Shipping - Where is it written? The Chutzpah of Shippers

WINE TALK
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It is a fact of life - although I doubt it is recorded in the Good Book or any other Book that Chutzpah
that goes on with shipping.

A quoted price to bring a reefer container load into this country, without any contravening circumstances -
the ship was not attacked, Moses did not come down the mount and part the seas,
We’ve already agreed to oil price surcharge, the containers have completed the trip and been handed
over at the destination without incident. (Including a 4 month delay!)
I do not see or hear of any claim of ‘force majeure’ .
So how can the major shipping lines say - let’s go back through some recent shipments and charge you more.
Above the agreed contractual price!
Is that ok they ask?

Why is this an accepted behavior from the shipping industry?
Aren’t these people more suited to be ‘stick-up men’?
Or B & E burglars, or even Pimps?

They missed their calling - they should not be in a tightly controlled industry incumbered by asking Congress to look the other way.

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worst merchant of venice remake ever.

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William,
With a name like Gladstone, should you be allowed to use Yiddish words and sentence structure? Disraeli yes, Gladstone hmm [wink.gif]

That being said, I do like the title, and it does sound rather strange. Who were these pirates?

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was that quoted, or contracted?

I get accused by colleagues of semantics, but sometimes the precision of words matters.

The whole shipping situation is a mess, and I sympathize (and suffer too, although not to your extent).

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You can imagine that when my Paternal Grandfather landed at Ellis Island in about 1890ish,
the gatekeeper said, “Gladstein”, we’ll fix you up, from now on you are a Gladstone…

Although , once every 2 or 3 years, when I feel the Chutzpah - I’ll tell a British client
that my Great, Great Grand father is Sir William Gladstone of the Disraeli gang…
and is known for quite a wine cellar.
I’m sorry to say my dad was a very hard working Jwrly mfg. on 47 th street back in the day.
and most of our ancestors were killed in the camps, gas chambers and the Pogroms.

35 years in Hawaii and I hold tightly on to my Bronx Jewishness.

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The written quote of one shipment this week,
FYI - Attached are their increased prices.

Basically their old rates for ocean freight were $4.75/case - France to the New World,
and now it is $7.25/case. The portion of the current shipment is the equivalent of 625.83 cases, which would be a difference of $1565.

Plus other fees that seem to be the same.
What a country!

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Lots of folks who ship goods are seeing 200-300% increases. Your price hike is not remotely outrageous if you actually follow the shipping industry.

Sorry, but you have no basis for your outrage in the current environment.

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And your qualification for passing down this judgement is exactly what?
A service provided a quote for a service, they are providing precisely that exactly service -
with 4 month of delays.
They heard of the Rape of Nanjing and have acted on such winds every few years,
and wanted to see if they can get away with this.
Knowing that they have more than 4 additional shipments of ours about to be picked up in Beaune,
or Champagne, or already en-route from Champagne - they thought “let’s hold the feet to the fire of this bunch”.

And you in your wisdom tell me - it is fine. Do you have any more logic to support your position than “the current environment makes it so”?

So much that I’ve witnessed in my life from the Current environment - leads me to question acts like this.
The shipping industry is known for exploiting and rippling off at the moment they can.

Are you the man who says, “hey, you’re getting raped, relax, spread your legs and enjoy it?”

I will tell all my clients who have an agreed price that you have advised me to tell them to accept the price increase
and screw our agreement. Gee, some of those sent out an offer to the public of a bottle of Champagne at $29.99,
based on their cost, do they tell their customers - its higher and you have to send in more money?

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A reefer container and a container of reefer are two very different things. Unless it is a reefer container of reefer in which case they are still different but not.

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I work in international trade.

Next question.

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Am I reading that the wine has arrived, you have the wine, and they are now asking for more money??? [rofl.gif]

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the wine has left the hands of the Boat portion,
and is now on a truck to drop of pallets in California and then a boat to Honolulu.

So - yes, now they have completed their job and looking back, said “hey, pay us more.”
who knows about the 4 other shipments?

We do not have any wine - yet - the California delivery is about 6 pallets
and may be delivered today. Do I expect him to pay higher than our quoted agreement?

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You were quoted. Is it in writing (ie contract). Is $1600 worth suing, no. Have an attorney write a nice letter (Ask FU). Remember if you have more goods with that party, they will ugh…

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Georgio Gori = DHL.
DHL just bought Hillebrand.

More consolidation in the industry.

There are all kinds of reasons for price increases at the moment.

Look at demurrage, storage, and detention, those are all penalties which are not part of a contract.

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I;'ve often wondered why are more whlsers and importers not interested in participating in this community.?

I’ve answered that myself as I find if I open myself up on a topic - that in spite of how many truly absolutely really
nice , helpful, thoughtful people are on the site, that discourse tends to be aggressive and generally drowned out by
people who are certain they know better than I what I should do.
And that is absent of particulars, there are always people who are certain they know the answer and better.

So I generally refrain from opening a discussion that invites that conclusion.

There are so many more layers to an issue as this, which I’ve no desire to air and discuss in this forum.

I’ve been importing since 1979 and shippers will not feel bound by a contract given any oppty.

So often the shipping industry behaves by the code as if they are ‘street thugs’.
Wg

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its an industry which screws the environment, their ports, their sailors, and even their own property (the ships), and sails under flags of convenience, avoiding paying the taxes other corporations wear. you’ve been dealing with these pirates for decades so none of these should be really new, no?

the problem is that in fast moving markets, quotes are just that. maybe if you had a binding bid or something like that, that would be different.

as David and others have noted, these are unusual times, so I don’t really think this is a case of them gouging you deliberately.

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It’s not “fine,” but it is practically unavoidable these days. We had a reefer container booked for Japan to the US at a certain price in February. At the last minute, we were told it wasn’t available and no other containers were available either. When we finally, three months later, were told a reefer was available, the price had risen x5. We hated it, but it’s not like we had any choice.

Shipping chain issues are no secret - they come up in big company earnings announcements, and are headlines in every major newspaper. Yes, it’s okay to be angry and upset at how it impacts each of us as importers or even just as consumers, but it isn’t just a matter of the industry behaving badly.

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Just helped a friend restock their seller and almost 100 bottles shipped from California to MN for around $220. I have not seen better shipping prices in over 20 years.

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So? These are strange times and this is happening to everybody.
Or as the song say: “Nice work if you can get it, and you can get it if you try” And try they are.