Why Do Customers Think We're a More Professional Freight Forwarder China Even When I Refuse to Quote?

The other day, a potential customer sent me a message: "Give me a quote for sea freight to Rotterdam!" That was it. I asked, "Please tell me what the goods are, their value, and your time requirements," among other basic information, but got no response.

In fact, handling such situations is something we, as an experienced freight forwarder China, are very adept at. Should I quote from shipping company A or shipping company B? Without understanding the customer's real needs or the specifics of their cargo or even their company, a blindly designed logistics plan is likely to miss the mark.

As a freight forwarder China with 25 years of experience, we've grown step by step in designing plans and quoting, learning from both experience and lessons. Initially, we did as requested—blindly quoting based on our assumptions. The result was that most quotes did not lead to deals. The reason wasn't the price; it wasn't that lower prices guaranteed deals. Even when deals were made, both we, as part of the freight forwarder China sector, and the customers realized that the service provided was the most critical factor. Logistics costs are significantly lower than the value of the goods. Our service either exceeded or fell short of the customer's requirements, making us seem unprofessional.

After a while, that potential customer learned from other sources that we are indeed a professional freight forwarder China. He, who worked in his company's shipping department, sent detailed company and cargo information. I forwarded this to the relevant salesperson, who then created a suitable logistics plan for the customer.

Just yesterday, Mr. Cui from Guangzhou, a former classmate, contacted me. He makes packaging boxes and has been selling domestically but wants to start exporting this year. He has been making short videos, gradually attracting foreign customers to inquire. This was his first successful order to the U.S., and Mr. Cui was entirely new to foreign trade. He asked me for a quote to the U.S. Mr. Cui thought of us first, knowing we are a professional freight forwarder China company operating in an 1800-square-meter A-class office in Shenzhen's commercial district, not just renting a space. He sent me detailed information and requirements about the goods, including a beautiful photo of a jewelry box. Understanding his background and cargo details, I forwarded the information to the relevant salesperson, explaining that Mr. Cui was new to foreign trade and needed a door-to-door solution, which was most suitable for him.

In practice, proactively understanding the customer's background and cargo details is a concrete manifestation of our professionalism as a freight forwarder China. This reflects the experience we've accumulated over 20+ years in the industry. It's like getting a haircut—an experienced barber will first understand what hairstyle you want, maybe even have you try on a wig to see the effect, ensuring you get the desired look and become a returning customer.

Customer Refuses to Pay Shipping Fee, Sunny Worldwide Freight Forwarder China Only Charges Half and Takes the Risk to Deliver to Door

As a freight forwarder China with 25 years of experience, we can handle any customer request. A UK customer ordered a batch of machinery from Hebei. Dissatisfied with his previous freight forwarder China, he searched online, compared repeatedly, and decided to cooperate with us to ship the goods to the UK.

After the goods arrived at the port smoothly, according to the contract, the customer was required to pay the shipping fee before the goods reached the port. However, the customer said, "I haven't seen the goods, I don't know if they are good or bad, how can I pay the shipping fee? We can only pay after the goods arrive at our factory and are inspected without any issues!"

If the customer doesn't pay the shipping fee, the storage and demurrage fees can cost $300 a day. Although these fees are to be borne by the customer, he remained calm while we couldn't. As a responsible freight forwarder China, we always aim to complete every order perfectly to win customer praise.

I was anxious and later learned that the customer had already paid the full amount to the Hebei factory but was not assured of the quality of the goods, thus shifting the quality concern onto us. This was unreasonable.

I understand that the quality of the goods is directly related to the factory, and we are only responsible for transportation. Now, it felt like we were the only ones worried as unnecessary extra costs were piling up. To get the customer to collect the goods quickly, I agreed to let him pay half of the shipping fee first to take the goods.

In fact, as a freight forwarder China with 25 years of experience, we often encounter customers with various requests, some of which are completely unreasonable. But from their perspective, they think they are right. So, I can understand all parties. At Sunny Worldwide Freight Forwarder China, our consistent practice is to minimize costs in any situation and deliver the goods to the customer's factory rather than leaving them at the port. We can also ask our overseas agents to help take out the goods and store them in their warehouses, which would eliminate the demurrage fees as the container is returned to the shipping company. And the storage fee in our own warehouse is much less than at the port.

Our principle at Sunny Worldwide Freight Forwarder China is to be more considerate than our customers, which is why we always solve similar problems this way. Many other freight forwarder China companies do not handle such situations: they deliver to the destination port as required, considering their task complete, and any additional costs must be borne by the customers.

Initially, our salespeople only informed customers via simple emails about additional demurrage and storage fees. Later, we started to provide detailed breakdowns of these fees, explaining how they increase over time (e.g., from 1-7 days, 7-14 days, etc.). Some customers are not familiar with these costs and have no concept of the amounts involved. This improvement reflects our professionalism as a freight forwarder China and is a result of ongoing interactions with customers.

Choosing a freight forwarder China involves more than just comparing quotes; the hidden services each company offers vary greatly. A responsible freight forwarder China's true value lies in the combination of pricing and services. Focusing solely on price might lead to choosing an unprofessional freight forwarder China, resulting in many additional costs during the service process. Therefore, selecting a professional and responsible freight forwarder China may appear more expensive initially, but it can save a lot of unnecessary costs in the long run.

As a freight forwarder China that has served hundreds of prestigious companies, we tier our services according to customer needs. Our professional services are matched to customers who require such services. We provide value, not just prices.

From this perspective, conducting background checks on customers is essential for a capable freight forwarder China. Only by understanding the customer's true situation and the specific details of the goods can we offer the most suitable logistics solution. Blind quotes are likely to differ from the customer's actual needs.