The American idea seems to be to put as much as possible in a large, thin box or a poorly bound bale. The European, whose agents study conditions on the ground, knows that much interior transportation in Latin America is packed by pack mule, and therefore uses medium-sized oblong boxes, two of which make a good load.
I cannot emphasize too strongly the necessity for careful description of goods to pass them through a custom house with the least inconvenience. Mixed consignments must pay the highest duty assessed against anything found in a lump or poorly described quantity. If you deal in bolts, for instance, you may not merely say 1,000, 3×2×⅜ bolts, but you should say whether they are cotton, linen, or woolen. They have to know, before they can assess duty.
Instead of a ringing peroration about American pluck, progressiveness, and other non-essentials, let me give you some shipping rules, if you are going to have a try for South American trade.
Secure shipping list forms beforehand and find out if consular invoices are needed.
Pack your goods in small packages, for you will pay freight on metric tons and they are based on cubic measure and not on weight.
Pack well, for tons of stuff will probably lie on your cases.
Give each package a serial number and describe it by that number, on the shipping forms.
If your goods can be damaged by sea water, use tin-lined cases.
Your invoices should show not only number, measurement, and exact contents of each package, but their gross, tare, and net weight, for in many cases the container must pay the same duty as the contents.