The Importers Guide to Freightos.com – By Devorah Wolf

Freightos.com is a global shipping marketplace where importers and manufacturers can quickly find and compare freight forwarders on metrics such as price and track record. In my opinion, Freightos.com is especially useful in the following scenarios:

• You are a new importer and don’t have a freight forwarder
• You want to find out if your current freight rates are competitive
• You want to change freight forwarder
• You need to ship to a destination that your current freight forwarder doesn’t cover

I also disclose that we have collaborated with Freightos.com for a couple of years. That said, this is not an advertisement, but an informational guide to the Freightos.com platform.

What is Freightos.com?

Freightos.com makes global trade easier for thousands of small and midsize businesses around the world – so that freight becomes something they don’t need to worry about.

We are the online marketplace for freight, which means we bring together different price quotes for every mode of international shipping, from different freight forwarders, and allow shippers to choose the quote that’s best for them and book it on the spot.

How is Freightos.com different from my current freight forwarder?

Freightos.com is actually not a freight forwarder at all. Instead, Freightos.com is a marketplace that allows you to connect with different freight forwarders.

Why would you want to work with different forwarders?

First, we’ve found that there are forwarders that have particular areas of expertise, whether it’s specializing in specific lanes or specific modes like air or ocean – so you may want access to different expertise for different shipments. Second, prices change so that occasionally you’ll have one freight forwarder who’s very competitive, but their prices may start to creep up over time.

So Freightos.com as a marketplace makes it easier to transition between freight forwarders so that no matter who you’re using to ship your goods, you’re still searching, paying for shipments, and managing shipments in one place, using the same credit line and with the same uniform communication and documentation management.

How can Freightos.com help me save on shipping costs?

First, using a marketplace like Freightos.com allows you to choose the best rates – and there can be a surprisingly wide range of prices for any route.

Just as an illustration, we run an annual survey where we compare prices from the top 25 freight forwarders in the world. And we find that on one spot quote, the average range of prices is easily a 50% spread.

Freightos.com also saves you time – and time is money. Most small importers spend two hours managing the average shipment. We can save you that time, which in some cases is worth more than $50 or $100 off of your actual freight costs.

Which countries are covered by Freightos.com?

Our most popular import routes are from East Asia to the US, UK, and Canada. We are also in scope for India, and many countries in Europe, South America, and more.

We also cover many export routes from the US.

And – we are always adding new lanes. The easiest way to see if we have coverage for your shipment is to head to Freightos.com and run a free search. It’s worth searching even if we don’t have coverage for you yet because as soon as we do, we’ll let you know.

What kinds of businesses use Freightos.com?

We have over 100,000 companies registered on Freightos.com that range from small entrepreneurs just getting started up to multinational corporations.

Our sweet spot is really in helping small businesses without a dedicated logistics manager operate at the same level that a logistics professional could operate.

One particular area of expertise for us is e-commerce sellers, whether those who sell on Amazon and Walmart or those using their own website or a platform like Shopify.

How do I sign up and book on your platform?

Signup is easy and totally free – enter your email and answer a few questions and you’re all set.

Once you sign up you can search for quotes, which is also totally free. You’ll enter shipping information like origin, destination, and shipment size. If you know your shipping mode, you can enter it, but the platform will also give you different options. We’ll also walk you through questions like customs, taxes, and insurance.

Once you enter the shipment information, you’ll get a variety of quotes. Then, you can select the one that’s best for you and book right on the platform.

How do I pay on Freightos.com?

You can pay for your shipment by credit card, or you can also use a bank transfer if it’s easier for you, although it means that the shipment won’t get started as instantly.

For growing businesses, we also offer a credit plan.

What type of logistics providers offer service through Freightos.com?

We have over 75 logistics providers that offer services on the marketplace. They range from niche providers with specific mode expertise to some of the largest freight forwarders in the world, both in Asia and in the United States.

How do you vet logistics providers on your marketplace?

First, every provider that sells on the marketplace goes through an onboarding process and commits to our SOP, our standard operating procedures.

Second, we constantly monitor performance, both automatically and selectively.

And finally, we get feedback from our customers through reviews, surveys, and ongoing conversations to ensure that freight forwarders consistently provide the best possible service.

Does Freightos.com handle any kind of shipment?

We handle everything from small packages up to 40-foot containers, as long as you are shipping for a business and not an individual.

There are a few types of goods our forwarders don’t support – you can find them listed here.

Can I ship to Amazon FBA warehouses using Freightos.com?

Absolutely. 10-15% of our customers are regular sellers on Amazon, including some of the largest Amazon sellers.

Do I get help in case something goes wrong?

Definitely.

Beyond our automated support, you’ll be able to get support from your freight forwarder on Freightos.com, and from our support team, available by phone and chat.

That said, most of our customers can use Freightos.com entirely independently, with over 60% of our first-time customers booking without chat or phone assistance.

Is insurance included when I book a shipment?

It can be.

While you search for your free quote, you’ll be asked about the shipment value and if you want to insure it – and you can go ahead and add that to your booking.

Whether you ship with Freightos.com or not, we strongly recommend that you secure insurance for international freight. Ship happens and carriers’ default insurance is usually not enough to cover the value of your goods.

About Freightos.com

Freightos.com is a Freightos Group® company making global trade frictionless with the world’s online marketplace for the trillion-dollar international shipping industry.

The Freightos.com Marketplace helps importers and exporters reduce logistics spend and save time with instant comparison, booking, and management of air, ocean, and land shipments from top logistics providers. The result is international shipping that’s as smooth as booking a flight online.