Silk Road

The Silk Road is a reminder that long supply chains rarely run on one carrier: goods moved in stages, traded and reloaded by many intermediaries along the way. Few merchants traveled the whole route; silk, spices, horses, and new crops passed from hand to hand between oasis towns and caravan stops. Each handoff added cost and risk, so the price at the end of the line reflected many markups. Importers see the same effect in landed cost, where freight, brokerage, duties, and handling fees stack on top of the factory price. The name was popularized by the geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877.

• Landed CostTotal cost to get a product ready to sell
• Freight ForwarderBooks and manages international shipments
• ConsolidatorCombines many shippers' parcels for lower rates

• Persian Royal Roadc. 500 BCE · A relay highway from Susa to Sardis under Darius I
• Phoenician Maritime Tradec. 1200–800 BCE · Sea traders from Tyre and Sidon found colonies abroad
• Indian Ocean Monsoon Trade1st century BCE to 15th century · Ships time voyages to the seasonal monsoon winds

1. Zhang Qian britannica.com
2. About the Silk Roads unesco.org
3. The Silk Road education.nationalgeographic.org