The service
What is LCL ocean shipping?
LCL (less than container load) means your boxes, crates or pallets share an ocean container with other shippers' cargo. You pay for the space your cargo takes, by the cubic foot, instead of renting a whole container.
Does A1 Freight Forwarding Inc. ship full containers?
No. A1 Freight Forwarding Inc. books LCL groupage only, not full containers (FCL).
Do you offer air freight or courier service?
Air freight has no online price: it is reviewed on request, by email (air freight). A1 Freight Forwarding Inc. offers no courier, express or parcel service.
Which languages can I write in?
Write to us in any language — we reply by email at [email protected]. The information pages are in English and French; the price calculator, the quotation and the booking page are in English.
Cargo at origin
Do you pick up the cargo?
No. You deliver the packed cargo to the receiving warehouse in Toronto (Mississauga), Montreal or Vancouver (Richmond), yourself or with a mover you hire. From Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg you deliver to a trucking terminal in your city and the calculator adds the trucking to Montreal or Vancouver.
Which Canadian warehouse should I use?
The one you can reach: Montreal (east end), Toronto (Mississauga) or Vancouver (Richmond). For some destinations one of the three is cheaper; the calculator and the country pages show all three. The warehouses receive cargo from 08:00 to 16:00; the exact address is sent with the delivery instructions, after payment.
How must the cargo be packed?
Crated or palletized on ISPM 15 heat-treated wood with the IPPC mark visible, one label on each piece. A1 Freight Forwarding Inc. does not palletize: loose boxes can be palletized by the warehouse for its own fee, arranged directly with it. Household goods must be professionally packed.
What can't I ship?
No dangerous goods (aerosols, batteries, paint, flammable liquids and the like), vehicles or parts with fuel, food, plants, animals, medication, alcohol or tobacco in commercial quantities, weapons, cash, jewellery or other valuables. Some countries add their own bans, listed in the carrier conditions. If in doubt, ask before you pack.
Is there a value limit?
Yes: the customs value of one booking must be under CAD 2,000, stated on the packing list or the commercial invoice.
Price and payment
How is the price calculated?
The destination's rate per cubic foot is multiplied by the chargeable volume: the measured volume, or the weight converted at the destination's ratio (usually 1,000 kg per CBM), whichever is greater, with a minimum per shipment. A1 Freight Forwarding Inc. adds a fixed USD 265.00 (processing fee, surcharges and SOLAS fee). Destination charges are confirmed by the carrier before you pay.
What is included in the online price?
The ocean freight for your volume (minimum 1 CBM) and all A1 Freight Forwarding Inc. fees. Destination charges are added only after the carrier confirms them, before you pay. Customs duties, taxes and clearance at destination are not included: the consignee pays them.
When do I pay?
After the carrier's confirmation: it accepts the shipment and confirms the destination charges, then you receive the full amount in writing. The cargo is then measured at the warehouse; the final invoice follows that measurement, up or down, and a difference in your favour is credited.
Is my cargo insured?
Only if you ask for it: cargo insurance is optional for any cargo, 2% of the declared value, minimum USD 50, requested in writing before departure. Without it, compensation is limited as set out in the Terms of Service. See cargo insurance.
Personal effects
What counts as personal effects?
Your own used belongings: clothes, books, kitchenware, linen, toys, small household items and similar goods that are not for sale. Goods you sell or deliver to a customer are commercial cargo.
Can I ship household goods without a passport copy?
No. For every personal-effects shipment the carrier requires a copy of the shipper's passport photo page and a complete, detailed packing list. A passport from any country is accepted; it must be valid and in the shipper's name.
Will I pay duty on my belongings abroad?
That depends on the destination country and your situation (returning resident, new resident, gift). Many countries relieve the used household goods of a person who returns or moves there; the country pages describe what we know, and duties and taxes are paid by the receiver.
Do all countries accept personal effects?
No. A few countries and cities do not accept them under the carrier's conditions; each country page says so. Commercial cargo is still accepted there.
Commercial cargo
Is LCL worth it for a small business?
For a few cartons or one to three pallets, yes: you pay for the space the cargo takes, not for a whole container, and you know the price before you book.
Which documents are needed?
A commercial invoice and a packing list that match line by line, plus the numbers or certificates the carrier conditions require for the country (for example the importer's EORI number in the European Union).
Who clears customs at the destination?
The importer, usually through a customs broker in the destination country; the importer also pays the duties and taxes.
Transit and arrival
How long does the transport take?
Country and city pages show the estimated transit time from the tariff (the carrier's estimate). The carrier sets the sailing schedule, and the time on the way changes with sailings, transshipment and port conditions. Transit times are estimates by the carrier; A1 Freight Forwarding Inc. does not guarantee a specific transit time or delivery date (Terms of Service, section 5). After booking we pass on the carrier's schedule for your sailing.
Where does the consignee collect the cargo?
At the carrier's destination warehouse, after customs clearance. Delivery to an address is not part of A1 Freight Forwarding Inc.'s price: the consignee collects the cargo or hires a local trucker. The carrier contacts the consignee on arrival with the release location.