Top tips on How to Get Your Goods Shipped to Nigeria by Sea Freight in 17 Days

Attention Please!!!Anyone who  wants to avoid unnecessary delays in getting their goods shipped to Nigeria should read this!
This is extremely important especially if this is your first time of getting your goods to Nigeria by sea freight. I bet you if you ring up any shipper at this very minute, ask the shipper or the shipping agent that when are they sending their next goods to Nigeria. Ok, cool, carry out this simple test. Now navigate  away from this blog. Do a search on the internet or ring up any shipping company that you know or you're acquainted with. Ask them when is the next loading? It will shock you what  an incredible response you will get. While on the shipping company's agent line of enquiries, tell them you have between  1000 to 1500kg items to ship to Nigeria. Eeeeh!  I can assure you that 90% of shippers will tell you "Next week". Some of the shocking answers  you will get would be " in fact we are closing our container in 72hrs". Every one of them (us) trying to put you in a patronage frenzy. The question is most cases, those containers are not even half way full.In other words, here is the state of the container in the picture below.

This makes you be in a CuoCuo land. Is such shipping company sailing an empty container to Naija or what? You would ask.

Now, here is the catch. Every one of us including me when I  first started this business and in a desperate bid of getting customers. We are all guilty of this at one stage or the other in this our business. If I have just sent my container last week and I am sourcing to loading another container and a customer came to me that they have 1500kg of goods to be shipped; they want the goods in Nigeria within a month. I would be crazy to say I have just sent my container the week before. Knowing fully well that I stand the chance of loosing such customer to my competitor. In an ideal business man world I would promise such customer that it is very possible to get the goods there in that timely fashion. I would then gear up my effort in getting the goods there on time.

These are the simple tips for getting your goods to its destination speedily using the sea freight method.

1) Make sure you make provision for  6 to 8 weeks  for your shipment to get to its destination from the time of handing it over to your shipper. You never know the goods might get there earlier than you'd expected.

2) Ask your shipper if they have a specific date at which their cargo will be leaving the UK for Nigeria. If a shipper tells you they have no specific date on file yet, then suspect that nothing is happening in regards to getting you goods there on time.

3) Desist from sending small item through sea freight, especially if those items are urgent ones. I do understand that  customers want to save money by using the shipping option. But at the end of the day the difference between air cargo and sea freight is not that much especially where the item to be shipped is less than 50kg. It used to be cheaper  those days but now that the clearing duties in Nigeria sea port has been increase by almost 50%,  obviously you won't save much money in relation to the time it takes the goods to arrive. To me it is not worth the pain and the wait if  I am sending my cousin's wedding dress to Lagos by sea freight when the wedding is three weeks away.

4) Recommendation matters . Shippers are more busier than each other. Some shippers  do at least twice a month shipping while some do once a year shipping. Good luck with your choice of shipper.

You're reading my blog. We have re invented the way shipping is done to Nigeria with a guaranteed once a month container available for all our customers. Why not take a look at our price list page and take advantage of the cheapest shipping offer .



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Cargo Clearing Agents in Nigeria Strike Update

Are clearing agents in Nigeria actually on strike this July 2014? Most customers who sent their stuff through us hardly believe this. Some customers are even threatening to sue us for breach of contract as their goods could not be delivered on the agreed date.  The fact that this strike was initiated by the clearing agents made it not to hit the headlines of most news tabloid in Nigeria, shame! Why this? the answer is simply because this clearing agents guys are average Joe's who are striving for a means of  earning a livelihood in the so called Nigerian economic jungle. If it were to be the Custom boss who shut down the Nacho or Sahcol warehouse, like they did in September 2013  the news would be all over the country.

We gathered from  the clearing agents that the reason why they decided to embark on  a strike action was because their voice was never heard over scores of issues. They lamented that customs and Nacho are always increasing clearing duties without proper consultation. They have done so in the previous years and they are embarking on yet another duties hike. They wouldn't revolt  over all these duties hike if there are justifiable ground to do so. If this incessant duties increase had benefited them in  any way in their business they would welcome it they yelled.

