How Hard Is It to Find a Reliable Freight Forwarder!
Some friends on the platform shared their difficult experiences of finding a reliable freight forwarder:
I never thought the most troublesome part of doing cross-border business is finding a freight forwarder. I sent a batch of artworks and chose one that I had inspected in all aspects and seemed reliable. We even signed an agreement. But the goods hadn’t arrived after a month. Every time I asked the customer service, they gave all kinds of excuses. I lost several customers and was scolded by my boss so badly that I didn’t feel like eating!
It’s really true. If you look for a freight forwarder on the platform for air freight to middle east, just wait and see—every forwarder says they have low prices and short timelines. But why don’t customers believe them? That means customers know most of these promises can’t be kept. The example above is a perfect proof.
This makes it hard for powerful forwarders like us to be trusted even when we tell the truth that we can deliver on. There are 60,000 freight forwarders in Shenzhen, and thousands of them do air freight to middle east. All claim to be first-hand agents—no wonder customers don’t believe it. So the key to finding a reliable freight forwarder for air freight to middle east is to choose one that is powerful and can keep its promises. The forwarder in the friend’s story is a typical small one from urban villages. They first attract customers with ads, but can’t provide any direct services.
They rent domestic trucking services and don’t have their own warehouses. The rented warehouses are poorly managed—people come and go freely, goods are piled randomly without clear labels. When in a hurry, missing or mixed-up goods often happen. Our exclusive foreign trade warehouse is 6 stories high with strict personnel management. Anyone entering must wear a safety helmet and work clothes. There are clear rules on which paths are accessible and which are not. Outsiders can only enter with the guidance of internal employees. When goods arrive, we allocate areas based on the quantity and attach clear signs after storage. Key locations are monitored by cameras. If the shipment volume is large enough, you can apply for additional cameras to monitor your goods at any time.
Especially for the air freight link, small forwarders like the one mentioned above don’t have their own air cargo pallets at all. They only look for pallets on the market after getting orders. We, however, have bought out 20 pallets per week from 2 major airlines. This is a real financial investment—we have to pay even if there’s no goods to ship. This kind of strength is top-tier. There are not a few forwarders with our scale, so why don’t they dare to buy out so many pallets? The reason is simple: they don’t have enough shipment volume.
The advantage of having our own pallets is that we decide which goods to load. It’s not scary if the airline delays the shipment—what matters is whether we can come up with a backup plan in the shortest time. Small forwarders have to scramble to find pallets again, but we can quickly launch a backup plan without even affecting the timeline. This is the fundamental reason why I say only powerful forwarders like us can keep our promises.
So friends who need air freight to middle east must check carefully before choosing a forwarder. Anyone can make nice ads—you need to keep your eyes open and find one that can deliver on its promises, just like us.
DL Logistics is one of the top 5 companies for air freight to middle east. We have bought out 20 pallets per week from 2 major airlines. We have a priority channel for customs clearance at UAE air ports, allowing us to skip the line to pick up goods from the warehouse. The local logistics team answers the phone at 2 AM—if we deliver in the morning, the goods arrive at noon; if we deliver at noon, they arrive in the afternoon. We truly deserve to be one of the top 5.
DL’s air freight to middle east—everyone who uses it says it’s smooth.