Freight forwarding services
Freight Forwarding Australia: One Partner from Supplier to Your Door
We arrange, document, clear and deliver international cargo for Australian importers and exporters. Sea and air, FCL and LCL, customs and biosecurity, and the transport leg at both ends.
In short
Freight forwarding is the booking, routing and movement of your cargo across borders. At Moving Solutions International that means booking the sea or air freight, coordinating carriers and terminals, preparing and checking the documentation, coordinating customs clearance and biosecurity requirements where they apply, and arranging final delivery — with one coordinator accountable from your supplier to your loading dock.
This page covers the freight-forwarding service itself: how a shipment is booked and coordinated, what sits behind each line on the invoice, and what we need from you and your supplier to quote accurately. If you ship regularly and want the whole program managed rather than shipment by shipment, that is international logistics management, and it works differently.
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What a freight forwarder does
What you are actually buying when you hire a freight forwarder
A freight forwarder does not own the ship or the aircraft. What we own is the plan — and the responsibility for making it work. We contract space with carriers, coordinate the parties at both ends of the journey, produce and lodge the paperwork that keeps cargo legal, and step in when something goes wrong. For most importers, the value is not a marginally cheaper ocean rate. It is not having to learn tariff classification, biosecurity conditions, terminal booking systems and demurrage clocks in order to get stock on a shelf.
Moving Solutions International handles that end to end. We are the point of contact for your supplier, the carrier, the terminal, the Australian Border Force and the transport operator, and we report back to one person: you.
The functions we take off your plate
- Rate and space procurement — negotiated ocean and air rates, with realistic capacity advice in peak season rather than a rate you cannot actually book.
- Supplier and origin coordination — cargo-ready follow-up, collection, consolidation, export clearance and container loading supervision where required.
- Documentation — bills of lading, air waybills, commercial invoices, packing lists, certificates of origin, fumigation and treatment certificates, dangerous goods declarations.
- Customs brokerage — tariff classification, valuation, free trade agreement concessions, import declarations lodged with the Australian Border Force.
- Biosecurity — assessing commodity and packaging risk, arranging inspections, treatment or fumigation before it becomes a delay.
- Australian transport — wharf and airport collection, container unpack, delivery to metro, regional or remote sites.
- Exception management — vessel roll-overs, short-shipments, damaged cartons, held containers, revised ETAs and the phone calls that follow.
Choose your service
Freight forwarding services we deliver
Sea Freight
FCL and LCL ocean freight on every major trade lane into and out of Australia, with wharf-to-door transport included.
Air Freight
Consolidated, direct and express air cargo when the delivery date matters more than the freight rate.
Customs Clearance
Import and export declarations, classification, duty and GST, FTA concessions and biosecurity, handled in-house.
FCL Shipping
20ft, 40ft, high-cube, flat rack and reefer full container loads, including container loading advice.
LCL Shipping
Shared-container consolidation for pallets and part loads, with weekly departures on the main lanes.
Door-to-Door Freight
One price, one contact and one invoice covering the entire journey from supplier to your loading dock.
Project Cargo
Breakbulk, heavy lift, RORO and multi-modal moves for capital equipment and construction programs.
Oversized Freight
Out-of-gauge and over-dimensional cargo, flat racks, open tops, permits and escorted transport.
Warehousing
Container devanning, storage, pick and pack, and distribution from Australian warehousing.
Supply Chain
Purchase-order management, multi-supplier consolidation, freight spend reporting and lane optimisation.
Importing from China
The busiest lane into Australia, with ChAFTA concessions, supplier follow-up and consolidation options.
Exporting from Australia
Export declarations, certificates of origin and buyer-side coordination for Australian exporters.