We are appealing on behalf of all the stakeholders, the  poor clearing agents with families to Cather for  and of course the worst affected," Customers". It is high time we all have to strive towards smooth running of the cargo business in Nigeria. Most customers who choose to send their goods or their relative belonging by means of air freight do this due to the urgency attached to those stuff , and if these items which are meant to be delivered within five days took three weeks to arrive in Nigeria then the purpose of sending such items are defeated.

You're reading our freight blog. In case you have goods to send to Nigeria through a reliable company, then we are the best and cheap source. Give us a call today and we promise to deliver speedily.

Why You Should Trust Us

This might sound bias and utterly unpleasant but I am only expressing an opinion here. Can anyone explain to me why our own (naija) Nigerian people hardly trust each other, even if they have every reason to trust you? But before anyone nail me to the cross on this statement please let me quickly clarify something.

I am a shipping agent that deals with helping people send their goods to Nigeria from the UK. In my extensive experience in this business, I have come across scores of customers, in fact in its hundred.  Customers who express disbelief and doubts at the very minute they call you up about cargo inquiries. I could tell right from the outset that they had a thought you could run away with their goods. Some would say it to your face that you're most likely to be a 419!  And what happen afterwards? Those skeptic thoughts vanished the very moment their goods arrived safely. Please this is not a disrespect to anyone, it's just the way life is.

Another Difficult Aspect of this Cargo Business

As part of my company's service, we extend our service to most parts of the UK towns and cities. We do have Nigerians living  in Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Manchester, Coventry and other UK towns. The very moment you tell  some of these customers that we are cargo company operating from London but our service is nationwide.Then  the next question then would be, Hey, do you have an office in Milton Keynes or Manchester etc? Serious doubt would begin from then on. If you're lucky to pass through that phase, the next question is "How do I know the weight of my stuff if someone other than you come to collect my goods and not come to me with a measuring scale"?  Not to long ago, a first time customer from Liverpool gave us his goods. We checked the weight of the goods when it got to our warehouse in  London. We then sent him an email of how much hir Seven bags weighed. Hell was let loose with that customer and I that day. He went " I already checked the weight of my goods, it weighed 106kg, how dare you telling me your own F***King industrial scale weighed 175kg"?. I literally  went Gaga to hear all the verbal missile thrown at me by that customer. But at the end of the day, he is a customer anyway!

.............And guessed who was right and who was wrong?  Have a look at the picture below and see how I usually handle issues like this one.

I  do understand the customer's point of view though. It's a common ground for freight agents to reap of their customers but I can say this with total confidence I the owner of Cargonaija and as a child of God take it or leave it I will rather be on the dole than rip off my customers.

You are reading my blog, please if you're in need of a reliable and trust worthy shipping agent to help you send your goods to Nigeria from the UK, we are the go to Guys

Thanks for taking your time to read this...... God bless you.

Ola.

Cargonaija is the real thing!!!

I remembered many years ago when Panadol did an advert in Nigeria when there were  plenty of adulterated panadol in the country. The pharmaceutical company that produce that brand came out with a message about their brand. The theme of the advert went like this " If e no be Panadol, E no fit be like Panadol" . The same holds true of Cargonaija . If e no be Cargonaija, E no go fit Provide cargo services to Nigeria like Cargonaija, Period!

 There are lots and lots of rogue cargo shipping agents here in the UK that have been adopting our methods, that is not bad actually. But what is unethical business practice is the fact one of them even went to the extent of copying our content, in other to take over the mainstream. This company tries to change cargonaija to their name. They said they are Naija something and Cargo. They are doing this in other to confuse our website visitors that they are us.

Please we want to say this to all our customers that we are Cargonaija.com and not Naija Cargo. The difference is clear. The word "Cargo" came first and Naija came next to it. Don't get this mix up.  Be sure of the company you're dealing with. Check with us, make sure we are the company you're dealing with and not some Fly By Night Cargo companies that would bring you a mischief . If you are not sure, please Ring us to find out who we are and what we do.

