5 Risky Tricks Some Freight Forwarders Use for Air Freight to UAE – Avoid These Pitfalls
When you ship by air freight to UAE, you must listen carefully to these 5 risky tricks some freight forwarders use. Don’t let yourself be the next victim.
1. Under-declaring value: declaring goods worth 10,000 as only 3,000, or even declaring them as samples or gifts with zero value.
2. False product description: declaring high-tax products as low-tax ones, such as passing off branded goods as unbranded items.
3. Using fake company documents: declaring shipments under another company’s name to leave no trace, or even using fake company information for customs clearance.
4. Grey customs clearance: using connections or unofficial benefits with customs, which is common in some parts of the Middle East.
5. No invoices or proper tax records: not asking for invoices from domestic suppliers to save 6% to 13% VAT, and receiving overseas payments through personal accounts instead of company accounts.
In fact, many foreign trade and freight forwarding companies have used these methods to export safely for years.
Even after the launch of Golden Tax Phase IV, 80% of companies still use old practices.
Golden Tax Phase III took 3 years to be fully implemented.
It is expected that by early 2026, the "four-in-one" data system emphasized by Golden Tax Phase IV will be fully in place.
Grey operations such as buying customs declarations and double clearance with tax included cannot escape the big data monitoring of Golden Tax Phase IV.
Serious violations will lead to credit downgrades and affect your export business.
The best long-term solution is for companies to operate legally and work with reliable, honest freight forwarders to avoid future risks.
Many freight forwarders make quick profits by taking these shortcuts.
There are about 60,000 freight forwarders in Shenzhen, but 90% of them close down within 3 years.
Besides internal problems, one main reason is seeking quick profits through risky operations.
If you walk by the river often, you will eventually get your shoes wet.
There are thousands of freight forwarders offering air freight to UAE in Shenzhen, with loud advertisements all claiming to be the best.
So how do you find a truly reliable one?
Here’s a simple way: no matter how nice they talk, visit their company to check size and number of employees, or have a video tour if you can’t go in person.
Risky forwarders are usually small teams of only 7 or 8 people.
Large, legitimate forwarders dare not and do not need to do these things.
Take DL Logistics as an example.
We have nearly 100 employees and own the entire 8th floor of Block B, Rongde Times Square, Longgang District, Shenzhen.
We once helped Huawei ship electronic products worth 40 million.
We still handle Huawei’s exhibition shipments because of our reliable service and on-time delivery.
We have a 20,000-square-meter professional foreign trade warehouse in Yantian Port with standardized management, ranking among the top 5% in Shenzhen.
Foreign clients are always impressed by our strong hardware strength.
Use this standard to choose your forwarder.
Only companies like this are truly trustworthy.
Many clients shipping by air freight to UAE negotiated prices with us at first.
We simply invited them to visit our company.
After the visit, they felt completely assured.
DL Logistics is among the top 5 providers for air freight to Middle East.
We have bought 20 fixed board positions weekly from two major airlines.
We have priority clearance channels at UAE airports, with priority pickup from warehouses.
Our local logistics team is available 2 AM for calls.
Deliveries sent in the morning arrive at noon; those sent at noon arrive in the afternoon.
We truly live up to being one of the top 5.
DL air freight to Middle East: everyone who uses it says it’s smooth and reliable.