About Onur Akarca

Onur was born and raised in Turkey, where he got his Bachelors Degree in Business Administration. Onur worked as a Logistic Manager for a garment importing company for 10 years before joining MTS. He has been working in sales at MTS Logistics since February 2008. Having been on the other side as a logistics manager for a garment importing company helps him to understand what customers need from a logistics partner, especially for time sensitive cargoes like garment.
Fun Fact: Onur loves skiing and soccer!

Basic Modes of International Transportation

April 1, 2013 By Onur Akarca Leave a Comment

International transportation can be a complex mode of serious shipping or it can be a simple way of moving the cargo from point A to point B. In the end, transportation is to bring your product from one end to the other in the most cost efficient way and in a timely manner. Most companies prefer to deal with logistic companies who can offer combinations of shipping methods. As an importer, depending on your industry needs, you may require different methods of cargo transportation.

Dealing with a single logistic company who can offer ground, air and ocean transportation can save you money and provide additional value-added supply chain services.

What are the different modes of transportation and which service is more suitable for your business?

It is all depends how urgently you need your cargo or what is your buying volume.

AIR FREIGHT:
It is the fastest way to ship your cargo but it is costly. Air freight is your best option for time sensitive cargo. As an importer when you are in a rush to bring your cargo to its final destination, air freight is the fastest and most secure way. Using a 3-4 day transit time air carrier service is always less costly then direct air carriers. Ask your logistics partner to offer you several air cargo carrier options. Based on your need choosing a longer transit time air carrier option can save you money. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Global Trade, Shipping Trends, Supply Chain Planning, Uncategorized

How Much Duty do I Need to Pay for my Import Shipment?

October 22, 2012 By Onur Akarca Leave a Comment

All the imports in to the United states must be classified with the harmonized tariff of the country (HTS). The tariff schedule has 99 chapters under 22 sections each dealing with a specific item. In order to determine correct HTS number and duty rates, your supplier must complete a detailed description of the item. It might be difficult to classify your merchandise depending on the product you are importing.

Know your product before you start importing. If you are having difficulty classifying your product you can ask verbal advice from a commodity specialist or request a legal binding ruling. A legal binding ruling can be obtained at the National Commodity Specialist Division (NCSD) of the office of Regulations and Ruling. The binding ruling enables importers and other interested parties to get pre-entry classification decision. The ruling is usually issued within 30 days. The importer should forward the ruling to their customs broker to attach each entry. A ruling may be requested by any person who is an importer or exporter of merchandise.

Another way to determine correct classification is to check US customs ruling database. Customs Ruling Online Search System (CROSS) is a searchable data base of CBP ruling that can be retrieved based on a simple keyword. CROSS is often updated with most recent rulings and searching by a key word you might find a ruling similar to your product. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Global Trade, Regulations, Shipping Trends, Supply Chain Planning

Up in the Air and Still On Top of Business

August 13, 2012 By Onur Akarca Leave a Comment

Right now I am on a plane approximate 40,000 feet up in the air. I am connected to the internet. I am typing this article on the plane and will email it shortly to our editor-in-in-chief, and it will probably be be published before I land.

Up in the air I can check my emails, watch a movie or surf on the web. I am not a tech guy but I pretty much try to use technology to make my personal and business life easier. I don’t need to be in the office to manage my business. I have my blackberry, laptop and tablet to take care of my day to day work. I can even access files on my office computer using my tablet as a remote control. I can hardly remember the way of communicating before emails. I can not figure out how we managed doing business in the old days, especially international business. Nowadays everything is done via email, we hardly pick up the phone to discuss business these days. We have many Facebook friends, Linkedin connections and Twitter followers that we have never talked to or seen before. We have customers that we haven’t talked to in months yet exchange hundreds of emails everyday. [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Business

Payment Methods for International Purchasing

June 11, 2012 By Onur Akarca Leave a Comment

Paying for goods you are importing internationally is totally different than paying domestically. If you purchase domestically, the most common payment method is by check, credit card or wire transfer. Paying internationally might be more complicated because the importer is concerned they will loose their money and the seller is concerned they will not get paid for the product they are shipping. Each party must agree to a payment method before the order is placed.

Below I listed some of the most common payment terms when buying internationally;

1. Pre payment

Pre payment can be used only if you are buying FOB or Ex-Works. It is recommended only if you are buying small shipments. Basically the buyer pays for the goods in advance. There is a big risk for the buyer if the shipper does not send the goods after getting paid.

2- Wire transfer

This method of payment eliminates opening a letter of credit. The shipper and buyer must have a previous relationship since a degree of trust is involved. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Global Trade, Shipping Trends, Supply Chain Planning

Five Keys To Successful Importing

April 30, 2012 By Onur Akarca 1 Comment

You decided to start your own import business. Now what is the next step? How did other business owners become successful importers? According to the U.S. Department of Commerce only 4% of import companies are the big guys. The remaining 96% are small importers like you. Lets examine the five most essential keys to successful importing:

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Global Trade, Supply Chain Planning

10 Tips on How to Choose a Freight Forwarder

January 30, 2012 By Onur Akarca 6 Comments

As a new importer/exporter choosing the right logistics partner or changing your current logistics provider can be a tough decision.

I worked 10 years as a logistics manager for a very large garment importing company before I joined MTS Logistics. While I was working as a logistics manager I met with many forwarders who wanted to get my transportation business and now my job is quite the opposite. Being on both sides of the business gave me great knowledge in understanding what importers/exporters need from their logistics partner. I am going to tell you what I needed from my forwarders in the past and what ultimately made me decide which forwarder to work with. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Global Trade, Supply Chain Planning

Should I Buy CIF or FOB ?

November 14, 2011 By Onur Akarca 9 Comments

FOB and CIF are the two most popular price terms of the Inco terms. What are the differences? Should you buy CIF or FOB?

A good rule of thumb when doing business in international trade is that you should buy FOB and sell CIF. Why is this a good rule to follow? The reason is very obvious. When you sell CIF you can make a slightly higher profit and when you buy FOB you can save on costs. Let me explain how. [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Business, Global Trade, Supply Chain Planning

5 Guidelines For New US Importers

August 29, 2011 By Onur Akarca 1 Comment

You are thinking of going global and buying your products internationally. You met with an overseas supplier and decided on a couple of products to buy. What will be the next step in bringing your merchandise into the USA? Importing without researching can be very costly.

Here are 5 guidelines that will help you if you are new to global trade. [Read more...]