Resources · Avoiding pitfalls
How to choose a reliable Africa forwarder: 10 questions to ask
From credentials and in-country clearance capability to quote transparency and exception handling: a question list and criteria for screening China–Africa forwarders.
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Focus on four things: whether destination clearance is done in-house or outsourced, whether the quote is written and transparent item by item, who is responsible and how compensation works when something goes wrong, and whether they proactively share updates at key milestones. A price far below the market is usually recovered somewhere else.
Information updated: 2026-10-03
10 questions to ask
- Do you have your own team and warehouse in the destination country? Do you clear customs yourselves or hand it to someone else?
- How many years have you run this route? Which product categories do you mainly handle?
- Can you give a written quote listing what is included and excluded, item by item?
- Is the transit-time commitment to port or to door? What happens if there's a delay?
- How is lost or damaged cargo compensated? On what basis?
- Can you ship sensitive or battery-powered goods? What documents are needed?
- How will the goods be declared? Will you ask me to under-declare or change the description?
- How often will you update the cargo status, and by what means?
- Can the consignee collect the goods themselves? Which cities does delivery cover?
- Are there existing customers I can contact, or a warehouse I can visit?
Warning signs
- The price is clearly below others, but they can't explain what it includes.
- They suggest changing the description or under-declaring the value to "save tax".
- Payment only to a personal account, with no company entity.
- Charges are only discussed after a problem has occurred.