Shipper or consignee, who will pay peak season surcharge (PSS)?

Question

i thought PSS is calculated into ocean freight and is a kind of ocean freight surcharge. who pays ocean freight is the one pay PSS. we export to customer and our customer pay ocean freight but they want us to pay PSS. but we think we are not supposed to pay. is there any international rule about that/

Answer 1

First of all all businesses that ship need to have an established agreement one way or another as to who pays shipping. If you have no agreement it will probably fall to the shipper or the shipment may not be accepted. That should be made clear but also, shipping companies need to be equally as clear as to the total cost from points A to B or they should be liable. I have refused shipped items that had fees attached and the shipper picks them up of had to pay return. I have no problem paying as long as I know first. Second, in the end it is the end consumer who pays, it is just a passed on cost that is held in trust as it were, and handed down later. This is another reason why things need to be bought and sold locally, the middle "man" and their "fees".