Telecommunications equipment
Client location: West Africa
Logistics mode: FCL, 20 ft GP
Service format: Custom scope
Service focus: Inland logistics and export assistance in China. Shipment-ready execution in China under the client’s instructions. Export coordination in China under the client’s instructions. Consolidated export from China. One container — one consignee. A single point of contact on the ground in China.
Intro
An internet service provider established in West Africa for nearly 20 years purchased equipment in China. The sourcing was their own. The manager found the supplier, set the deal up correctly, and made the prepayment. The supplier was real, the goods were real, and on paper everything was in order.
When the goods were ready to ship, the shipment stopped moving. Nine pallets of unified internet equipment sat in China, and the buyer had to resolve a China-side problem from across the ocean, in a different time zone. The agreements were in place — but what each side understood by those agreements turned out to be different.
Service scope
- Manage communication with the supplier and confirm shipment readiness
- Coordinate local logistics in China
- Book freight
- Arrange container loading
- Handle export processing in China under the client’s instructions
Outcome
Under the client’s clear instructions, I resolved the China-side issues, and the shipment moved. Nine pallets of unified internet equipment were loaded into a 20 ft container and shipped to destination. The client stayed in contact throughout — the coordination on their side was a real part of why the process worked.
Original BL issued to the client’s instruction — shipper named as requested.
FAQ
No. And this is not a rare situation. The point was not volume but what the equipment did. Those nine pallets closed specific tasks for the client’s operations. The order was for particular equipment in a particular quantity — not for filling a container. The equipment arrived, the task was done.
No. The client found the supplier and made the purchase themselves. My fee was invoiced separately, for the service.
Anton Gora
Independent sourcing and purchasing agent
Master’s degree in Sinology
In China since 2005
In China since 2005