Name the person authorised to receive it
Use a person or business that understands what is being sent and is authorised to deal with local communication. Check the spelling of the name and make sure you have permission to share their details.
- Add the correct international phone code and number.
- Provide an email address the receiver checks.
- Name a second contact only when they are also authorised.
Make the destination easy to understand
Give the destination island or territory, town or parish and the receiving location available at this stage. Mention gates, narrow roads, opening hours or another access issue that may matter later, without assuming delivery is included.
- Separate a receiving address from a port or depot reference.
- Explain who controls access to the location.
- Mark incomplete address details for later confirmation.
Share a recognisable shipment summary
The receiver should be able to recognise the shipment from a short, accurate description. Include the sender's name, package or vehicle type, quantity and identifying marks where useful.
- Keep different package groups clear.
- Mention visible damage already recorded on a vehicle or package.
- Do not place passports, payment cards or original identity documents inside the cargo.
Choose who can receive local instructions
Agree who will answer destination questions and who may collect or receive the shipment if that becomes the confirmed arrangement. A named contact does not itself confirm authority, release or collection.
When the quotation names an arrangement for the destination, check it. If port collection or home delivery is confirmed, our established agents at Caribbean destinations can assist with paperwork. They can also collect goods at the port and deliver to the home when that is the agreed scope. Tell your receiver only what the team has confirmed.
- Keep one primary contact for clear communication.
- Tell the team if a representative may be involved.
- Tell the receiver which arrangement has been confirmed, not the one you hope for.
- Wait for the checked process before arranging travel.
Keep estimates separate from instructions
An estimated arrival is not a collection or delivery instruction. The receiver should wait for confirmed local information and ask when anything is unclear, particularly before travelling or paying a third party.
An example journey by sea has several parts: preparing and collecting the goods; the sea journey; arrival checks; and port collection or home delivery, as agreed.
This is an illustration, with no dates or promised times. An estimate for the sea journey covers that part only. Ask where the estimate starts and ends; it does not say when the goods will be ready for collection or reach your home.
- Check who issued a payment request.
- Do not rely on an estimate to book travel.
- Use the confirmed contact route for questions.
Leave room for route-specific checks
Local documents, eligibility, customs steps, charges and handover arrangements depend on the cargo, destination and direction of travel. The first enquiry records useful starting details; it does not decide those outcomes.
- Keep later instructions together once received.
- Ask which documents apply before supplying copies.
- Do not send bank details, card details, passwords or identity-document copies through the initial enquiry.