Once the delivered goods get abandoned, fellow shippers always seem to advise fixing things. Perhaps the quality wasn't good enough, maybe you were a bit too late, or you ought to fix your yelp reviews. Surely, something is lacking in the equation on your end. Buyers, on the other hand, rarely get questioned.
Being an exporter, you must have seen or experienced such a scenario. You must be familiar with the loss that a cargo rejection follows. Aren't you?
Well, even if you aren't, being a part of the industry, it's best to keep yourself well-informed on the subject to avoid ending up in the same situation. And of course, to avoid panicking and losing all hope after being a victim of this treacherous move.
So, today, let's acquaint ourselves with what happens when the buyer rejects the cargo and what you can do about it.
Is it legal for the buyer to reject imported goods?
Before we dive deeper into the causes of cargo rejection, let us first shed led on an essential question; is it even legal for buyers to do such a thing? Can they let abandon the goods they ordered for any possible reasonable without being accountable?
Well, yes. That's true, at least, in some countries like China and Taiwan. Here the receiver may refuse to receive the goods under certain contracts. Even in the general maritime law, we find no consensus on whether or not the merchant party/ consignee / or the buyer is obligated to receive the delivery.
Top Reasons Why Buyers May Reject Your Cargo
When evaluating the buyer/receiver relationship, there can be a hundred different reasons for the cause of rejection. You see, depending on the specific trade deal, the reasons for rejection can vary. However, to give you an idea, we have compiled the three most occurring reasons. Read more to unravel!
• Damaged Goods
The field of exporting/importing goods is a risky one for there are many external factors involved. Sea freight may encounter a storm or undesirable weather conditions. Or, the crew might demonstrate irresponsible behavior. You see, being an exporter, you will be largely dependent on others for maintaining the quality of your goods.
And, while a majority of times the dependency does not affect your business, it might as well do so. There are many scenarios where a buyer rejected the cargo as the arrived goods were damaged.
It can be due to mishandling at the port or the barbaric nature of the sea. Nevertheless, the damaging of goods means that the buyer has a valid and legal reason to reject the cargo.
• Late or Delayed Shipping
At times, the custom and checking departments withhold the cargo. The withholding results in a delay in transporting the goods to the buyer, which may deteriorate the reputation of the company as well as provide a legal reason for rejection.
• Trust and Doubt Issues
Companies surrounded by a bad reputation or having insufficient evidence of quality may trigger doubts in cargo receivers. Consequently, they may refuse to accept the cargo upon its arrival. Although it may as well as unacceptable for the exporter, there is a history of buyers forming doubt as to the foundation of rejection.
How to avoid cargo rejections?
Now, you are aware of the reasons that can trigger rejection. Naturally, your next concern might be how to avoid these situations and prevent an industrial surplus from disrupting your export business. But, worry not because we have solutions for this too. Unravel it yourself!
Firstly, you must always opt for air freight to prevent cargo damage due to weather conditions. Sea freight is a much riskier option because the waters are unpredictable. Also, to avoid mishandling, choose reputable and well-established exporting companies.
As for the delayed shipping, you must ensure the documentation required for customs and checking is complete. Also, having a reliable entity dealing with the arrival of the cargo can help ease the situation.
Furthermore, being an exporter, you should reinforce the shipping policies so that buyers using doubt as a reason cannot refuse the cargo legally. And, you must also establish a trustworthy presence on the internet using business platforms. Yelp is an innovative and useful site for people trying to build a healthy business profile. You can fix your yelp reviews and ask previous clients to add on to these. Consequently, a healthy and reliable reputable will remove the doubt issues from your future cargo buyers.
