Shipping 2009 Blog

Archive for the ‘Insurance’ Category

There are only two time boating insurance is a waste of money.

1) If you don’t own a boat.

2) If you don’t buy the right coverage for YOU and YOUR boat. There are a lot of different coverages that you can put on your boat; but, that doesn’t mean you need them ALL.

Everyone needs liability coverage on their boat. This is a very inexpensive coverage to get and it protects you from legal action if something happens and a court says it was your fault or your boat’s fault.

Property damage – well, this is up to you; unless, there is a loan on the boat and then the bank will normally require it. Use common sense and don’t insure an old boat that is not worth much. Like an old car, unless it is an special antique boat, the insurance company won’t pay you very much is anything happens and a minor accident will “total” your boat.

Uninsured/Underinsured boaters – this pays your medical bills, disability income, and if you die a death benefit; if someone hits you and they don’t have boating insurance or enough to cover the bills. This is up to you again. Do you already have health insurance, disability insurance, and life insurance? If you have all three of these already, adding it to your boating insurance is a waste of money.

Medical – this pays toward your medical bills and the medical expenses of any passengers you have with you IF you are at fault in a boating accident. If you have good health insurance and so does all of your passengers, this is also a waste of money. Why pay two insurance companies for the same coverage?

On water towing – handy to have unless you carry a load of cash with you when you go boating. This is inexpensive and a lot better than trying to explain to the tow boat owner why you don’t have $450 in cash in your pocket when you break down in the middle of a lake of on a river.

Personal Effects – this may be covered by your renters or homeowners insurance. Those policies normally cover a portion of your personal effects when they are outside of your home (traveling in a car or on a boat). Check and find out before you waste money duplicating the coverage.

Now that you have read this, go check your boating insurance policy and see if you are wasting money or not. If you have been, contact your insurance company and make a few changes. Just be sure you keep liability coverage on your boat; because, that is the ONE coverage that is NEVER a waste of money. That coverage lets you sleep well at night knowing that if the unexpected happens; the insurance company is the one “on the hook”, not you.

When shopping for boat insurance, you may be surprised to find that there are different types of boat insurance policies available. Many insurance companies will only offer one standard watercraft liability coverage policy, while others will offer optional coverage that you can purchase. In fact, if you have financed your boat, your lender may require you to carry specific optional coverage. There are several different types of coverage that you can add to your policy.

The standard insurance is the watercraft liability insurance coverage which is required by many states. This insurance will cover you in the event that damage is caused to another person or another person’s property by actions taken with your boat – whether it is during transport or on the water. Again, many states now require this liability coverage, and each state has its own requirements as to how much liability coverage you need to have. Check with your insurance agent to find out what you are required to have.

Watercraft medical payments coverage may also be required in your state. This coverage pays the medical expenses, up to a specific amount, for you and any occupant of your boat which results from a covered accident. Even if this insurance is not required, you should definitely consider it. Medical expenses are quite high. If you think that you cannot afford this coverage, think about whether or not you could afford the medical bills you will have in the event of an accident without the coverage.

Wreck removal and pollution coverage should also be strongly considered. By law, if your vessel is wrecked or sinks, you will be required to remove it. If oil or gas leaks into the lake, river, or ocean, you will be fined – just like the big oil companies are fined when they have spills in the ocean! These fines, as well as the wreckage removal and spill cleanup can be quite expensive without this coverage. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that something like this won’t happen to you!

You should insure yourself against uninsured watercrafts as well. This works just like uninsured motorist insurance when you purchase coverage for your automobiles. If someone who does not have insurance – or adequate coverage – collides with your boat on the water, your insurance will pay for the replacement of your boat, or for the needed repairs.

Towing and assistance coverage should also be strongly considered. Getting towed back to shore often costs more than having a car towed to a garage! Especially if you are out in the middle of the ocean! You should also ask about coverage to recover your boat and protect it from further damage after a mechanical failure or an accident. These costs do indeed add up. Again, don’t make the mistake of thinking that nothing bad will happen, and don’t make the mistake of thinking that you cannot afford the coverage. If you can’t afford the coverage, you certainly won’t be able to afford these expenses!

