How to Prevent Issues with Unauthorized Items in Air Freight to the Middle East?
Mr. Ma shipped a batch of fashion goods via air freight to the Middle East. Upon arrival, the destination customs inspection found that the same shipment contained lithium battery products that had not been declared. As a result, the entire shipment was detained. It turned out that the freight forwarding company had secretly and illegally included items with lithium batteries, hoping that the destination customs would not inspect the shipment due to low random inspection rates.
When Mr. Ma initially chose this freight forwarder, it was because their quote was low. Now, the trick is revealed. So, when selecting a freight forwarder for air freight to the Middle East, never make your decision based solely on price. Sellers are always smarter than buyers. A low price always comes with a reason. No matter how hard you try, you can’t imagine what underhanded tactics a freight forwarder might use. Often, you only realize what happened after something goes wrong, but by then, it’s too late. You might get lucky once or twice and have your goods arrive without issues, but who can guarantee that you’ll be lucky every time? One accident, such as a customs inspection or problems with the goods, will cost you far more than the little bit you saved on shipping fees.
So, how can you prevent this? The only way is to entrust your goods to a professional and reliable freight forwarding company. But how can you tell if a freight forwarder is reliable? Generally, for air freight to the Middle East, the reliability of a freight forwarder is often proportional to the size of the company. This makes sense for two reasons: First, larger freight forwarding companies have grown because they operate with integrity, handle large volumes of business, and have built a strong reputation through honest practices. Second, larger companies must have formal rules and regulations in place. Quoting, shipping, and documentation are all standardized, and every customer is treated equally. This is unlike small freight forwarders with only a handful of employees, where the boss makes all the decisions and may cut corners for extra profit.
Take our company, for example. Established in 1998, we have 27 years of experience as a freight forwarder. We now have nearly 100 employees, and our office occupies the entire 8th floor of Building B, Rongde International Plaza in Longgang District, Shenzhen. The entire floor is owned by us, not rented, which demonstrates our company’s scale and strength. 80% of our customers place repeat orders, and many of them are industry leaders. We have previously shipped electronic products worth 40 million RMB for Huawei, proving our capability to handle large orders. Large companies like Huawei don’t choose freight forwarders lightly—they conduct onsite visits, sign agreements, and perform background checks to ensure there are no major legal disputes. If a freight forwarder is approved by Huawei, doesn’t that speak to its reliability?
For Mr. Ma’s shipment of clothing via air freight to the Middle East, the problem arose during the destination customs inspection. Therefore, when selecting a freight forwarder for air freight to the Middle East, it is crucial to understand the company’s destination customs clearance capabilities. Many small freight forwarders lack their own customs clearance teams at the destination and simply transfer the goods to professional companies like ours to handle customs clearance.
Our customs clearance and delivery team in the UAE has over 20 years of experience and hundreds of employees, making us a highly capable clearance team in the region. More importantly, for sensitive goods shipped via air freight to the Middle East, if customs inspection occurs, we have channels to communicate with customs authorities, which helps shorten the inspection time. While others may need two to three days, we can often complete the inspection and pickup on the same day. For air freight, timeliness is critical. Many clients cannot afford even a single day’s delay. Therefore, saving that one or two days in pickup time can be absolutely vital for them.