Do I need cargo insurance for apparel shipments, and who arranges it?

Yes - for anything beyond small samples, insure the cargo. Two reasons buyers underestimate it:

• Carrier liability is not insurance: sea carriers' liability limits are low and exclude many real loss scenarios, so a claim without policy cover often recovers a fraction of value.
• Cost is small: marine cargo insurance typically runs a fraction of one percent of cargo value - trivially cheap against the invoice it protects.

Who arranges it depends on the trade term:

• FOB: you insure, from the port of loading onward - your forwarder or broker can add it in one step.
• CIF: insurance is included in the price by definition - check the coverage level and extend it for high-value cargo.
• DDP: we carry it to your door.

Practical tips: insure for invoice value plus freight (CIF value plus an agreed percentage), photograph cartons and pallets at loading, and report visible damage to the carrier within the policy window - documentation at receiving decides claim outcomes.

See the buyer's guide to choosing a manufacturer for how logistics fits into supplier selection.