Fashion Shipping out of Jordan & Egypt to the US USA
Egypt and Jordan have always been the hubs of fashion / garment manufacturing in the MENA region. However, this potential hasn’t turned into a large-scale fashion shipping regime. Jordanian and Egyptian fashion manufacturers are importing their goods but not in proportion to the capability of the local manufacturing industry.
Many factors have hindered the growth of both these countries as global fashion exporters. But let’s not just get into this discussion. The good news is things are getting better. Egypt is slowly recovering on the economic front after years of sociopolitical turmoil. Similarly, the looming terror threats in the neighboring countries of Jordan have also been curbed.
On top of that, the administrations in both countries are quite serious about their fashion sectors. For instance, the Egyptian government has vowed to increase its apparel/garment exports four times in the next six years. On the other hand, Jordanian authorities have taken several measures to make their fashion industry better compliant with international standards.
In short, it is the best time for Egyptian and Jordanian fashion enterprises to start thinking about apparel shipping to the overseas market. There are many potential markets that Middle Eastern garment manufactures can choose as the target of their apparel and fashion shipping.
In this piece, we are going to discuss why Jordanian and Egyptian fashion exporters should target the United States as the destination of their fashion shipments.
US-China Trade/Tariff War Is Going to Help Small Players
The US and China, two of the world’s largest economies and de-facto superpowers, are up against each other. Both countries are engaged in severe trade skirmishes with each other via tariff manipulations. China is the biggest exporter of apparel and fashion items to the US. More than 70% of the US garment / fashion imports are shipped from China. This humungous share is definitely going to shrink shortly. The US will try its best to cut down on Chinese fashion imports by giving more opportunities to other Asian countries.
This situation offers a golden opportunity to Jordanian and Egyptian fashion manufacturers to build their capacity and reach out to US buyers. No other overseas market offers such a unique and lucrative fashion shipping prospect to the emerging fashion industry.
Low Manufacturing Expenses Increase the Chances of Success
So, why the US is persisting with China as its trading partner amid such strained economic relationships? The reason is pretty straightforward with a basic financial rationale, i.e., the low price of Chinese goods. The Chinese apparel manufacturers offer quality fashion at a low price, which wipes out all the European competition.
The low manufacturing costs are also the reason why a handful of Asian countries have managed to take a share in the US fashion imports. These countries can sell their importing goods at competitive prices without taking any hit on the profit.
Egypt and Jordan also have a working environment similar to other Asian fashion exporting countries. The labor is cheap, and utilities and other overhead expenses are quite reasonable in both countries. This means fashion enterprises from both these MENA countries can work on the same model and offer their fashion goods at a competitive price.
They just need to make sure that their fashion shipping complies with the US fashion importing standards. By offering the complete package of competitive prices, quality, and compliance, any non-Chinese fashion importer can get its slice of the pie in the US market.
Working in a Niche Will Pay off
Many small-scale fashion enterprises refrain from going big and overseas because they only make a single fashion item. It is important to understand that offering a single type of commodity is not a business weakness anymore. In fact, it has now become a strength. There are many cases where a niche-based business is churning more profits than an enterprise offering a wide range of products/services.
The same rule now also applies to fashion businesses. The overseas fashion markets prefer to work with the experts of a niche. For instance, a US wholesaler is more likely to buy Jeans from an enterprise that only deals in denim products.
Even if you are making and selling different apparel items, it would be better if you reach out to the US market with a single item. There are many benefits of having a niche-based approach for your fashion shipping.
- Your business can get better visibility in the brimming, saturated US market
- You can keep your operational costs low by restricting your fashion shipping to a single item
- You will eventually earn the reputation of a specialist for a particular garment item that you ship. This goodwill is going to come in useful when you extend your fashion shipping to other countries.
Exporting to the US Is Pretty Easy
Many fashion enterprises, especially in Jordan, don’t give any thought to shipping their goods to the US because of the prevailing misunderstanding of importing business. For instance, many enterprises think that they have to register their business in the United States to establish a garment supply-chain from Jordan. However, that’s not the case.
No Need to Have Any Official Footprint in the US for Fashion shipping
You don’t need to register your business or set up an office on the US soil as long as you are working with an experienced Importer of Record. By booking their services, you can deliver your fashion shipping to the US from Egyptian and Jordanian ports with the least hassle. From payment of relevant tariffs to dealing with the CBP officials, a seasoned IOR will take care of every importation step on your behalf.
Lots of Destination Options for Fashion shipping
The United States is the third-largest country by the land area and vastly surrounded by the sea from the three sides. For an overseas fashion supplier entering the US market, it is imperative to select the right destination port for its fashion shipping to keep the logistical costs in check.
If you are working with a seasoned Importer of Record, you can choose from plenty of destinations for both sea and air freight. For instance, you can book your apparel shipments for five different seaports located on all three coastlines of the US (east, west, and gulf). You can ship to these ports with the transit time of up to 21 days.
Moreover, you get to choose four different destinations for your air freight, as well. By using air freight, you can have your fashion shipping completely processed within 72 hours.
To sum it all up, shipping fashion / garment out of Jordan and Egypt to the US is not an insurmountable task even if you head a small to medium-scale garment enterprise, given that you are working with an Importer of Record that has enough experience of overseeing the imports to the US ports.
Fashion Shipping Services Are there to Help You
There is no doubt that apparel shipping has its peculiarities. You can’t just ship them by stuffing in a dry container without specified packaging. You don’t have to worry on that front either since some IORs are now also offering special fashion shipping services to the exporters based in Jordan and Egypt.
For instance, if you make leather jackets in Jordan and your US buyer insists on getting the entire consignment on hangers, then there is no need to panic and make excuses to risk your contract. Rope in the IOR/shipping service that offers Garment on Hanger (GOH) shipping from Jordan to the US.
These companies have dedicated dry containers designed to accommodate apparel on hangers. You can book your apparel shipping in these containers to comply with the quality standards needed by your US clientele.
Similarly, you can devise your apparel shipment in garment boxes for items that are packed flat. It is always better to use garment boxes for overseas fashion shipping even if it is not the requirement. It makes a good impression of your business that eventually translates into better retention rates in an overseas market.
Both Air and Sea Freight Are at Your Disposal for Fashion Shipping
As discussed in the earlier section, you can book both air and sea freight for your fashion shipments. Having this choice will come in handy in managing your consignments in line with deadlines and a client’s location. For instance, if your client is located in Chicago, then it would be better to use air freight because it will directly deliver the consignment to the location. Otherwise, you have to book both sea and land freight for the consignment. This won’t just raise the shipping cost but will also increase the transit time.
The above discussion suggests that the stage is all set for Egyptian and Jordanian fashion enterprises to scale their operations to the lucrative US market and if you would like to know what would be costs for fashion shipping and logistics, you can get your quote from our fashion experts in both Jordan and Egypt.
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