Most insurance policies should cover your boat, the motor, and the trailer used to transport the boat. Liability coverage isn’t the only type of coverage that you need in most cases. You should make sure that you protect your boat, just as you protect your automobiles with coverage that includes theft and vandalism, as well as losses caused by storms, fire, sinking, capsizing, stranding, collision, and even explosions. Talk with your insurance agent to find out what type of insurance is required by your state and what type of coverage they offer. Also talk with your boat dealer and lender to find out what type of coverage you are required to have as well.

CopyRight Ian D. Major 2005.

You’re excited. You have a great idea for a profitable online business. Maybe it is an original idea that has not been marketed online before. Maybe you have come up with a new spin on the ordinary. Whatever it is that has influenced you to start your online business, be sure that you have a plan before you begin. This is not the time to pick it up as you go. These are some basic things that should be included in your business plan.

The business summary should give a brief description of the entire business and is an integral part of the overall business plan. After you have completed the business summary you should begin to list the objectives or the goals that you want to accomplish through the business. Next and perhaps most importantly, you should develop your marketing plan. The marketing plan will address all the specifics of the business. When developing the marketing strategy you should consider the following:

The target market. The target market is the customers that you expect to see visiting your site. For example will your product be more appealing to college students or those who are in retirement?

Consider the competition for your product when determining the marketing strategy. Choose a product that will be seen as unique and useful. Visit sites that are offering the same or similar products. Find out the cost, and how they are marketing their product. Finds out the pros and cons of their business and try to improve your product based on their flaws.

Research the various methods for advertising online. You should become educated about search engines and how they work since each one is different. Also be sure that you know how to submit your site to search engines. You should be prepared to spend a small amount of money on advertising, but the profits that you will gain from the advertisements will prove to be money well spent.

Think about pricing. Again, look at the competition and see what similar products are selling for. Pricing can play a big role in the success of your product since selling a product well below the average price may lead customer to think that there is a problem with the product or that it is not of the best quality. However, pricing items too high could also deter customers.

Determine the shipping method. Be sure that you know how products will be shipped so that you can have shipping details clearly posted on your site. If you are shipping things of great value, you should consider providing shipping insurance. Also think about shipping outside the country that you live in.

Think about the different methods of payment that you will accept. If your business does not accept credit cards, you should be ready to give up half if not more of your sales. If you decide to accept credit cards will you use a merchant account or will you use a third party credit card processing center? Both will help you get started and the third party processing center will handle all of the business so you don’t have to. You should decide which you will use and also if you will accept checks or money orders. It is essential to have a secure server when taking credit cards.

These few things will help your online business to become a great success and also provide you with peace of mind knowing that you have thoroughly thought about and planned for the opening of your online business.

The water may be your element. You may find the sea quite stirring yet in here you find your own serenity. Yes, the mere sight of the vast sea may stir in you quite a number of various emotional responses. Not a few of people from all walks of life are motivated to build their dream houses near the beach where an overlooking view of the sea is possible. Of course, there are also those who truly enjoy riding on a boat. Some would even resort to buying and owning their own craft such as a yacht or motor boat. These sea vessels are not only bought and owned for the sole purpose of joyride or sea adventures but they are also employed for business reasons.

1. boat insurance – Just Like Car Insurance

It is wise to secure boat insurance for security reasons. You may never know what may happen to you and your boat’s occupants when it fares out into the vast sea. Cases of theft, salvage, and natural disasters are some of the problems you may be faced with and they can be truly irritating on one’s part. It may be a real challenge to be looking for the best boat insurance that will cover all of your needs and demands. Remember to be smart. Be inquisitive. Make the right choice with your boat insurance.