Modes and lanes
Where we move freight
Australia is an import-heavy, long-haul market. Almost every lane involves a long ocean leg, a congested port, and a biosecurity regime that is among the strictest in the world. Those three facts shape every recommendation we make.
| Lane | Common modes | What to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| China and North Asia | FCL, LCL, air | Chinese New Year and Golden Week shutdowns, cargo-ready slippage, timber packaging treatment. |
| South East Asia | FCL, LCL, air | Shorter transits but tighter LCL consolidation windows; strong FTA coverage under AANZFTA. |
| Europe and the UK | FCL, LCL, air | Longer transits of five to seven weeks; transhipment risk; higher documentation standards. |
| United States and Canada | FCL, LCL, air | West coast versus east coast routing changes transit significantly; AUSFTA origin documentation. |
| India, Middle East | FCL, LCL, air | Careful attention to packaging, fumigation and container cleanliness. |
| New Zealand and Pacific | FCL, LCL, air, coastal | Short transits, frequent sailings, strict biosecurity in both directions. |
| Australian exports | FCL, LCL, air | Export declarations, certificates of origin, and buyer-side clearance coordination. |
Working with us
How a first shipment usually goes
A twenty minute conversation
We ask what you are buying, from whom, on what terms and when you need it. Often we spot a saving or a risk in this call alone.
A written landed-cost quote
Itemised, with the Incoterm and validity stated, and options where options exist. See our quote page for exactly what is included.
Booking and supplier handover
You introduce us to your supplier. From that point we chase cargo-ready dates and documents so you do not have to.
Pre-arrival preparation
We prepare the customs entry before the vessel berths, so clearance is not the thing holding up your container.
Delivery and debrief
Cargo delivered, invoice reconciled to quote, and a short debrief on anything worth changing for shipment two.
FAQ
Freight forwarding questions
What is the difference between a freight forwarder and a customs broker?
A freight forwarder arranges the movement of the cargo. A customs broker prepares and lodges the customs declaration and advises on classification, duty and concessions. Many importers use two companies for these roles. We do both, which removes the handover point where information most often gets lost. Read more on our customs clearance page.
Do I need a freight forwarder if my supplier arranges shipping?
If your supplier sells CIF or CFR, they will nominate their own forwarder and you will still need someone in Australia to clear and deliver the cargo. That is usually the point where surprise destination charges appear. Buying on FOB and appointing your own forwarder normally gives you a lower total cost and far better visibility.
How much do freight forwarding services cost?
Freight forwarders earn margin on the freight itself and charge documented fees for customs entry, documentation and handling. On a typical container import these service fees are a small fraction of the landed cost, and a competent forwarder usually saves more than they charge by avoiding demurrage, misclassification and re-delivery. We show our fees as separate line items so you can see exactly what you are paying for.
Can you handle just one pallet?
Yes. LCL shipping exists precisely for that. We regularly move single pallets and even single cartons by air for clients who later grow into container programs.
Which Australian ports do you work through?
All the major commercial ports, including the Port of Brisbane, Port Botany, Melbourne, Fremantle, Adelaide and Darwin, plus air gateways in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Delivery is arranged Australia-wide.
Do you provide cargo insurance?
We can arrange marine cargo insurance. It is worth understanding that carrier liability under international conventions is limited by weight, not value, so an uninsured loss is usually paid out at a fraction of what your goods are worth.
Read next
Explore the full service
Related guides and services covering the questions importers and exporters usually ask next.
- Commercial imports — the complete inbound program
- China to Australia freight forwarding — full container loads for businesses importing from China
- Commercial exports — the complete outbound program
- Container shipping — FCL and LCL compared honestly
- Trade routes — lane-by-lane guides for Australia’s major markets
- Industries we serve — mining, construction, manufacturing, government, retail and medical
- Case studies — worked examples of how we approach real freight problems
Let us look at your next shipment
Send us the cargo details or call and talk it through. Either way you will get an honest read on cost, timing and risk.
Freight forwarding in Brisbane
Our operations are based in Brisbane, and a large share of the freight we handle moves through the Port of Brisbane and Brisbane Airport. If you are importing or exporting from South East Queensland, these pages cover the local detail.
Freight Forwarder Brisbane
Sea, air, customs and delivery for Brisbane importers and exporters, with local terminal and biosecurity knowledge.
International Shipping Brisbane
Business and personal international shipping to and from Brisbane, by sea or by air.
Customs Broker Brisbane
Import declarations, duty, GST, FTA claims and biosecurity handled locally.