A lot goes into planning a great shipping strategy. One of the key elements of this strategy is your budget. To maintain healthy shipping costs, you have to know some of the fees you may encounter along the way. Dive into these three types of shipping costs you should know about to better manage your expenses.

Detention Charges

When the owner of shipping containers signs over the right to use those containers, you only have so much time with them. You may assume you can use the containers until the shipment is officially over, but it’s not always that easy.

Holding onto these containers for too long can result in detention charges, so don’t be surprised if they appear on your bill if you’ve held onto the containers for too long. Before using them, learn everything to know about detention charges so that you can prevent your costs from increasing suddenly.

Shipping Insurance

Insurance is another type of shipping cost you should know about because it can provide helpful protection. This is especially beneficial if you’re transporting highly valuable goods. Shipping insurance protects damaged or lost shipments so that you don’t have to make costly replacements. A replacement here and there may not seem like a big issue.

However, consistently having to fix shipping problems like this can balloon your budget over time. Thankfully, shipping insurance is always there if you want more protection when transporting valuable goods.

Tariffs

This is an essential cost to know because it’s both common and ever changing. At various times throughout the year, the government will impose fees on certain items—these are tariffs. The value of the goods you’re shipping internationally ultimately determines tariff amounts.

Before sending goods overseas, make sure you know if there’s a tariff in place so that you can adjust your budget or shipping strategy as needed. With more clarity on some fees you may face when shipping goods, you can prevent unforeseen costs from catching you off guard.