2. One Size Does Not Fit All

Each of the types of the sea vessels requires different boat insurance policies. It is best for you to conduct a thorough research before contacting any insurer. Go for the advice of friends and colleagues. Ask them which boat insurance provider will best satisfy you.

3. Know Your Insurer Well

Boat insurance can be procured from either an independent insurance agent or from a direct marine insurance specialist. The purchase of boat insurance from either of the two proves to be a good and wise move. It is necessary to be buying the boat insurance policy from none other than a reputable agent or provider in order to save yourself from the annoying possibilities of scam.

4. Use the Laymen’s Terms in All Business Affairs

Always listen well to the boat insurance agent. Treat the conversation as you would to a daily discourse. And if you come across some unfamiliar terms, ask for an explanation in the language you will best understand. It is important to know what your boat insurance policy will cover as well as those that will not be covered. If you see some loopholes, then be inquisitive.

5. Look Over Coverage Closely

It is best to secure that your boat insurance policy will work out to be not just fine, but it will be perfect to cater to all your claims. Essential coverage includes salvage recovery, accidental damage, fire, flood, and storm damage, theft, vandalism or malicious acts, liability cover, and most importantly, an easy access to a 24-hour helpline in case of emergency.

6. The Agreed Value versus the Actual Cash Value

These two are the choices in terms of the mode of payment on the boat insurance policy that a boater will want to avail. However, it is the depreciation that sets the difference between the two. For the Agreed Value Policy, the boater will have to pay more for the boat insurance. In the event of total loss, the insurer will not only pay you but will also replace most items with new ones. On the other hand, the Actual Cash Value costs less yet in the event of loss, the insurer will only be paying the actual cash amount that is at hand during the time of the property’s loss. This mode is best for clients who don’t really give a deal about total loss and for least expensive purchased boats.

7. The Salvage Truth

In case you have decided to stick with the Agreed Value boat insurance policy, then make sure that you do stay away from those that limit salvage coverage. Salvage coverage policy ensures the payment to the salvor for saving the boat from danger or by bringing it to a repair yard. You would want a handsome amount to fix the damages done to your property and surely enough you would not want some deductions from the agreed value just because some payments are to be made to the salvage costs. Definitely, this scheme of payment will leave your budget short for some of the repairs that you will need.

Importing antiques from Europe is not a difficult thing to understand or do provided that you have sufficient cash or credit.

There are two companies or persons you will deal with when importing, your shipper, and customs broker. Some shippers also have a customs brokerage service, so you may only do business with one company.

Your shipper will not only transport the items that you purchase from the merchant, they will pay the merchant from money you have placed in account with them, they will load the container packing each item carefully, work with the freight company that will transport the container from port to port, and also deal with the customs agents from the country of origin regarding the contents.

The customs broker takes care of the paperwork stateside. They are the ones that will declare the contents of the container to the US Customs officials and release the container to be shipped from the port to you. Ask your shipping company if the cost of shipping includes the cost of your customs broker.

For a full container, the procedure is greatly simplified than a partial container, or LTL (less than a full load). When a container is shipped, it is sealed in the country of origin, and will only be opened by the entity that is authorized to break the seal upon its arrival. It is possible that the US Customs official may want to open and inspect. But remember, that means unloading, which can be disastrous for antiques that have been carefully loaded. So it is to your best interest for that container to remain closed until you open the seal! Also, stands to reason that the more pieces or goods you have packed in a container, the less you will pay for shipping per piece.

The customs agent of the country of origin is present when the container is sealed, and things are done right, will be opened only by you, at the final destination. If you share a container with someone else, it greatly complicates the whole ordeal, both in cost, in logistics, insurance, and as far as US customs is concerned. If you are shipping LTL check with your shipper and customs broker to find out what additional hoops you may have to jump through. Be prepared to pay more for shipping. Insurance companies are very leery of LTL loads, because it requires more handling, and many things can happen to goods before they are delivered to you. When you negotiate the price of the shipping, be sure to specify what it includes: is it FOB or door to door?