Case 1
The Freight Forwarding Industry Has Hidden Traps: 3 Ways to Spot Resellers
Why is your freight forwarder for air freight to middle east always more expensive than others?
The answer is simple. You are working with a reseller.
This industry has many hidden traps. Many customers cannot tell the difference between direct forwarders and resellers, and end up paying extra margins to middlemen.
Many clients ask me: They know working with direct forwarders can save costs, but they have no idea how to tell real suppliers apart from multi-layer resellers.
The freight industry is indeed complicated.
If you cooperate with a reseller, you will face overcharged prices.
They also fail to offer stable service at critical times and always make excuses to avoid responsibilities.
With my 20 years of experience in air freight to middle east business, I will share easy tips to help you identify resellers quickly.
1. Check the company name on the formal contract
When signing a cooperation contract, please check the stamped company name of the service provider carefully.
Confirm whether the company that sends you quotes, signs contracts, issues bills of lading and provides freight invoices is the same one.
If the names do not match, or the partner refuses to sign with their official company information, they are most likely resellers.
2. Check the control of core logistics resources
You can ask direct and key questions directly.
For example, which airline will arrange the shipment of this air freight to middle east cargo? What is the booking number?
Do you own the container space or book prices from peer forwarders?
Which customs clearance agent do you work with at the destination port?
Is your overseas warehouse self-operated or under long-term deep cooperation?
Genuine direct forwarders know all these core details clearly and can give clear answers and valid proof at once.
Resellers always give vague replies. They need to ask their upper suppliers for every single detail and cannot reply in time.
We have strong confidence in this part.
Take DL as an example.
We purchase 20 fixed container spaces every week from two major airlines all year round.
It means we have stable and exclusive space on daily flights for air freight to UAE.
Even in peak shipping seasons with full cargo space, our reserved space will not be affected, because we have locked these resources in advance.
Resellers can only book space on demand. When space is tight, the limited space they get usually goes through several resale layers.
3. Judge inquiry response speed and information transparency
Send a complex inquiry, such as special goods with tight delivery time and multi-port delivery needs.
Relying on self-owned channels and stable resources, direct forwarders can reply fast with competitive logistics solutions and clear explanations.
Resellers always reply slowly with repeated confirmation from multiple layers.
Their quotes have huge price bubbles, and they cannot answer professional details when you ask further questions.
The core advantage of direct freight forwarders is controlling key links of the whole transportation chain.
We keep all information open and clear, with clear responsibility division and reliable after-sales service.
Resellers only profit from information gaps.
A longer service chain will bring higher shipping risks and service uncertainties.
You do not need to only trust my words.
You are welcome to visit our company for an on-site inspection.
You will fully understand our strength and have stable cooperation with us.{learn more}
Case 2
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.{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}
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