A field note from this week's quote desk.
Part of my week is reading bids from our overseas agents. Two came in for the same lane, same equipment, days apart.
Bid one had the lower ocean freight line — roughly 15% under the other. Easy winner, on the surface.
Then the rest of the table: origin handling, terminal charges, documentation, seal, telex release, VGM. One bid itemised nearly twice as many cost lines as the other. By the bottom line, the "cheaper" bid came out a few percent more expensive all-in — with less free time at destination.
This is the part of brokerage nobody sees. The freight line is the headline; the all-in is the story. When we quote one number, it's because someone sat with every line item so you don't have to.
If you're comparing forwarder quotes this week, ignore the freight line until you've seen three things: the bottom line, the free time, and the validity date. Those decide what you actually pay.
Send us the lane — we'll show you the comparison.