Thanks for Reading
Cargonaija is the leading cargo and shipping provider to Nigeria from the UK. Our name speak for itself, because we have a total understanding of the business logistics. Visit our website at www.cargonaija.com for your huge discount.

How to Spot a Good and Bad Shipping Companies

Looking for a good shipper shoudn't  be a tasking process. Somehow in life we have all had to believe that a good service is determine by how much we pay for it.  Not necessarily in my opinion.  Paying a colossal  amount of money to a shipping agent or company is  not a guarantee that such company will deliver an excellent service. In fact some starter shipping companies actually provide a great service than some companies that have been around for years. The reason  for this is not difficult to know. Number one reason is that there's level of efficiency displayed by new entrant because those companies want their own fair share in that market they're competing for.
Also there's a likelihood that the owner of such shipping company would actively involve in all aspects of the business from dealing with customers queries to have some face-to-face interaction with their customers.

Good Shipping Agent: Any good company providing a shipping services should have the trust factor. Integrity should be the foundation in which a shipping business should be formed. Large and industrial machinery, Commercial cargo, and other bulky goods weight or volumes need not be escalated by a good shipping company. Many times there are conflicts of interest between some good shipping agents and their clients. When goods shipped take longer than expected to reach the port, this could be caused by series of things ranging from severe whether or  persistent tide, security issues or all sorts of things, this stuff the freight agents are not in control of , it would not even come near those excuses given by shippers when their customers goods are delayed. At the same time  such occurrence could bring about a delay in getting things delivered.

Destination of Goods: The country of  goods destination  do matter . Every week   Goods are shipped from UK to over  two hundred countries. London alone has a  busy  seaport with vessels leaving and coming in every day. Obviously these ship carries on them cars, trucks and other cargoes going to Nigeria, Ghana,  and other countries of the world. The customs in those countries operate differently from UK customs . Undue delays resulting from some unscrupulous activities by those countries customs could affect smooth clearing of goods  thereby making a freight or shipping agents providing shipping services to those areas tagged as being Bad!


Bad Shipping Agent : Bad Shipping agent are everywhere around us, those who store up customers goods and never get to ship them, thereby giving excuses listed earlier above. They  draw customer in with a cheap shipping offers and then when goods are already on sea, they demand more and more money from the customer. Another thing they do is to tell innocent customers to bring in their good, they never give a hint that some items are contraband in some selected countries, they only want people money, they do't care whether those goods are seize or not.

We implore anyone reading this article to do a thorough search before committing your item to a shipping agent. Find out if a particular item is a contra band before you hand it over to a shipper.  Other important question to ask is the landing cost of shipping the goods. I.e , shipping plus clearing cost and other associated cost.

Cargonaija ship to anywhere  in Africa, visit our shipping page on our website at: http://www.cargonaija.com/car-shipping.html  check out our huge discount

Door to door service and Air Freight

Buisnesses today have seen a dramatic swift in the ways things are being done when compared to the slow pace at which goods and services are delivered in the  18th century. Thanks to the idea of door to door freight service industry. Businesses can now carry out transaction wherever they are around the globe. Whether in Nigeria or United Kingdom goods can be delievered by a freight company straight to the door.

Cost of Door to Door: As with the conveniece that comes with it, any client or company who wants goods delivered straight to their dormain should be ready to bear the cost associated with it.
The freight company would then have to consider some variables that will make the process of door delivey at ease at the same time not putting the quest for profit at  a bay. However, the time expectation in getting those goods deliver to customers door could be a thing of a challenge, especailly when the goods final destination is not easily accessible. Delivery process is often a difficult procedure given that customers are always in the wait. Ideally the entire process should be quick but certain hiccups do possibly occur in this areas of delivery.

Why Most Freight Companies Say No to Door-to Door  Freight Delivery:

Most service request for air freight are done on airport to airport basis by  freight forwaders who felt that they will deliver their customers goods in timely fashion when they offer airport to airport freight servces as suppose to offering door to door services. Simply put, an individual freight  forwarding company can provide a service to anywhere in Asia, Africa, America or even in the middle East if they they don't  have to deliver to door. The only drag then would be  the amount of incovenience that would be associated with this level of service on the customer part and huge reduction on the company profitability. 


