There are 5 main factors that affect the cost of transportation of goods. They are

1. Mode of transportation
By far the mode of transportation is the biggest factor affecting the cost of container shipping. Sea freight (by ship) is the cheapest mode, followed by land freight (usually by truck, sometimes by train), and air freight (by airplane) is the most expensive mode.

In most cases, air freight is too costly, so you will most likely be shipping by sea and/or land, depending on where you are shipping to.

2. Departure and arrival destination
This is the next most important factor. Distance is important, but even more important is the volume of traffic (in both directions) on a given route. In general, the higher the volume, the lower the price, especially if there is a mismatch in volume between the origin and destination ports.

The prime example is the transportation of any item to China, which is usually very cheap. This is due to the large volume of goods exported from China, which requires a large number of transportation means. Container ships . However, these ships are usually not able to fill up with return cargo, hence the favorable prices. In fact, container shipping rates to China are usually among the lowest in the world.

3.Shipping Volume/Weight
In general, the larger the shipment, the more expensive it is. For most containerized shipments, volume, not weight, is the most important factor. A large shipment requires a 40-foot container, while a small shipment may only require a smaller 20-foot container. (See below for more information on the difference in size between the two)

Weight only really plays an important role in air transportation. It is charged primarily on the basis of weight, not volume. However, in most cases, air freight is not suitable for full shipments, but can be used to transport some critical items.

4. Relocation Distance
As mentioned above, the departure and arrival points of a move are one of the biggest factors affecting the cost. Related to this is the distance of the move itself. Generally speaking, moves that are closer are cheaper than moves that are farther away.

Nonetheless, trade volume or distance is more important. For example, it is usually much cheaper to ship a container from the UK to the US than it is to ship it from the UK to Canada, even if the distances involved are roughly the same, simply because the volume of trade is high and there are more ships going to the US than there are to Canada.

5. year
Time of year also affects transportation costs. Globally, the peak summer season is the most expensive time for shipping, so it's best to avoid it if possible.