How to find a reliable freight forwarder? How to sound professional when talking to them?
If you have products and need a freight forwarder for air freight to middle east, and you just ask directly: "How much to send to air freight to UAE?" At this point, the forwarder will think you are not professional, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, and they might charge you more.
There are many bad forwarders out there. You ask for a direct flight for air freight to UAE, but they send your goods via Bangkok instead. Even worse, some dishonest forwarders might mix sensitive goods with your general cargo. Here are a few tips to help you avoid being cheated by forwarders.
When you ship, tell them if you are shipping to a overseas warehouse or to FBA. This is important. Many FBA shipments are consolidated onto pallets, and forwarders may give you a better price.
Second, tell the forwarder the specific address, the product material, whether it contains liquid, batteries, powder (sensitive goods) or is general cargo, and whether there is any anti-dumping regulation in the destination country. If none of these apply, there usually won't be extra charges.
Next, the route. You need to know which airline they use: EK, CA, CZ, TK, etc. Different airlines have different transit times and services, and of course different prices. Most importantly, find out if it's a direct flight to UAE or a connecting flight. Direct flight might cost $25 per kg, connecting flight $18 per kg. Some bad forwarders will put you on a connecting flight, then tell you customs is inspecting your goods in the destination country, delaying you for days while they quietly count your money.
You should also look for a few reputable forwarders in the market. Use the professional points I just mentioned – product, anti-dumping, material, extra charges, address – to talk with them. In recent years, many forwarders have gone bust. After comparing, because you sound professional, if the conversation goes well, some forwarders might even offer you credit terms. The longer you work with them, the better the credit terms they give.
Take our DL International Logistics as an example. We have firm blocks on 20 pallet positions per week from two major airlines. We are one of the top 5 in air freight to middle east – what you would call "a fairly well-known forwarder." But saying that might not impress you, because even a small forwarder with just 3 or 5 people in a village can shout louder with their ads. You can't really tell just from advertising – anyone can say nice things.
Let me give you a real example. What can you do? Simple: go visit their office in person. If you can't go, do a video tour. Many forwarders will find excuses to refuse: "I'm on a business trip," "I'm at a trade show," etc.
That's because their rented 200-square-foot office doesn't match the big claims in their ads. We have nearly 100 employees, and we fully own the entire 8th floor, Block B, Rongde Times Square, Longgang District – a Grade A office building. That's real proof of our strength. Many of our clients thought we were a shell company at first, but after visiting, they felt completely at ease.