Case 1
Fixed price for air freight to middle east, no hidden fees ever. Aziz said he will only ship with DL from now on
Aziz had a batch of spices shipped via air freight to middle east last time. He found a freight forwarder online. He thought he knew well about the air shipping process and wanted to cut costs, so he chose a forwarder with a very low quote.
After his spices were delivered to the forwarder’s warehouse and shipped out, the forwarder told him the original price only covered the basic freight. Extra fees for customs clearance, unloading and local delivery were charged separately. If he refused to pay, the goods could not be delivered to the destination.
At that point, Aziz had no choice but to pay the extra money. He was very annoyed with the whole experience but had no other way out.
When he needed to ship goods again this time, the schedule was tight and he had to choose air freight to middle east. He found me online and shared his bad experience from last time. He asked if our actual service could fully keep every promise as posted online.
I told Aziz that DL is one of the top five providers for air freight to middle east. We never charge any hidden fees. All costs are listed in detail in the quotation sheet, and every term is clearly stated in the formal contract. We will never break any promise we make to customers.
After reading the contract, Aziz had no more worries and signed the contract soon. We immediately booked the shipping space. Once the goods arrived at our warehouse, we checked the packaging, weighed the cargo and arranged pallet loading.
I sent Aziz photos of the finished pallets, and he was fully satisfied. The goods were finally delivered smoothly to the designated address given by Aziz.
This shipment went perfectly without any extra charges, strictly following the fixed-price rule. Aziz highly praised the thoughtful service of Shenzhen DL Logistics and said he will only ship with DL for all future cargo arrangements.
Sincerity and integrity are our basic service principles. We always treat every customer with more care and responsibility than they expect.
Later, I talked with Aziz and told him the truth. Many freight forwarders attract customers with ultra-low prices first, then charge various hidden fees later. They only focus on one-time deals and never expect repeat orders.
There are endless cargo demands in the market, and many clients are only chasing low prices, so those dishonest forwarders never lack customers. In theair freight to middle east industry, there are always people who end up being tricked.
There are two types of freight forwarders in the industry.
The first type only does one-time business. They post tempting low-price advertisements every day and trick every customer they can. They still have a large customer base because many people only care about the lowest price.
The second type is like us. We take air freight to middle east as our lifelong career and stick to honest and steady business principles.
As one of the top five suppliers for air freight to middle east, DL Logistics has purchased 20 pallet spaces every week from two major airlines.
We own a priority channel for customs clearance at UAE airport. Our goods can pick up at the warehouse with priority arrangement. The local logistics team is on call until 2 a.m. every day. If goods are dispatched in the morning, they arrive at noon; if dispatched at noon, they arrive in the afternoon. We are truly worthy of being ranked among the top five.【learn about】
Case 2
Earn an Extra 40,000 RMB by Shipping 5 Tons of Air Freight to Middle East
Earn an extra 40,000 RMB by shipping 5 tons of air freight to Middle East. Do you know how they do it? Some customers tell freight forwarders that they want direct air shipping to door. However, some unethical forwarders switch it to connecting flights instead. Shipments from Shenzhen connect via Singapore to Dubai, then go through customs at the destination port and deliver to door.
When customers ask why their air freight hasn’t arrived in five or six days, these forwarders claim the goods are being inspected at the destination port.
They make fake inspection documents at the destination port and send them to customers, saying the inspection will cause another four or five days’ delay. Counting working days, the total time including shipping and fake inspection is almost the same as connecting flights via Singapore, leaving customers with no complaints. Direct flights cost 26 RMB per kg, while connecting flights cost 18 RMB per kg. For 5 tons of cargo, that’s a profit of 40,000 RMB.
When shipping cross-border air freight to Middle East, there are 4 common tricks used by freight forwarders. 90% of new sellers have fallen for these scams.
1. Bait and switch
Freight forwarders attract you with extremely low air freight rates. The market price for general cargo is 25 RMB, but they quote 18 RMB. They actually replace direct flights with connecting flights and blame flight delays when questioned.
