Buyer Beware!

Oh dear it’s happened again!   News just in from Canada ‘The owner of a British food shop in Canada says he has been ordered to stop importing and selling Marmite, Ovaltine and Irn-Bru because they contain illegal additives.’    Just because a product is considered acceptable for sale in one country does not automatically mean it is acceptable for sale in a different country.   Each country (and in America each State!) has its own rules and ideas about what is OK for its citizens.   Importers breaking these rules whether by ignorance or deliberate fraud will find their goods confiscated and probably destroyed.   Fighting such cases can be a lengthy business with the need for professional help from chemists, food manufacturers, doctors and lawyers.   Better to know the rules and avoid the cost and disappointment.  See full story here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25867613

 

#import #Canada #Marmite

 

www.morley-consulting.co.uk

 

Stop Press!

It has just been announced that Fed Ex and DHL have suspended shipments of parcels to private individuals in Russia on account of stricter customs rules.

The ban applies to goods ordered by Russian customers over the internet.  The new rules mean that extra documents are required for the clearance of these shipments including passport details.

Business customers are reportedly not affected.

DHL says the suspension of shipments will come into effect on 27^th January.   It is reported that other firms such as UPS, TNT and DPD are also considering bans.

 

See here for news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25878869

#Russia #parcel

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Spare a thought .....

Spare a thought for those preparing to handle the freight transport of all the gear for the Winter Olympics. Not only have they got hundreds of odd shape parcels of oddly named and unusual items but they have to get them half way up a mountain in Russia in mid Winter!   Whilst many of the competitors will be wishing for as much snow and ice as possible I suspect most of the logistics teams will be hoping for exactly the opposite!

#Olympics #logistics # Russia

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BRICs are so last year !!

Jim O’Neil who first coined the term BRIC to identify Brazil, Russia, India and China as potential powerhouses of the world economy has done it again.

We now must remember the ‘MINT’ countries - Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey - as emerging economic giants.

After dinner mint anyone???

www.Morley-consulting.co.uk

#BRIC   #MINT

Losing weight?

In client discussions today I have once again been reminded that weight in international trade is a matter of great confusion.  It is not just that some people work in grams, some in kilos, some in metric tonnes, some in pounds and some in ounces, although that is bad enough particularly if you are careless about the spelling of tonnes!

For the calculation of freight costs the ‘weight’ may have nothing to do with the actual weight of the consignment but everything to do with the dimensions. This is the infamous ‘volumetric weight’.  It is a mathematical calculation that allows volume to be compared with weight so you can end up with volumetric kilos.  But take care the sums are different depending on mode of transport!  You will be charged according to either the packed weight or the #volumetric weight whichever is the greater.

Remember this when you ask for a freight quote and make sure you give the dimensions as well as the weight to avoid nasty surprises!

www.morley-consulting.co.uk