Shipping goods to Nigeria by sea from the United States can leave a big hole in your pocket.
Analysis on overseas cargo and freight costs by MoverDB, an online resource for international shipping, shows that the cost of shipping both 20-foot and 40-foot containers to Lagos ports from New York is the most expensive globally. The report covers the shipping costs from New York and Los Angeles to 47 port cities globally.
The high costs of shipping to Nigeria do not correlate with distance. For instance, shipping from New York to Nigeria is nearly double the cost of shipping to South Africa even though Nigeria is closer, by nautical miles, to New York compared to South Africa.
Below is MoverDB’s shipping price report.
| Port city | 20-foot container (from New York) | 40-foot container (from New York) |
|---|---|---|
| Zayed (United Arab Emirates) | $1,723 | $2,572 |
| Haifa (Israel) | 1729 | 2581 |
| Montevideo (Uruguay) | 1816 | 2711 |
| Beirut (Lebanon) | 1943 | 2900 |
| Buenos Aires (Argentina) | 1993 | 2975 |
| Cape Town (South Africa) | 2542 | 3795 |
| Auckland (New Zealand) | 2645 | 3949 |
| Sydney (Australia) | 2797 | 4175 |
| Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) | 3086 | 4606 |
| Apapa, Lagos (Nigeria) | 4982 | 7436 |
My question now is, why go through the stress of importing clothes, shoes, bags, etc from the US and pay such huge amounts of money to take the same goods from the port to your house?
The Nigerian manufacturing industry is thriving and Nigerians are creating unique high quality clothes, shoes, accessories, home furniture and so much more! The best part is, the cost of delivery of these items is very pocket friendly.
I believe that if we all focus inwards, rather than look outwards, we will grow stronger than we already are, our industries will thrive, and most of all, our people will be richer!
I am challenging you to support an Afrocentric brand today. Come to think of it, depending on where you are in Nigeria, delivery costs may be about three thousand Naira only (₦3,000) compare that to the cost of importing a US manufactured product.
If you need to find quality, unique, creative Afrocentric products, visit our website on www.bellafricana.com or check us out on Instagram @bell_africana
You can also find out about walk in stores around you, where you can find these amazing products here.