What should you check before you commit?
Six checks, all of which you can run before paying anything. They are ordered by how much they usually cost when they are missed.
Do they quote the destination charges, not just the freight?
The freight line is the easy one to quote low, because it is only part of the cost. Destination terminal handling, clearance, examination and delivery sit on the other side of the water and are where a quotation stops without saying so. Ask for the charge groups in writing before you compare anything: if one quote names five lines and another names two, they are not comparable yet.
Will they name the routing and the transshipment?
Almost every lane carries both direct and relay services, and the difference is measured in weeks rather than days. On the lanes we publish, some markets are served entirely by transshipment — every published sailing from China to Alexandria, Port Said and Lagos Apapa relayed through a hub in the windows we measured. A quotation that gives a transit range without saying whether it is direct or via a relay is not telling you which one you are buying.
Do they tell you the commodity code they are clearing under?
Duty is decided by the code, not by the product name, and the same goods can sit in different chapters with materially different rates. An agent who confirms the code before quoting is working from the tariff; one who quotes first and classifies later is transferring that risk to you. Ask which code they intend to use, and treat a refusal to answer as the answer.
Is there a named person who stays on the shipment?
The test is not how fast a quotation arrives but who answers when the vessel is rolled, a customs query is raised or a supplier delivers late. Ask for the name of the person who will handle the shipment after it is booked, not just the person who sold it.
Can they show the cargo after it arrives at their warehouse?
Measuring, checking against the packing list and photographing the cargo is what turns a declared weight into a billed weight, and it is the point where discrepancies with a supplier get caught rather than shipped. If an agent cannot show you the cargo before it leaves, you find out about a short shipment at the destination.
Which charges are theirs and which are third-party?
Freight, terminal handling, customs fees and duty are largely passed through. Knowing which lines the agent controls and which it merely collects tells you what is negotiable and what is not — and it makes a sudden change in one line legible rather than mysterious.