With international policies for exports getting more flexible, and textiles being in demand more than ever, textile imports and exports are inevitable for suppliers and buyers in the industry.
However, many smaller companies fret at the name of importing and exporting goods, simply because of the paperwork and diligence required in this process. Since issues in the process can lead to loss or damage to shipment or even revenue the stakes are high.
With that in mind, let us look at the basics of textile exports and how to go about them the right way:
5 Factors to Consider When Importing and Exporting Textiles
Here are some of the top factors you must consider in the process of importing and exporting textiles:
1. Shipping Modes
One of the most basic things you will figure out before initiating an import or export of goods is the mode of shipping. The decision to pick the right shipping mode for your textile export wholesale is based on a combination of factors, especially its ability to carry your goods and your budget.
You can choose from sea, air or express shipping to find a mode that meets your requirements and budget. Since your shipping mode is a critical decision in your import or export process, it is best to navigate it carefully and diligently.
2. Packaging and Labeling
Packaging is a critical part of any shipment, especially if it is a part of a textile export and wholesale process. Since these packages are prone to more damage during transit, picking the right packaging material for your shipment is important.
By packaging, we are not only referring to the material or box in which your products will be packed. Here, packaging also refers to materials you may need to place within your shipment package to prevent damages such as bubble wrap or packing peanuts.
Once the packaging is done properly, your textile export house must focus on ensuring that your shipment is labeled appropriately. All your shipments and packages should be labelled with the recipient’s contact information and address so that they reach them safely.
3. Customs Compliance
Importing and exporting goods require you to deal with a lot of international logistics regulations and paperwork, depending on the origin and destination. As a shipper or buyer, you must adhere to the conditions and regulations associated with importing or exporting a specific item.
Not complying with import or export regulations can cause shipping delays or even lead to fines or additional charges in your logistics operations.
4. Documentation
Importing and exporting goods is not a simple process and can get quite complex considering the many documents you have to prepare for the process to work seamlessly.
While preparing documentation accurately is important for a smooth customs clearance process, it also plays an important role in the other parts of the process.
What’s more attention to detail in your documentation can help you import or export goods more seamlessly and ensure that your goods don’t get stuck at any point in the process.
5. Freight Insurance
Opting for freight insurance is not optional when your imports and exports are valuable and need to be protected during transit. Freight insurance will help you protect your shipments during transit and coverage will prevent the risk of loss or damage.
As a result, shippers and buyers can have more peace of mind, even after the shipment is sent out and on the way to the destination.
6 Common Types of Textile Exports
Now that you know about some of the primary factors to consider when importing or exporting textiles, let us look into the common types of textile exports. Since these are the textile types you are likely to deal with as a textile exporter, it is best to have at least basic know-how of these textile types:
1. Home Textiles
Textiles that are used in homes such as bed linens, curtains, rugs, or blankets can be classified as home textiles. These textiles are most likely to be used for home decor and utility and usually make up a big chunk of textiles that are exported from one country to another.
2. Garments
Textiles usually include clothes that are ready to wear or just fabrics that can be stitched into proper clothes. That said, garments refer to the common types of clothing items such as shirts, pants, dresses, and inner, and outerwear.
3. Fabrics
Fabrics refer to the textile materials that can be used as raw materials to create different kinds of textiles such as home linen or even garments. Fabrics can come in different types such as silk, cotton, linen, wool or even synthetic blends. All these fabrics are available in raw form or even fabric rolls and can be exported or even included in a fabric micro-fulfilment process.
4. Technical Textiles
Certain types of textiles have highly specific use cases associated with them. A few examples are medical textiles and geotextiles. Apart from these textiles, there are also industrial fabrics that are designed to serve specific technical purposes. Often these types of textiles are exported to other countries where they may not be easily available.
5. Specialty Textiles
Specialty textiles are very similar to technical textiles considering they too are designed for specific applications. Take, for example, textiles such as flame-resistant fabrics or waterproof textiles that protect the wearer and serve specific purposes for them. These speciality textiles like technical textiles are generally exported to countries by textile exporters where they are not readily available.
6. Apparel Accessories
The term apparel accessories is pretty self-explanatory and it indeed refers to the accessories made of textiles you add to your outfits. These apparel accessories can include belts, scarves, gloves, hats and more. As these accessories are used to boost utility and the fashion appeal of a specific outfit, these apparel accessories may have to be exported more often than you think.
How to Calculate Textile Export Costs?
Now that you know about the factors to consider when exporting or importing textiles and the primary types of textiles that are most likely to be exported by sellers or shippers.
Determining the export costs of textiles may also require you to keep in mind several factors such as destination, shipping method, and even shipment size and dimensions.
There are three types of freight shipping and related textile export costs that you should consider at any time:
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FCL: FCL or Full Container Load is a shipping approach in which the shippers will attempt to ship out only a full container of load even if it means combining multiple shipments in a container. The FCL shipping approach generally varies from $5,000 to $6,000.
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LCL: If your textile shipments are not that big in volume and not enough to fill a container, you will be dealing with a Less than Container Load or LCL. In this case, your shipment should be combined with pallets and containers of other shippers when getting shipped. In any case, LCL costs far less than an FCL shipment and may only require you to spend $700 to $1000.
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Air-Freight: If you have very few shipments and can afford to ship your textile cargo through air freight, you can choose that option. Generally, shipping your cargo by air may cost you between $5 to $65 per kilogram based on your shipping volume. The greater the volume, the lesser the per-kilogram rate.
Other than the shipping approach you take for your textile exports out of the aforementioned options, you also need to consider where you are exporting your textiles from and to. Some of the biggest textile exporters in the world include China, India, Italy, Germany, Vietnam, Pakistan, and South Korea among others.
How to Export Textiles: The Process
Now that we have covered the basics of textile exports, and everything you need to know about it, let us cover the actionable part of the process. Here are the steps included in the textile export process:
Documentation
The first and most crucial aspect of a typical textile export process is to get the documentation right. Since there is an array of documents to be readied for the process, it is best to gather all of them in advance. Some of the crucial documents to be used in the process include:
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Commercial Invoice
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Packing List
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Certificate of Origin
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Purchase Order
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Bill of Exchange
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Export License
Licensing
Once you have prepared all these documents, the most complicated part of your textile export process will be behind you. It is time for you to ensure that you have your export license ready to go.
If you are a supplier, you need to take care of the export license preparation on your own. However, if you have employed a freight forwarder, they can also arrange one for you at an additional cost. The entire process, right from the application, to approval, can take between 20 to 60 days.
If you require approvals from additional regulatory bodies, then ensure then you must ensure that you start working on acquiring the license in advance. Your freight forwarder may also help you with any special approvals you may require in the process.
Quality Check
Once you have prepared the documentation and your export license necessary for the process to go ahead, your textile export business is unlikely to face any major challenges.
However, before you send out your shipments, you must ensure that you run a thorough quality check of the cargo that is being exported.
The most important parameter in this step is to ensure that your product meets the quality standards that have been set in the country you are exporting your textiles.
Shipping
The entire process of export comes to an end when the shipment is finally sent out to the destination country. Before the cargo is in transit, you must ensure that the packaging and labelling of the shipment are done right.
You must also consciously choose the right shipping method for your textile export company so that they are successfully processed and delivered to the destination country.
Wrapping Up
Textile imports and exports can seem like a complicated process to embark on, considering the amount of paperwork, resources, and skills that go into the process. However, if you take an organised approach towards exporting textiles, not only will you be able to navigate the process easily but also ensure that your exports reach the destination country without any major hitches.
Need extra help dealing with your international shipments? Get a quote from our website to organise your supply chain process better than ever before.