Questions to Ask a Shipping Company Before You Pay

Ask these out loud, in this order, and write the answers on your receipt. A good company will not be offended — it hears them every day.

1. “What is the full total — your price, pickup, handling, everything on this side?”
2. “What will my family pay on the other side, in total, in their money?”
3. “Which day does the boat sail, and which port does it arrive at?”
4. “When should my family realistically expect to collect — not the best case, the normal case?”
5. “Will my receipt have a tracking number I can follow myself, without calling?”
6. “What do you refuse to carry? What happens to my barrel if customs finds a problem?”
7. “If something is lost or damaged, what exactly do you do — show me where that is written.”

The answers matter less than the manner. Dates, numbers and written terms are the sound of a real company. Vague comfort — “don't worry, we take care” — is the sound of a problem you have not met yet.