BayCity

The Evolution of Shipping [Infographic]

seoteam — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 19:26:03 +0000

Over the last few hundred years, there’s been innovations that have led up to the comforts and conveniences of having groceries delivered to our front doors, all without having to lift a finger (save a few clicks). With recent innovations such as lockers, 3D Printing, what does the future hold for us? Teleportation? Beam us up, Scotty!

The Four Ways We’re Arriving at the Future of Shipping

seoteam — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:42:13 +0000

The shipping industry has been a slow moving one in terms of innovation. Only in the last year or so has there been some interesting developments in the future of shipping, which unsurprisingly, is coming from the world of eCommerce.

BufferBox & Amazon Lockers

These lockers that were only rolled out earlier this year have made a big splash in the ecommerce and tech worlds due to their simple solution to a pain point that many people have – missing the delivery of their online orders. You get access to a special pin key that is text to you and you simply text your key to your specified locker and you’re able to unlock the locker and get access to the goods you’ve shipped.

Bufferbox, a Y-Combinator startup coming from their Summer 2012 cohort made such a good impression after rolling out aggressively across the Greater Toronto area that they were only recently acquired by Google. Amazon, has come up with a similar solution with their Lockers product, which would presumably be offered for free to their customers once they reach distribution with retailers.

The whole point behind these digitized lockers to make the online shopping experience more convenient so you never have to miss a shipment again.

Same day shipping

This has been a major selling point for startups such as Instacart and even Fab.com where they offer same day shipping to your doorstep if you place an order before a specified time. This would ease friction and to be able to get access to the merchandise

3D printing

While not even close to the coolness of a Star Trek style replicator, 3D printing is still in its nascent stages of development, companies such as Makerbot and Panda Robotics have made big strides in offering affordable 3D printers that allow for anyone to print out something in 3D, while not teleportation, the future is promising when the possibilities of printing in metal make the idea of 3D printing compelling. Instead of having to ship a car part, why not just 3D print it?

Teleportation

Well, obviously, this hasn’t happened…. yet. However, we should all look towards the future of Star Trek style teleportation, once we figure out Quantum mechanics, M-Theory and String theory. We still have a long ways to go.

Avoid #BlackFriday chaos by shopping online

seoteam — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 21:21:42 +0000

Amidst all the shopping madness south of the border, it’s finally hitting Canada, so be safe and shop from home if you don’t want to deal with the crowds. This is a strong use case for sticking to ecommerce and doing your shopping in the comfort of your own home – with a hot cup of tea or in your underwear. Whatever floats your boat

The effect of Hurricane Sandy on the American economy

seoteam — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:47:32 +0000

Shipping Around the World

seoteam — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:20:40 +0000

Here’s a quick post about our process regarding shipping products around the world – whether for importing/exporting or for personal uses. The reaction of receiving products in impeccable condition will always stir up end user “delight” causing a reaction to be shared on social media online.

How to Clear and Import Furniture from Italy

seoteam — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:46:40 +0000

There’s no denying that Italian furniture represents some of the most exciting design pieces available to today’s homeowners and interior decorators. The country has long been known for its ornate furniture style; in the past few decades, many Italian designers have moved beyond the country’s classic style, supplementing it with ultra-modern design that embraces clean lines and bright colors. Both things are highly attractive to buyers around the world, and they’re willing to import furniture from the country directly just to get a taste of Italy’s esteemed designers and styles. The process is a bit complex, though, and it will require the hiring a customs broker in order to get the job done quickly and effectively.

Why a Customs Broker is a Key Part of the Clearing and Importing Process

Unlike typical postal mail packages from other countries, which are largely cleared and processed by local postal locations, furniture from countries in Europe and elsewhere must be specifically cleared by customs officials in Canada. That’s largely because the furniture is subjected to duties and other payments based on its cost, size, and the fact that it’s being imported from a foreign manufacturer.

It must also be cleared and deemed safe for entry into the country, ensuring that it’s not a thinly-disguised bit of weaponry or something nefarious. That concern, along with the requirement that the furniture be subject to duties, means that Canadian buyers must higher a broker who can handle this process on their behalf.

