Cheap or Fast: Why You Can't Have Both in Global Shipping w/ Kaufman Logistics

Sammy and Elizabeth Kaufman run Kaufman Logistics, a freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and 3PL company handling the physical movement and compliance side of importing goods into the US. In this episode, Brian sits down with the husband and wife duo to break down an industry most business owners rely on constantly but rarely understand.

What we cover:

• What freight forwarding actually is, and how it differs from customs brokerage and 3PL (most companies think these are the same thing)
• Why nearly every shipment starts with the importer, not the manufacturer, and why control over the shipping process matters more than people realize
• The real tradeoff in logistics: you can have it cheap or fast, but not both, and how to figure out which one your business actually needs
• Why smaller and mid-sized buyers often get better treatment from a boutique freight forwarder than they would going direct to a large manufacturer
• The two things Sammy wishes every customer knew before calling: understanding your shipping terms, and calling before your goods are already on the water
• What a customs exam actually looks like, and why some shipments get flagged even when nothing is wrong (the granite from Italy story is a good one)
• Why cheap sourcing decisions early on (Alibaba, unclear suppliers) tend to get expensive fast once goods hit US customs
• The difference between a freight forwarder who just makes deals happen and one who holds every license in house, air, ocean, customs, and trucking

Notable line: "Cheap becomes expensive a lot of times." Sammy's grandfather's rule for supply chain decisions, and it shows up constantly in this conversation.

Want to learn more? Reach out to the Kaufman team at info@kaufmanlogistics.com