Industry Resources

Learn about IHA’s cost-saving programs, including the International Housewares Shippers Association, designed to help members grow their business!

Truck Capacity Creating Challenges for Importers

The shipping industry has been anything but normal the last five years. During this time period, U.S. importers have dealt with gridlock at the ports, bankrupt carriers, ransomware attacks, customer service failures and severe space shortages. The newest problem looming over the shipping industry is the lack of truck capacity. U.S. importers moving cargo from the ports to…

Ocean Contract Negotiations

Ocean contract negotiations covering cargo moving from Asia to the United States are nearing completion. The negotiation process has become very cumbersome for shippers due to the lack of communication provided by the carriers. A large part of the lack of communication can be blamed on the recent wave of acquisitions that have taken place in the containership industry. Fewer…

Optimize Shipping Advantages for Your Business

IHA continues successful partnership with International Housewares Shippers Association (IHSA). The International Housewares Shippers Association (IHSA) is the not-for-profit shippers’ association formed by IHA to lower supply chain costs for its members at the highest quality service levels. Through combined leverage of members, IHSA negotiates freight contracts with more…

IHA Member’s Wall Street Journal Op-Ed Discusses Inequality of Postal Rates

The unfair advantage of postal rates given to products mailed from China to the U.S. versus products mailed within the United States was the focus of a Feb. 7 Op-Ed article in The Wall Street Journal by Jayme Smaldone, founder and CEO of Mighty Mug. According to Smaldone, the U.S. Postal Service rate for a 1 lb. package mailed within the U.S. is $6.30. A Chinese company…

Truck Power Shortage

The U.S. market is facing a serious shortage of qualified truck drivers. The driver shortage is impacting the carriers’ ability to deliver containers in a timely manner. The shortage is so severe in some U.S. regions that some carriers are refusing to quote new cargo opportunities where door delivery is being requested. There are several factors that have contributed to the…

IHA Celebrates 80th Anniversary

Created for the purpose of providing a unified trade marketplace for the housewares industry, the International Housewares Association (IHA) celebrates 80 years of bringing manufacturers and buyers together in 2018. Since its incorporation on May 17, 1938, the Association has grown to become the voice of the housewares industry, providing opportunities and programs to assist…

2018 Global Powers of Retail Report Released

In the 2018 Global Powers of Retail Report, newly produced by Deloitte as a collaboration with STORES magazine, authors explore the transformative environment that is enabling consumers to shop however, wherever, whenever and for whatever they want. This disruption of traditional business models has resulted in significant change in retail markets, while delivering rapid growth…

Detention and Demurrage Charges

Shippers may finally have some recourse when it comes to detention and demurrage charges. Shippers have been complaining for years that detention and demurrage charges are being charged even when it is no fault of the shipper. For example, everyone remembers the 2014-15 West Coast congestion and the gridlocked that brought the ports to a standstill. Shippers did their part…

New Carrier Environment and Uncertainty Emerges for 2018

IHSA will begin ocean contract negotiations in February. Industry analysts have differing opinions on which side, shippers or carriers, will have the upper hand during the 2018 negotiations. There are some analysts that believe excess capacity will again be a major deterrent preventing carriers from securing any sustained rate increases during 2018. On the contrary, other…