Find Local Freight Forwarders in China
If you want to import some products from China, one of the main points to take into consideration is how to deal with your product freight. Even if you apply CIF terms, to avoid your loss and make maximum profit, you’d better know how to deal with shipping by yourself.
Contents
Steps
- Decide whether you want to find a forwarder in your country or find a local forwarder in China.
- Obviously, finding a forwarder in your country is much easier, but the service charge in developed countries is much higher than in China.
- The lower labor cost, lower exchange rate, and other factors, make Chinese forwarders’ service charge much cheaper.
- There are many Chinese freight forwarders, but only some of them are large, reliable and able to offer high quality service.
- Be aware that most international freight forwarders with operations in China will use a local Chinese logistics or freight forwarding company because of their lower costs and local knowledge. This means that you can contract with an international freight forwarding company that you trust, and they in turn will contract with a local firm to provide the service you require in China.
- Post a topic on an international business website or send quotation inquiries to listed forwarders.
- You will definitely receive inquiries from many forwarders and logistic companies.
- Carefully evaluate those forwarders.
- Get in touch with the forwarders you have chosen.
Tips
- “Sea and Air” freight: combined freight solution
- Finally, don’t forget to plan quality control of your goods before shipping: it’s the last time you will be able to refuse the merchandise. Remember to notify your manufacturer or forwarder about the inspection. Tell them when it will take place and who will carry it out.
- Air freight is more expensive but faster.
- Check origin and destination addresses of your shipment: most of freight forwarders will give you quotes for a region but not necessarily for a specific city.
- If you are not fluent in English, have someone who is look over the documents, to make sure that you are not misled by terms and conditions proposed by freight forwarders.
- Choose carefully your shipping mode, the 3 options being:
- Generally speaking, the service charges of Chinese forwarders are much cheaper. So you don't need to pay much attention to it.
- You should carefully evaluate the forwarder's credit, reliability, and ability.
- Confirm the incoterm used in quotation. Are you supposed to take possession of the merchandise once manufactured (ex-works) or when loaded on the cargo (Free On Board – FOB) ? The impact on total costs is obviously important, so pay attention because there are lots of incoterms.
- Take into consideration the total volume and weight of your shipment: air freight can prove to be a cheaper solution if you ship small quantities or very light products.
- Review every detail; the forwarder must include all taxes and extra charges deriving from international shipping. If needed, you can ask forwarders to add insurance to the quote.
- Be sure that the freight quote you receive is all-inclusive and leaves no room for unexpected extra costs. Classical error at this level is the packaging, palletizing and labeling costs not being included in either contracts.
- Sea freight is cheaper but slower
Warnings
- Believe that freight forwarders are professional, and they know more than you about product freight.
- In China, there are some special factors that are very different form other lines, such as ORC, SPS, THC,political rules etc.
