Freight and Fulfillment
Getting your finished games from the factory floor to your backers' doorsteps.
How board game freight works
An overview of the journey a board game takes from the factory in China to a warehouse near your customers, and who handles each leg.
What is a freight forwarder?
What freight forwarders do, why board game publishers use them, and how to choose one for your first shipment.
EXW vs. FOB vs. DDP
The three shipping terms every board game publisher must understand, and how each one changes what your manufacturer quote actually covers.
Ocean vs. air freight
When ocean freight is the right call, when air freight makes sense, and the real cost difference between them for board games.
Duties and tariffs
How import duties and tariffs apply to board games, what HS codes are, and how to budget for customs costs in each region.
Freight quotes
What information a freight quote needs, what the line items mean, and how to compare quotes from different forwarders.
Warehousing
Where your games live between the container and the customer, what warehousing costs, and how to avoid paying to store unsold inventory.
Fulfillment partners
What fulfillment companies do for board game publishers, how they charge, and how to choose one for your campaign or store.
Shipping Kickstarter rewards
How to plan, price, and execute backer fulfillment for a crowdfunded board game without losing money on shipping.
Regional fulfillment
Why board game campaigns ship from hubs in each major region, which regions matter, and how a split shipment works in practice.
VAT and international shipping
How value-added tax affects board game publishers shipping to Europe, the UK, and beyond, and the practical ways small publishers handle it.