Compare freight quotes from China: scope, surcharges and real totals

Freeze the cargo and the delivery point

List carton count and each carton’s packed outer dimensions and gross weight, product description, value, destination postcode and address type. Declare batteries, liquids, magnets, fragile items and other attributes. State the ready date and required arrival date separately. Ask whether the quote ends at port, airport, terminal or your address, and whether unloading, appointment or residential delivery is included. A provider must confirm route acceptance for the actual cargo; a general rate does not establish eligibility.

Check the billing calculation

Request actual weight, volumetric factor, rounding, minimum charge, per-piece treatment and the resulting billed weight. DHL Express illustrates a divisor of 5000 for centimetres; confirm the factor for the proposed service rather than applying it to every carrier. Hypothetically, one 60 × 40 × 40 cm carton at 12 kg gives 96,000 ÷ 5000 = 19.2 kg volumetric weight. If that agreed service bills the greater value, it uses 19.2 kg before its rounding/minimum rules. These dimensions are invented, not measured JTLGO cargo.

Separate transport, tax and other responsibilities

Ask which fuel, remote-area, oversize, dangerous-goods, handling, clearance administration, destination, storage and delivery charges are included or conditional. DHL lists service-specific surcharges; its prices must not be copied into another route. “Door-to-door” alone does not settle taxes. In a sale contract, ICC distinguishes DAP and DDP by import-clearance responsibility. Record the named place, Incoterms® 2020 rule where applicable, importer arrangement and exceptions in writing. A freight label is not a complete sales contract.

Compare a total that has the same exclusions

The table is an invented USD example for identical accepted cargo and door delivery. A includes fuel in its transport line. B includes origin handling, clearance administration and final delivery in USD 255, but adds USD 30 fuel. Both exclude duties, taxes, insurance and extra warehouse work. A totals USD 300; B totals USD 285, only USD 15 less. If remote delivery is still unconfirmed, record it as pending and do not call either total final. Replace every example input with the provider’s written quote.

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Resolve a cheaper quote’s missing scope

If B says “delivery included” but will not confirm the postcode or unloading, its USD 285 remains conditional. Ask for those lines and the validity date. A does not become a guaranteed quote simply because it has more rows. Compare ready-to-delivery time with its start/end events and booking cutoff; a transit estimate is not a contractual arrival guarantee.

Copyable quote-normalization request

Cargo/version: [ ]. Cartons, packed dimensions/weights: [ ]. Destination/postcode: [ ]. Ready/arrival dates: [ ]. Please state billed calculation, rounding/minimum, origin and destination scope, fuel/remote/special surcharges, customs administration, tax responsibility, insurance, exclusions, validity and cutoff. Mark unknown lines pending. Confirm final price after measurements and acceptance; identify who approves changes.

Retain the approved quote and packing record for invoice comparison. Ask JTLGO through the rate-and-ship workflow to confirm route and final measurements; use current pricing for separately charged warehouse work. Requote if packing, destination, cargo or shipment date changes.