is the same as it was at the start of the voyage.

Cargo transfers - shipping to certain Eurasian countries like Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan require first landing in China and then proceeding inland by rail. At the border of China and the former Soviet republics, cargo once again needs to be transferred to different trains since the railroad tracks do not match. This requires the shipper's agents and partners to make sure nothing gets lost or damaged during the transitions.

Read More Shipping Cars Overseas to Asia and Central Asian States

This is just a brief summary of what can be involved in arriving at the cost to ship a car overseas. If you wish to discuss this further with a car shipping specialist, please contact us and we will be glad to be of service to you.