How it Works: The Process of Clearing and Importing Italian Furniture

Imports of furniture from Italy are pretty easy to process, though they’ll still require a broker. The process begins when a customer actually hires a broker to help them with the transaction and the import process. The broker will review any relevant duties or fees on the imported furniture, searching for ways to reduce the overall amount a customer will pay in order to obtain their prized Italian possession. When they come up with the best way to pay the duty, customers will receive a one-page email or fax that requests important information critical to the process.

Once the one-page form has been filled out and submitted back to the company handling the import of the furniture, they’ll be invoiced for the duties, services, and other fees, that they’re incurring as part of the process. They’ll have to pay that fee straight away.

Then, the broker awaits the furniture’s arrival at the Canadian border. They’ll be there to receive the shipment, presenting the shipping company with all of the required documentation needed to pick up the furniture on the customer’s behalf and have it sent to their location within the country. This process is verified by customs officials who verify all imports; when verification is complete, the appropriate shipping company will contact the recipient in order to arrange delivery and discuss how long the shipping process is expected to take.

All told, the process is relatively easy to complete as long as all of the paperwork is filled out correctly and the shipment arrives when — and where — it is expected to. Customers can expect everything to go smoothly on their behalf, largely because hired customs brokers make a living out of ensuring the smooth import of foreign goods in the country.

Don’t Let Duties and Import Processes Get in the Way of Great Style

Italian furniture is something that every customer should own and enjoy, and the country’s strict import process shouldn’t scare them away from ordering overseas and having a new piece delivered to the home. With the right staff able to interact with the country’s officials, customers can ensure that everything goes smoothly — from their purchase of the furniture through its arrival at their door.

Imports of all kinds can easily be managed by these professionals, and customers will be treated to low duties, excellent foreign products, and a smooth process that makes the wait worthwhile.

What to look for in a Customs Broker in Toronto

seoteam — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 19:49:45 +0000

If you’re starting out a business that involves importing or just importing merchandise and goods for personal reasons, why not look into your own backyard for options. At Baycity Brokers, we pride ourselves as experts and passionate about this space where we add value and insights by helping you navigate the tricky worlds of customs brokerage, clearance and import/export.
Here are 4 reasons why you should look for a Customs Broker in Toronto (which doesn’t necessarily involve us, although we do think we’re pretty darn good at what we do

1. Local Expertise – we’ve been doing what we do for over 5 years. Collectively we have close to 50 years of experience spread throughout our small team. We know how to navigate all the ins and outs of the import/export world in a quick and efficient manner so you don’t have to.
2. International Experience – of course, we’ve also dealt with importing and exporting goods to and from countries abroad with ease. From China to India, the South Pacific and all around. We’re quite well versed in what we do and quite proud of our capabilities.
3. Your Business Matters to Us – unlike bigger corporations who think they’re always looking “UP”, your business matters to us as we’re a small team. We see that as an advantage as we’re lean and super responsive and move quickly, because we don’t have the overhead of our bigger and slower moving competitors.
4. Affordable Rates – as a result of being smaller and having lower overhead, we offer very competitive and affordable rates to our clientele. Take a look at our testimonials or get on a referral call with them. They love us and hope you will too if you ever want to work with us.
At Bay City Brokers, we try our best and work to make the import/exporting process as easy and painless for you as possible. Think of us as an extension of your logistics team who are always looking out for your best interests. Give us a call today and say hi at 905-455-4777

New Furniture Galore!

seoteam — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 18:49:05 +0000

At Bay City Brokers, a large part of our business is helping export and import furniture from the farthest reaches of the globe. We decided to see what was going on in the world of social media and get a feel of what the end consumer experience is like when they’re getting their furniture or just about to begin the consideration process of buying new furniture. Check out our Storify story below!

What people REALLY feel about customs fees

seoteam — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:50:14 +0000

We did a bit of sleuthing on Twitter to see what the sentiment was like for people’s reactions towards customs fees. The results below may surprise you. Here at Bay City Brokers, we try to take as much pain and surprise out of the process when importing order shipping items of any kind across the border. Take a look at our storify story below!

A quick glimpse into car imports on Twitter

seoteam — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 20:30:11 +0000

Hey all! At Bay City Brokers, we’re always examining the market to see how we can improve the services we provide. Below is a list of some of the research we’ve done to understand how we can better develop our services and serve our current clients as well. Overall, the customer sentiment of car imports is quite positive, but as for domestic cars, not so much…