Prepare the cargo details needed for an international freight quote, then compare included charges, exclusions and delivery scope with a worked example.
Compare quotes for the same complete service
Compare providers using the same packed cargo and delivery point. The international freight charge alone does not show the full price. Confirm missing destination charges and delivery conditions, then compare the complete service and any conditions that could change its cost.
Compare your options ↓Choose the option that fits
Give every provider the same shipment details
“Ten boxes to another country” leaves too much unknown for a useful quote. Describe the cargo, collection point, delivery point and required arrival date. Send the same enquiry to every provider. If dimensions or addresses change, update everyone so their prices remain comparable.
The example below is an invented enquiry format. Replace every example with measured cargo data and verified receiving details. A city or postcode may be enough for an initial comparison; the final quote may require full addresses and contact details.
| Field | Example entry | Why it changes the answer |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Steel furniture connectors; no batteries or liquids; photos available | Clarifies what is being assessed rather than a vague “parts” description |
| Packages | 10 cartons: 60 × 40 × 40 cm / 12 kg each; 2 cartons: 80 × 50 × 40 cm / 18 kg each | Allows piece-level acceptance and chargeable-weight checks |
| Totals | 12 cartons; 156 kg gross; 1.280 m³; loose cartons, not palletised | Defines the actual collection configuration |
| Origin / destination | Factory collection in Shenzhen → commercial warehouse in Hamburg; exact postcodes supplied in enquiry | Allows postcode and collection/delivery assessment |
| Handover | Ground-floor collection; warehouse appointment; no unloading equipment needed for loose cartons | Exposes delivery services that may be outside a basic quote |
| Timing | Ready date and latest warehouse-receipt date supplied; urgent subset identified by carton number | Supports feasible options or a split-shipment alternative |
| Commercial scope | Request transport and handling breakdown; identify clearance arrangements, duty/tax payer and all exclusions | Prevents an incomplete headline price from looking like a complete total |
Ask what the price includes and excludes
Ask the provider to show the currency, service name, chargeable quantity, charging unit, minimums and validity. A per-kilogram amount is not a total until you know which weight is billed. For LCL, ask how the quoted weight-or-measure basis and minimums are applied. Even a flat price must state the cargo and addresses it covers.
Use three statuses: included, separately charged, and unconfirmed. If a line is bundled into another charge, name that line. An empty cell is not an answer. Request the trigger and approval process for possible storage, examinations, address changes, failed delivery or remeasurement charges.
- Collection, export-side handling and documentation: included or additional?
- International transport: what weight, volume, container or package quantity is priced?
- Destination handling and release: included through which location?
- Customs clearance service and import cooperation: who performs it, and which fees are included?
- Final delivery: postcode, appointment, tail lift, unloading and waiting time assumptions?
- Duties, taxes, insurance and exceptional costs: included, excluded or awaiting confirmation?
Worked comparison: add the missing charges before choosing
These USD amounts are fictional arithmetic examples, not current freight rates or VelFreight quotations. Both proposals use the same cargo and warehouse-delivery requirement. Duties, taxes, insurance, inspections and storage are excluded from both, so the result below compares only the listed transport services.
Quote A appears USD 230 cheaper if you compare only the international line. Once the missing legs are added, its comparable subtotal is USD 180 higher. If either provider has not confirmed one of these items, leave the total provisional; do not choose a price by silently assigning zero to the unknown.
| Charge or scope | Quote A (USD) | Quote B (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| International carriage | 620 | 850 |
| Origin collection and handling | 120 | Included in carriage |
| Destination handling | 180 | Included in carriage |
| Final warehouse delivery and appointment | 210 | 100 |
| Comparable listed subtotal | 1,130 | 950 |
| Still outside both subtotals | Duty, tax, insurance, inspection, storage | Duty, tax, insurance, inspection, storage |
Resolve chargeable weight and packaging changes before approval
With the example cargo and an illustrative divisor of 5,000 cm³/kg, the unrounded dimensional calculation is 10 × 19.2 + 2 × 32 = 256 kg. Actual gross weight is 156 kg. That difference is large enough to make an enquiry based on actual weight alone misleading. The selected product may apply a different divisor, piece-level comparison, rounding or other billing rules; confirm these explicitly.
If the factory later puts the cartons on pallets, the quote needs the external dimensions and gross weight of those pallets and a check of whether the service will actually collect palletised cargo. Do not send the original loose-carton dimensions while asking the driver to collect a different shipping unit.
Keep an approval record that operations can use
Before dispatch, save the accepted quote reference and version with the cargo record, required documents, collection instructions, receiving contact and written acceptance of any special characteristics. Record the expiry or shipment period and what event locks the rate, if any. A quote that has expired or assumes a different ready date should be reconfirmed.
Ask one final question: if the measured cargo and agreed delivery conditions match this brief, which events could still change the invoice? Keep the answer and the process for approving extra work. After delivery, match the invoice to these charge lines and record the reason for each variance. Use those reasons to improve the next enquiry; “freight was expensive” gives the next planner little to work with.
Rebuild each charge from its rate, unit and minimum
A usable quotation lets you reproduce the amount. For a line priced with a minimum, calculate line charge = the greater of the minimum or rate × chargeable quantity. Other lines may use a flat fee, a weight bracket or an incremental schedule. Write down which method applies instead of treating every number as a per-kilogram rate.
Original arithmetic example, in USD: a quoted rate of 2 per chargeable kg, 60 chargeable kg and a 150 minimum produces 150, not 120. Add pickup of 40 and documentation of 25: the subtotal is 215. If a fictional 12% surcharge applies only to the 150 freight line, it adds 18 and the listed total is 233. If it applies to all 215, it adds 25.80 and the total becomes 240.80. The same percentage changes the answer by 7.80 because its base changes.
These are invented terms, not a carrier tariff. Ask the issuer to identify the applicable base and calculation method in the actual offer. Keep duty, tax and other excluded costs outside this subtotal, as in the earlier comparison.
- Recalculate the two largest charge lines and one surcharge before accepting the offer.
- If the dimensions change, request the revised chargeable quantity and resulting total, not just verbal confirmation that the rate is unchanged.
- Save the accepted quote revision with its cargo list so a later correction can be traced to a changed input.
| Field on the quote | Record explicitly | Mistake this prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Charging unit | kg, W/M unit, carton, shipment, container or another named unit | Multiplying a shipment fee by the carton count |
| Quantity and rounding | Measured quantity, chargeable quantity, rounding rule and which pieces it covers | Using total actual kg where the service bills individual dimensional weight |
| Minimum and bracket | Minimum amount; whether the rate applies to all units or only an incremental band | Assuming a lower rate always gives a lower line total |
| Surcharge base | Exact included line IDs and percentage or fixed amount | Applying a percentage to an unspecified subtotal |
| Currency and validity | Currency, applicable exchange treatment, expiry and cargo-ready assumptions | Comparing amounts that use different currencies or validity dates |
Sources
This is a planning guide. Requirements vary by service and destination. Confirm cargo acceptance, charges, customs requirements and delivery arrangements with your provider before shipping.
Create your shipment brief