tips for smooth customs clearance

6 Tips for Smooth Customs Clearance

Customs clearance is probably one of the most complex and intimidating aspects of global freight shipping. Small businesses must devote a lot of time and energy to make sure they get the process right if they are to avoid fines and delays. Whether you opt to use a broker or decide to go it alone, Read More

alcohol and tobacco clearance

Smart Directions is Now Offering Alcohol and Tobacco Customs Clearance

Now we offer alcohol and tobacco customs clearance, we thought it would be good to tell you a bit about these goods and the hoops you have to jump through when importing and exporting them. Alcohol and tobacco are excise goods. As such, UK excise duty is chargeable when imported into or produced in the Read More

what is a customs broker

How to Tell If You Need a Customs Broker

Does dealing with customs send a shiver down your spine? Just thinking about the paperwork involved is headache-inducing, so any opportunity to reduce the stress of importing is tempting. But is using a customs broker right for your business? Let’s take a look at what they do, and then you can make your mind up. What Read More

sustainable logistics

Making Your Logistics Practices Sustainable

Sustainability is today’s buzzword, but is sustainable logistics something that can be applied to the logistics industry? The answer is yes, it can. Sustainability is all about being green. The problem is many people associate green with extra costs. But it doesn’t have to mean that. Let’s face it; you’re not going to change your Read More

7 Reasons Why You Should Outsource to Smart Directions

We’re talented, good-looking, intelligent, well-presented, make a mean cup of tea… OK, so they’re probably not the reasons you were hoping to find, so let’s go back a step and look at why outsourcing logistics to a 3PL (third-party logistics provider) is such a good idea. As you can see from the title of this Read More