2. Unauthorized mixed sensitive cargo
They accept general cargo at low prices, but secretly mix in electronic cigarettes, battery-powered or magnetic goods without permission. If your cargo is inspected, you may lose both your goods and payment.
3. Broken promises
They promise direct flights for your cargo, but mix direct and connecting flights together. When questioned, they claim a scanning error and say they will be more careful next time.
4. Unsafe mixed loading
They combine dangerous goods and consolidated cargo with only general cargo on the surface. Once inspected, shipments are delayed or the forwarder disappears.
Therefore, there are ways to find a reliable air freight to Middle East forwarder. Don’t only compare prices at the beginning. The air freight to Middle East market is already very mature, and operating costs among forwarders are similar. So price quotes usually do not differ by more than 5%. If someone offers 20-30% lower prices, there must be a catch.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t compare prices at all. Small differences still exist. Different forwarders have different channels and resources. Choosing the right one can still save you 5% on logistics costs.
How do you choose the right one? In the logistics industry, especially international logistics, you need to look at overall strength. Choose speed at the same price, choose reputation at the same speed, and check their warehouse if reputations are similar.
Small shell companies with only 3 or 4 people always talk about asset-light operations. They rent warehouses or even have no warehouses at all. They can handle small orders but fail completely with high-end clients. To excel at air freight to Middle East, a forwarder must have its own warehouse.
DL has a 20,000-square-meter foreign trade warehouse in Yantian, 6 stories high. Foreign clients often visit and speak highly of it.[learn more]
Case 3
What to Do if FOB Designated Freight Forwarder Charges Too Much?
Everyone knows that using a designated freight forwarder for FOB terms is expensive. Why? Because costs are shifted from the destination port to us. So what can we do when fees are too high? Do you just pay whatever the forwarder asks? You might worry they won’t release telex release if you don’t pay. But do we really have no choice?
Recently, Hassan shipped a batch of cargo to the Middle East. It was not a large shipment, only about 1 cubic meter, actually just 0.85 CBM. When the designated forwarder sent the fee list, Hassan was speechless. The charge was 1200 yuan. For less than 1 CBM of goods, they asked for 1200 yuan, and kept urging him to confirm quickly. It was already late when the forwarder sent the list, and the vessel would arrive at the port in about ten days.
Then Hassan directly emailed the forwarder, saying he could not accept the fees as they were ridiculously high. Right after that, he called them and said they charged the highest and most unreasonable fees he had ever seen. The two sides were in a deadlock for three or four days. Later, the forwarder contacted him voluntarily, saying other suppliers had already confirmed their fees and only his was left, since the container was shared by several companies. Finally, they negotiated the price down to 900 yuan. Hassan paid reluctantly, feeling he had been overcharged.
Therefore, whether you are sending goods by air freight to middle east or by sea, freight forwarders vary in quality. Most are small forwarders with only three to five people, who will overcharge whenever they get the chance.
In the past, people usually found forwarders through friends’ recommendations. But sometimes logistics conditions are strict in customers’ countries, such as Saudi Arabia, UAE and other countries in the Middle East. So we often search the country’s name plus “freight forwarder” on platforms, and many local forwarders will show up.
However, this is just a way to find forwarders. The communication process is very important. You need to tell the real from the fake, filter out shell companies and small unreliable forwarders, and find reliable and large-scale ones. You can directly feel their strength and professionalism during communication.
You can simply say you want to visit their company. If they hesitate and make excuses, they must be small forwarders. Usually they just rent a small office of around 20 square meters in an office building with only three or four staff members.
Those who confidently agree are usually reliable large forwarders. Take our company DL as an example. We now have nearly 100 employees and own the entire 8th floor of Block B, Rongde Times Square, Longgang District, Shenzhen. Our dedicated foreign trade warehouse in Yantian covers 20,000 square meters with 6 floors, and is managed in a standardized way. Foreign clients always praise us after visiting. We are among the top 5 companies for air freight to middle east. You can rest assured choosing forwarders like us, as we will never overcharge.【learn more】
|
