There are many miscellaneous charges for ocean shipping and they are very flexible. These charges are often separated from the ocean shipping charges and charged separately. Some freight forwarders deliberately lower the freight to attract customers in order to solicit business, and then charge extra high miscellaneous charges to make up for it after the operation is completed. Or part of the charges are passed on to the other party, such as the importer under CNF/CIF conditions and the exporter under FOB conditions.
The way to deal with it is to confirm the charges with the freight forwarder before booking. For CNF/CIF, first understand the “ALL IN” price, that is, the ocean shipping charges including all miscellaneous charges, to avoid random charges afterwards.
It is relatively tricky to do FOB. Because it is a freight forwarder designated by the customer, it only has the responsibility of “cooperation” with importers and exporters but no enthusiasm for soliciting business. The so-called “industry rules” are even more blatant and cleverly set up names, replacing the formal fee details with vague “lump sum fees”, “operation fees”, “document fees”, etc., and setting the amount by themselves. This is also the most common dispute and contradiction between exporters and designated freight forwarders under FOB conditions. In most cases, there is no fundamental solution and it can only be solved through negotiation. First, contact several freight forwarders to understand the local “market conditions”. After all, foreign trade and freight forwarders are happy enemies, and the normal “market conditions” still take into account the interests of both parties. After understanding the “market conditions”, confirm the fees with the freight forwarder. If the prices are basically consistent, it’s fine. If they are obviously charging unreasonable fees, argue with them. If the freight forwarder refuses to negotiate regardless of the “market conditions”, contact the customer and coordinate through the customer.
Pay special attention to the fact that on near-sea routes such as Japan and South Korea, there are often special discounts for LCL goods. Sometimes, it’s even free. This seems incredible to outsiders, but the secret is very simple. One is to pass on the costs to foreign countries; the second is to transfer profits at the same time and reasonably avoid taxes; the third is to maintain business volume to improve status, facilitate customer acquisition and obtain preferential “wholesale prices” from shipowners. However, this will inevitably increase the burden on foreign customers and affect trade relations.