Freight / Shipping

Freight & Shipping excert clause taken from our legal page

2. Shipping & Transit Protection Policy

The “Ex Works” (EXW) Standard

All orders processed by Marine Trade Supplies are shipped on an “Ex Our Warehouse” (Ex Works) basis. Legally, this means the transfer of responsibility occurs the moment the goods leave our possession—specifically, when they are loaded onto the carrier’s vehicle at our Coomera warehouse.

Unless a specific Transit Insurance line item appears on your Tax Invoice, you are solely responsible for the goods during transit. We strongly recommend that customers maintain their own insurance policy for shipments where our internal protection is not applied.

Mandatory Transit Protection & Handling Fee

Due to the specialized nature of our inventory, we implement a mandatory Transit Protection & Handling Fee for the following categories:

• Class 3 Dangerous Goods (DG): Including paints, resins, and antifoul.

• High-Value Shipments: Any non-DG equipment with a value exceeding $2,000.

How to confirm your coverage: Please check your Tax Invoice. If a line item for “Transit Insurance” is present, your shipment is covered by our policy. If this charge is not present and you would like the peace of mind of transit protection, you must contact our staff to have the charge applied prior to the goods being dispatched.

Why This Policy is Necessary

It is a critical “hard truth” of the Australian freight industry that national carriers—including our primary carrier, Team Global Express—do not offer insurance for:

1. Any Dangerous Goods (DG) shipments.

2. Any Non-DG shipments valued over $5,000 (against damage, loss, or theft).

Without our specialized Marine Cargo insurance policy, customers would be left entirely out of pocket in the event of a carrier accident, fire, or loss. Our fee ensures that these high-risk/high-value items are fully protected while in the carrier’s network. We sometimes charge the Insurance fee at our discression to ensure 100% customer satisfation in the event of high value goods or shipments we deem a bit of a risk of damage. We truly want a positive outcome for you, our customer.

Important Conditions & Claims

• 24-Hour Reporting Window: If your goods arrive damaged, you must notify us within 24 hours of delivery. You are required to provide photographic evidence of the external packaging and the internal damage. Claims made outside this 24-hour window will be rejected by our insurers.

• Authority to Leave (ATL): If you request an unattended delivery (“Authority to Leave”), all transit insurance is voided. You accept 100% of the risk for any loss, theft, or damage that occurs after the courier drops the package.

• Signature Required: We highly recommend all deliveries be signed for to maintain insurance integrity.

3. Shipping Logistics & Realities

Address Requirements

• Business Addresses Only: We strongly prefer shipping to manned commercial business addresses. This ensures a signature is obtained and avoids the “re-delivery fees” that couriers frequently charge for residential missed deliveries.

• Residential & PO Box Restrictions: We cannot ship Class 3 Dangerous Goods (Antifoul, etc.) or heavy items (such as bulk Anchor Chain) to PO Boxes.

• Order Cancellations: Be aware that residential orders for DG or heavy chain will likely be cancelled by our team. To ensure your order proceeds, please provide a workplace address where a forklift or person is available to receive the goods.

Freight Pricing & Regional Delays

• Automated Quotes: Online freight quotes are estimates only. The Australian freight network is complex, and automated “web bots” occasionally fail to calculate the true cost of oversized or DG specialized freight. If the actual cost is significantly higher than the estimate, we will contact you to pay the difference or offer a full refund prior to shipping.

• Regional Realities: If you live in regional areas such as Yeppoon, Gladstone, or Mackay, please plan for delays. These locations are often serviced by third-party local contractors for the “last leg” of the journey. This can add 1 to 2 weeks to the transit time.

• Our Advice: If your project is time-sensitive and you are located in a regional area, we strongly suggest allowing at least 3 weeks for delivery or purchasing locally where possible. We share your frustration with carrier delays, but once the goods leave our warehouse, they are in the hands of third-party logistics providers.