- Comparison
- on a single consignment and a single set of operations
- Our figures for comparison
- The density rule from the route rate card, packing from $5 per place, storage free of charge, as at 20 August 2026
- Test shipment
- in parallel with your current provider
- Dispatch weight
- Terms depend on the shipment
- Validity of a quote
- 7 days
Why a per-kg rate cannot be compared directly
A per-kilogram rate is the price of one operation. A supply consists of a dozen: collection from the supplier within China, goods receipt, storage, checking, packing, consolidation, carriage, last mile, unloading. If the rates include different sets of those, comparing two figures means nothing.
The second reason is chargeable weight. Divisors, the minimum weight of a place and the rounding rule all differ, and on light bulky goods that changes the bill more than the rate does. There is only one comparable figure: the cost of a unit of goods at your warehouse, and that is what we calculate in the quote.
How to compare two operators properly
- Take one consignment that has already been through: item numbers, suppliers, weight, volume, number of places, city of delivery.
- Fix the set of operations you need and insist on a quote for that set.
- Use the same currency and quote date for both proposals, and record the exchange rate.
- Break each one down line by line: carriage, goods receipt, storage, checking, packing, payment, last mile.
- Add in what the proposal leaves out: storage at your own premises, unloading, losses on defects, repeat purchasing.
- Divide the total by the number of units and compare the cost per unit, not the per-kg rate.
- Check the date up to which the price holds. Our quote is valid for 7 days.
An average rate for last year and a rate card price are different quantities. A comparison only makes sense on a specific consignment.
What a per-kg rate usually does not include
Check against your last invoice which of these you paid for separately.
- Collection of the cargo from the supplier within China.
- Goods receipt and storage: whether the operator charges for them separately and at what rate.
- Inspection of the goods before dispatch, opening of places, photo report.
- Repacking, reinforcement of the packaging, palletising, marking.
- Payment to the supplier in the operator's name and currency conversion.
- Volumetric weight, the minimum weight of a place, rounding.
- Reweighing and remeasurement at the terminal.
- The last mile to the address and unloading on site.
- Standing time and storage in the event of a delay en route.
- Documents for import when moving from cargo to official import.
18 criteria for comparing logistics providers
A checklist for a conversation with any provider, us included. Compare the answers line by line, not the general impression.
| No. | What to compare | Why it changes the total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Which operations are included in the rate and which are invoiced separately | Rates are comparable only where the set of operations is the same |
| 2 | The chargeable weight rule: divisor, minimum weight of a place, rounding | On bulky cargo it affects the bill more than the rate does |
| 3 | How long a quote is valid and what happens if the rate changes before loading | Helps you assess how long the quoted price is likely to remain valid |
| 4 | Who pays the supplier and in whose name | It determines who holds the payment document and who pursues a claim |
| 5 | The conversion rate and the cost of a payment in yuan | It changes the purchase price of the consignment, not just the service fee |
| 6 | Their own warehouse in China: address, storage free of charge, who receives the cargo | Without a warehouse there is no checking, no consolidation and no pause for a decision |
| 7 | What is checked before dispatch and in what form the report arrives | It determines where you find out about a shortage – in China or at your own premises |
| 8 | Consolidation of suppliers and how weight is calculated after they are combined | It changes both the cost of carriage and the number of goods receipts |
| 9 | The delivery scheme and the documents you receive for the cargo | It determines whether the goods can be taken onto the balance sheet |
| 10 | The procedure on damage and loss, and what is evidenced by a document | The wording in the contract matters more than a verbal promise |
| 11 | The point the price runs to: terminal, city, your warehouse, unloading | The leg most often forgotten in a comparison |
| 12 | Whether the invoice is broken down by operation and whether it matches the quote given before dispatch | A single-line invoice can neither be checked nor compared |
| 13 | Whether they have paid storage and at what rate | We have no paid storage at all: the cargo waits for your decision at no extra charge |
| 14 | The density from which volumetric weight is charged | For us the road rule depends on the density in the route rate card; on air express there is no threshold, and the coefficient is set by the carrier's rate card on the route |
| 15 | The packing rate card, item by item | Bag and tape – $5 per place, cardboard corner with a bag – $6 per place, wooden crate for small boxes – $15–25, crated pallet – $30 per cubic metre |
| 16 | How much collection of the cargo from the supplier within China costs | $20–50 or as incurred by the carrier |
| 17 | What compulsory insurance cover the carrier provides on the route | Kazakhstan, road – $5 per kg; for Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Europe the cover is confirmed when quoting |
| 18 | The weight at which the price per kilogram stops rising | We accept commercial shipments; a larger shipment is usually better value |
The calculation density, the packing rate card, the cost of collection within China and the compulsory cover on the route are either rate card items or lines that appear in the invoice only after dispatch. An operator that cannot name these figures before loading is most likely working them out as things go along.
Our figures, by which we can be checked
We fill in the same checklist for ourselves so that the comparison runs line by line rather than on impressions. The figures below are current as at 20 August 2026; a quote on your consignment holds for 7 days.
| What is asked | Our answer | Where there is more detail |
|---|---|---|
| Paid storage | None at all: the cargo sits until you decide, and no excess storage charge exists | warehouse in Guangzhou |
| Chargeable weight | Road – density from the route rate card; air express – no threshold, the coefficient comes from the carrier's rate card | pricing |
| Packing | Bag and tape – $5 per place, corner with a bag – $6 per place, crate for small boxes – $15–25, crated pallet – $30 per cubic metre | insurance and packing |
| Collection within China | $20–50 or as incurred by the carrier | pricing |
| Compulsory insurance cover | Kazakhstan, road – $5 per kg, for the other routes we confirm when quoting | insurance and packing |
| Dispatch weight | Terms depend on the shipment | quote |
| Carriage times | Kazakhstan by road 10–15 days, Uzbekistan by road 15–20 on the accelerated route and 20–35 on the economy route, Ukraine by air a flight of 4–7 days plus 3–4 days, Europe by air 12–20 days | timings |
Cover and optional insurance terms depend on the route and on the carrier's or insurer's documents. That is why the checklist considers packing alongside cover; both are explained in insurance and packing. We confirm the current optional insurance rate when quoting.
