What is Dock?
A dock is a location where goods are exported and imported. Primarily used as a place for loading and unloading, all the processes related to verifying and scrutinizing the imported goods are also carried out in a dock.
Significance of Dock in an E-commerce Shipping and Delivery
A dock is considered the first entry point into a foreign land for imported goods. As a result, it plays a crucial role in e-commerce shipping. Here are other benefits of a dock:
- Compliance and identification: Products are scrutinized in the dock to ensure that they comply with the laws and regulations in a particular country. Furthermore, one can identify missing consignments while unloading and verifying them through the shipping manifest. In case of a missing consignment, the seller gets a notification and they can take the required step.
- Cost reduction through cross-docking: In cross-docking, items are directly transferred from manufacturers to the shipping dock, skipping the step of being stored by the seller in between. Hence, cross-docking can negate the requirement of holding inventory, allowing the seller to save costs.
Prerequisites of Dock and How It Works
A dock is a location where goods can be loaded/unloaded, should have a product from exporting and importing as a prerequisite. The processes for import and export in a dock work as follows
- For import/unloading
- Unloading: Products are unloaded as per the listed dock.
- Verification: The containers are verified using a shipping manifest. The list of products is also checked to ensure they comply.
- For export/loaded:
- The boxes/containers are loaded onto the ship, and all the necessary labels, such as container number, seal number, and product list, are attached.
Use Case With Dock
A consignment of 100 clothing products was unloaded on a dock and cross-verified as per the shipping manifest. Hence, a dock can be used to unload consignments and verify their integrity or load shipments with proper care and documentation.