For 282 editions, The Merchant has been decoding global freight. From now on your questions set the agenda too: one reader question per edition, with the figures and the sources.
One question per submission. The sharper it is, the more useful the answer.
The editorial team reads it this week. If it makes the cut, you'll find it answered in an upcoming edition — which you'll now receive every week.
No black box — here is exactly what happens after you hit send.
A question from the field: a lane, a rate, a surcharge, a regulatory deadline. Whatever is blocking your week.
We pull the data — Drewry, Freightos, WorldACD, carrier-published surcharges — and put it back into business context.
The answer ships in an upcoming edition, credited as a reader question. Every subscriber benefits.
Shipper questions, each anchored to a topic covered in a recent edition.
Rates are finally falling — do I sign my contract now or wait?
After ten straight increases, the Drewry index dropped 4% in a week, across every major lane at once. (Edition 282)
The US changed its tariff regime again. Are my products affected?
Since 24 July, 60 economies are targeted: 10% for 17 countries, 12.5% for the rest, 37.5% cumulative for China. (Edition 282)
My forwarder announces a surcharge every other week. Is that the market or is it me?
Carriers have lined up general rate increases every fortnight for the whole peak season. (Edition 277)
Is it worth shifting part of my volumes to air?
+276% air freight volumes in a year in Taiwan, and a rush on widebodies that is already saturating capacity. (Editions 277 and 281)
The end of de minimis — what does it actually change for my e-commerce shipments?
The threshold that exempted small parcels is gone: every shipment goes back through a customs declaration. (Editions 277 and 279)
My containers have been waiting at anchor for weeks. Can I do anything?
3.4 million TEU stuck in port queues in Asia and Europe, the worst congestion since 2022. (Editions 279 and 282)
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