When you shipping from China to USA,the quality and experience of your Chinese freight forwarder may determine the whole transaction, a good forwarder will let you have no worries, while a poor forwarder may make all your previous efforts all in vain.
5 questions you must ask your Chinese freight forwarder
With that in mind, here are 5 questions you should ask your potential forwarder before signing an agreement.
Does this Chinese freight forwarder have experience in transporting similar goods?
Goods face various risks during transportation, including natural disasters, cargo damage, theft, etc. Therefore, freight forwarding companies should have security control capabilities and provide cargo insurance services to ensure the safe transportation of goods.
So, the Chinese freight forwarder you choose must have experience with the type of goods you want to export. Once the goods are shipped, they are out of your control.
The background network system status of the freight forwarding company.
Don’t underestimate this issue, it may be directly related to the safety of your entire shipping process.
How many containers do they ship on average a year?
In other words, what is their annual business volume? This is actually a way to quickly and intuitively judge their experience.
All kinds of unusual situations can happen when your cargo is at sea, and a forwarder with years of experience and handling a lot of cargo knows when and how to react.
To be honest, it is not difficult to start a freight forwarding company. The hard part is actually working. If they have years of experience, they may also help you with all of the following: port strikes, customs seizures, problems in transit, warehousing, port closures.
What steps can their service achieve?
In fact, it is to ask if they can provide door-to-door shipping. Some Chinese freight forwarders can only transport to the port, although they can save you some money in this link, but when the goods arrive at the destination port, you have to continue to transport, and you will soon have a headache for higher additional costs.
So be sure to ask if they can make the last leg of the shipment.
Are they financially healthy?
Exporters who are just starting their business often overlook the financial situation of the forwarding company. They might think that they will pay the bills anyway, so it doesn’t matter if the forwarder has money or not.
Suppose, for some reason, the Chinese freight forwarder cannot pay the shipping company’s freight, then the shipping company will not release the goods.
Delays ensue, cargo piles up, lots of extra costs ensue, and everyone’s schedule is disrupted. If the forwarder is financially strong, they will be able to act in real time and send you the bill after the fact.
In addition to these five questions, here are five aspects to consider when choosing a Chinese freight forwarder:
Experience and professional ability
The Chinese freight forwarder should have rich experience and professional ability to understand international trade, ship/aircraft operation process, customs regulations and other aspects of knowledge, and can provide professional logistics services.
Service scope and ability
The forwarder should have comprehensive service scope and capability, including transportation, customs clearance, insurance, warehousing, container leasing and other services, and be able to meet various needs of customers.
Security control
Goods in the transportation process face a variety of high risks, including natural disasters, cargo damage, theft, etc. Therefore, the freight forwarding company should have the ability to control security, provide ** insurance services to ensure the safe transportation of goods.
Price and delivery time
Freight forwarding company should provide reasonable price, and can ensure that the goods are delivered according to the agreed time. The price and delivery time of the forwarder need to be evaluated in order to choose the right partner.
Credibility and reputation
The credibility and reputation of the forwarder is also an important factor to consider when choosing a forwarder.
You can check the reviews, word of mouth, and feedback from other customers of the forwarder to determine whether the company is trustworthy or not.
Selling on Amazon and finding a reliable Amazon FBA freight forwarder is a big step towards success.
We specialize in shipping from China to USA.We can provide ocean freight from China to USA, air freight from China to USA.
