There are 3 main forms of ocean shipping to Canada: full container load (FCL), less than container load (LCL), and groupage (a Seapoe advantage). Clients need not worry about how to choose — Seapoe's experienced consultant team will recommend the right shipping solution based on each client's situation and provide full end-to-end concierge service.
Full Container Load (FCL) Ocean Shipping
If you have a large amount of furniture or bulky luggage to ship to Canada or back to China, and the volume reaches about 15-20 cubic meters or more, you may consider booking a 20-foot container for ocean shipping (because furniture and luggage are irregularly shaped, a 20-foot container can generally hold at most 25-26 cubic meters of furniture-type items).
FCL shipping does not mean the entire container must be completely filled; it means the container belongs to you alone, providing the highest level of security and privacy protection. Common containers include the 20-foot, 40-foot, and 40-foot high-cube, which differ mainly in the volume they can hold — and, of course, the price increases accordingly.
Less than Container Load (LCL) Ocean Shipping
If your items are under 15 cubic meters, considering cost factors, it is generally not recommended to book an entire container. The available option includes LCL shipping.
In the narrow sense, or as used in this article, LCL shipping refers to booking directly in LCL form with the shipping line, which allocates your cargo into a container shared by different shippers.
In the broad sense, the groupage described below can also be considered a type of LCL, so sometimes no strict distinction is made between LCL and groupage.
Groupage (Consolidated Shipping)
Groupage can be considered a type of LCL. The key to groupage is that all cargo in the groupage container belongs to Seapoe's clients. Because Seapoe has a large customer base for Canada ocean shipping, multiple containers depart every week between China and Canada.
The advantages of Seapoe groupage are, on one hand, reduced costs that save clients on freight, and on the other hand, all cargo in the container is coordinated by Seapoe, maximizing the security of clients' items.
Since items are shipped together with other Seapoe clients to Canada or back to China, based on mutual communication, you need to wait for customer service staff to arrange the plan and consolidate the shipment.
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