Shipping and Receiving Responsibilities
Shipping and Receiving Responsibilities for Purchasing Refractory and Other Exotic Materials
Simple Steps to Minimize Friction and Fees
Shipping and receiving responsibilities are an important – but often overlooked – element of purchasing refractory and exotic materials. We always do everything possible to minimize or eliminate surprise fees and unnecessary friction. But there are some things we can’t know until customers tell us. We depend on customer transparency and initiative at three key points in the purchasing process:
- Requesting a Quote
- Placing an Order
- Receiving an Order
This is a “help us help you” situation, and it goes both ways! Below is some practical guidance on how you can help us get shipping right the first time and avoid surprises in the process.
3 Key Shipping and Receiving Responsibilities for Customers
From the initial quote all the way through to your receiving bay, you can help keep the materials moving and costs down by anticipating and addressing your shipping and receiving responsibilities.
Requesting a Quote
Customers’ shipping and receiving responsibilities start before they even place the order. That’s because every application, job, shipment, and metal is unique, and if you don’t specify packaging requirements, there could be surprises, which usually come with unexpected costs. No one likes that kind of surprise!
That means you’ll need to provide as much detail as possible during the quoting process. We always securely package materials in tubes, boxes, buckets, or skids to protect your materials during shipment and automatically insure every package. If you require a specific packaging method or additional protective packaging, there may be additional costs. Better to plan for exactly what you need than to let us guess and then add fees later.
Placing an Order
Your shipping and receiving responsibilities include knowing what you need and when. It’s important to realize that your sales order includes only the sale of your material; the actual freight charges are added either when the freight company is contacted or when they pick up the freight because the charges depend on the size, weight, and timing you need.
When placing your order, it’s also part of your shipping and receiving responsibilities to provide your freight account number, including the freight company and any relevant customer and account numbers needed to identify your account with your freight company. Without this, the process will slow down or even halt.
Receiving an Order
We do everything possible to avoid damaged products because we know how important the materials are for your applications. Occasionally, however, packages get damaged in transit, so you must include careful inspection in your receiving process.
If the materials are damaged, filing a claim with your freight company promptly is one or your most important shipping and receiving responsibilities.
Before shipping your materials, we take photos of every package that leaves our dock for proof of proper packaging to prevent damage in transit. We are happy to provide those along with any other documentation you need to share with the freight company when filing your claim for damaged material.
Shipping and Receiving Responsibilities and Pricing as of Q4 2024
In the interest of “no surprises,” we should say a word about pricing. We consider it part of our shipping and receiving responsibilities to monitor, minimize, and even absorb the shipping costs as much as possible for our customers.
Throughout 2024, the boxing prices we have been charging our customers have been just 50% of the prices we have been paying, so we have absorbed half all year! Starting in the 4th quarter, we will reduce the amount we absorb to 25%. That’s still a great deal for you, and we are proud to be able to partner with you to accommodate the rising costs of shipping.
More on How to Purchase Refractory and Exotic Materials
Shipping and receiving responsibilities are just a part of a much larger puzzle when purchasing refractory and exotic metals. Earlier this year, we published a comprehensive guide, which you can download here, or you can read it in 3 installments:
- How to Buy Specialty Metals: A Practical Guide – Part 1 READ PART 1
- How to Buy Exotic & Refractory Metals Part 2: Conditions and Properties of Metal READ PART 2
- How to Buy Part 3: Metal Properties, Formats, and More READ PART 3
Contact us to discuss shipping and receiving responsibilities, or request a quote to cut right to the chase. Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter, and join the conversation on LinkedIn.