Signs that an operator is reselling someone else's logistics
Reselling is not in itself a problem: part of the route is performed by partners, ours included. The question is whether the operator has a leg of the work of its own. If it does not, then when something goes wrong it becomes a relayer of messages.
- It will not name the address of the receiving warehouse or who receives the cargo.
- It does not take goods into storage and asks for them to be brought from the supplier straight to the vehicle.
- The photo report comes from the supplier rather than from whoever held the goods in their hands.
- Asked who pays the supplier, it answers with a scheme rather than the name in the bank details.
- It cannot say what happens to the consignment while it waits for your decision.
- The invoice arrives as a single line, while the quote before dispatch had a different structure.
- The price changes at loading with a reference to a party that cannot be named.
Ask for the city of the receiving warehouse and the storage terms. An operator with its own warehouse has two specific answers: we have a warehouse in Guangzhou and no paid storage at all, and the procedure is described on the page warehouse in Guangzhou.
Breaking down your current provider's invoice
- You send us the invoice for the last dispatch, the item numbers, weight, volume, number of places and city of delivery.
- We break the invoice down by operation and flag the lines whose composition is unclear.
- We quote the same consignment with us and show where the difference lies in the rate and where in the chargeable weight rule.
- We list separately what you were paying for outside the invoice.
- If there is no difference in your favour, we say so plainly and explain what makes your current provider cheaper.
The breakdown does not require terminating any contract. The consignment data is needed because the price depends on the density of the cargo, the number of suppliers and the route. How it is built up on our side is described on the page pricing and quotes.
A test shipment in parallel, not a move of the whole volume
A quote is only proved by the event, so the first supply runs in parallel with your current provider while your existing channel carries on as usual. If something goes wrong, you lose one consignment rather than a season.
What to measure on the test
- Whether the final invoice matched the quote and on which lines it diverged.
- How far the chargeable weight differs from the weight declared by the supplier.
- How many discrepancies were found in Guangzhou and how many reached you – that is the test of goods receipt.
- The time from payment to the supplier to release of the cargo, by the dates of the stages.
- How many times you had to ask where the cargo was, and how complete the documents were at the end.
What the switch looks like if the test worked out
The remaining item numbers and suppliers are added for the second supply.
Suppliers receive the warehouse address and instructions on marking the places.
Several suppliers are combined into one dispatch through consolidation, and the schedule becomes regular.
Payment to the supplier goes through us, and the bank details are checked against the business license.
Your former provider is switched off when you decide you want that.
FAQ
How do I tell whether my current provider is overcharging?
Compare the invoice for the last dispatch with the quote that preceded it: if the lines do not match, or the invoice arrived as a single sum, it cannot be checked. Then add in what you pay separately: storage at your own premises, unloading, losses on defects. We do exactly that breakdown on your consignment: send us the invoice, the weight, the volume and the list of item numbers.
Do I have to move all my supplies to you at once?
No, the first consignment runs in parallel with your current provider, and your existing channel carries on as usual. That is how a quote is proved by the event: by the final invoice, the chargeable weight and the number of discrepancies found in Guangzhou. It makes sense to widen the volume after the first supply has been closed out.
Why can I not simply compare the price per kilogram?
Because only carriage is charged per kilogram, while you pay for the whole chain: collection from the supplier, goods receipt, storage, checking, packing, last mile. On light cargo the chargeable weight rule changes the bill more than the rate does. There is only one comparable figure: the cost per unit at your warehouse.
What should I ask an operator in order to compare it with my current one?
A quote on your consignment broken down by operation, the chargeable weight rule, the date up to which the price is valid, the city of the receiving warehouse in China and the storage terms. After that – the 18-point checklist above. With us those are specific answers: density from the road route rate card, no threshold on air express, no paid storage at all, packing from $5 per place, collection within China at $20–50 or as incurred by the carrier (as at 20 August 2026). Our quote is valid for 7 days.
How do I check that an operator is not simply reselling carriage?
Ask for the city of the receiving warehouse in China, who receives the cargo, what happens to the consignment if defects are found, and how much storage costs. We have a warehouse in Guangzhou and no paid storage at all, so the goods sit there until you decide at no extra charge, while carriage on the route is performed by partners – those are different legs and we do not blur them together.
Will I have to change suppliers when switching?
No, the suppliers stay yours: they send the cargo to our warehouse in Guangzhou following the marking instructions. If a different manufacturer is needed for an item, sourcing and checking the company are done separately, before the order.
Which figures should I ask for so that the comparison is fair?
Six: the density from which volumetric weight is charged, how much packing costs item by item, how much collection from the supplier within China costs, what compulsory cover the carrier provides on the route, whether they have paid storage, and the weight at which the price per kilogram stops rising. With us the road rule depends on the density in the route rate card and there is no threshold on air express, packing at $5–30 by item, collection at $20–50, cover for Kazakhstan of $5 per kg by road and confirmation when quoting for the other routes, storage free of charge, and a larger shipment is usually better value – data as at 20 August 2026.
Send us the invoice for your last dispatch
We will break it down by operation and quote the same consignment with us – line against line, on your cargo and your route.
Send it for a breakdown→