Market Force: Any freight company providing an extra service of  bringing goods straight to their customers door will flourish more, no doubt! Such company will gain more of referral sales. People want covenience plus busy and the hectic lifestyle we all run make us opt for companies with more service input. This extra service provision will obviously bring about some level of  growth and sustainabilty as more and more customers with stay longer most especially with that  companies who know their stuff. 

Recepient Expectations: Most consignee attach huge values to goods deliver to their door. Imagine a strange knock on the door  and suddenly you reach for that door and Voila then appeared a delivery company handing over a huge box of gift sent from oversea by your sibling or your son? The value added to such gift is priceless as compared to those gift which are already anticipated.        

Cargonaija is one of the few freight forwarding companies that offer door to door freight services to anywhere in Nigeria and Ghana. Visit our website; www.cargonaija.com for fast and effeicient cargo service delivery.

How to Ship Products you Buy from UK to Nigeria

Scared of Shipping from the UK to Nigeria? cargonaija is capable and will deliever to anywhere you like! ------on one condition though,The Fear Factor You Need to Beat Flat!! Read on! The fear of falling into the wrong shipper's hand has actually killed the entrepreneurial spirit in some people who are willing to shop for imported goods from the UK to sell in Nigeria. Couple of years ago One of our first time customer who is now one of our numerous loyal customer as she now ship regularly with cargonaija was asked a question as to why people are always scared of giving their goods to a shipper or cargo company they found online? Her ouright response to that question was "FEAR" She said what if the company ran away with your items? How do you trace them, etc? To be honest, the answer anyone would give to this question won't be different. But in this 21st century one cannot continue to live on the notion that every cargo or shipping companies helping people to ship stuff to Nigeria from the UK are (419) as my beloved people from my country would say.I always say to any skepikal potential customer making enquiry about our cargo/Shipping service to Nigeria for the first time, that he or she only need to use cargonaija once afterwards they will become our customer for life.... And so far so good, and to the glory of God it has always been like that. Why do you want to travel tens of thousand miles from Nigeria to shop for very few items in the UK? Obviously,Time and money resources is wasted in the process. Instead, you should do your homework properly. Ask family, friends and relatives if they have any shipper with good track records in mind. Take your time to ask them further if they have actually used the service of such shipping company themselves. If you are not convinced just go online and do your search yourself. Nowadays you could find virtually anything you are looking for using the power of the internet within the click of a mouse.... Thanks to Google and other search engines! Now that you have chosen your Shipper, What next? You may well had thought that this shipping company you've chosen will deliever on their promises in the aspect of smooth and efficient delivery in Nigeria, you would be shock at times that some shipping companies only just have that shinning website, fortified with all kind of Mumbo Jumbo tracking technogy but service performance is up to no scratch. Having Tracking, four phone numbers, limitless past customers reviews etc, does not neccesarily means that that company is the best choice to help you send good you buy from the UK to Nigeria. Cargonaija has mobile phone numbers and contact emails as a means of communication between us and our customers. The reason for this is to serve our customers round the clock. Our customers can reach us at both sociable as well as unsociable hours on any of our mobile phones. Stick With That Shipper While the devil you've known is better than that newly met angel of yours. Things may seem as though your shipper hasn't been performing optimally, but host of factors could attribute to the poor performace. No business or corporation is happy to lose any of their customers. Understanding and looking at things from differnt angles is vital between a customer and a shipper. If the reason for sudden shift in a shipper's performance is a slight delay in getting your good delivered to Nigeria., then this is not an enough reason to change your shipping agent. However if any shipper performance is hindered by a combition of poor delivery, lack of customer service ethics and issues such as missing consignments without adequate compensation in place etc are the peculiarities then you need to change your shipper to a better one in other for you to remain in business. (c)Ola cargonaija