Same cargo · Same scope · Itemised costs
Match charging assumptions, delivery scope, time window and cost boundaries before comparing totals. Use the blank worksheet and enquiry template to identify what each quote actually covers.
Two freight quotes are directly comparable only for the same cargo, time window, origin, destination and service scope. A lower price per kilogram or cubic metre does not necessarily mean a lower payable total to the same receiving address. This worksheet serves Chinese exporters and marketplace sellers, and UK and European importers sourcing in China.
Give each provider the same product details and properties, carton dimensions and gross weights, readiness date, pickup point, destination postcode, delivery term and named place, clearance arrangements, appointment needs and unloading conditions. If one quote stops at a port and another at a warehouse, obtain the missing stages first. Keep unresolved items visible.
This is a blank worksheet, not a rate card. Enter the actual values and terms from each written quote. If an item is absent, mark it “not stated — confirm”; do not assume it is free or included.
| Check | Quote A | Quote B |
|---|---|---|
| Provider, quote date and validity | Enter details | Enter details |
| Identical cargo, packing, weight and properties | Verify | Verify |
| Pickup → full delivery address / postcode | Enter details | Enter details |
| Service scope, delivery term and named place | Enter details | Enter details |
| Currency, exchange-rate basis and payment terms | Enter details | Enter details |
| Charging unit, weight / volume, rounding and minimums | Enter details | Enter details |
| Origin pickup, handling and export charges | Amount + included / excluded | Amount + included / excluded |
| Main freight and known surcharges | Amount + applicable conditions | Amount + applicable conditions |
| Destination handling and clearance service | Amount + included / excluded | Amount + included / excluded |
| Duty and import taxes separately payable? | Budget / basis / to confirm | Budget / basis / to confirm |
| Delivery, appointment, unloading, tail lift, remote area | Amount + applicable conditions | Amount + applicable conditions |
| Insurance inclusion, insured value and cover | Enter details; note if uninsured | Enter details; note if uninsured |
| Inspection, storage, waiting and redelivery | Trigger, charging basis, free period | Trigger, charging basis, free period |
| Transit start/end, calendar basis, unresolved conditions | Enter details | Enter details |
| Confirmed payable amount + unresolved items | List separately | List separately |
Ask whether the quote charges by kilogram, cubic metre, carton, pallet or container. Confirm the air-freight chargeable-weight method or the applicable weight-to-volume conversion, minimum charge and rounding for the quoted product. Do not assume a universal dimensional divisor. Ask both providers to price the same carton dimensions and gross weights.
Mark pickup, main freight, clearance service, taxes, destination handling and delivery as included, excluded, conditional or unresolved. Match the delivery term and named place. The DDP, DAP and all-in quote guide helps frame these questions. A term alone does not establish tax treatment or an inherently cheaper outcome.
Match start and end events, calendar or working days, waiting before departure, destination handover and appointments. For FBA sellable-stock deadlines, check processing after warehouse receipt separately. Record estimated windows separately from confirmed flights or appointments.
Present “confirmed payable amount for the matched scope + unresolved items + conditional-charge rules”. An incomplete low quote is not an established lowest total. There is no fixed saving percentage. Cargo acceptance, an achievable delivery window and service scope also matter.
Check that the quote remains valid, cargo and packing details are unchanged, pickup and receiving conditions are accurate, the billing party and payment terms are clear, and responsibilities and exception handling are documented. Before sharing another quote, remove personal information or commercial information you should not disclose. You can provide the comparison items and scope without forwarding the original document.
Select the text, copy it into your email or enquiry, and fill in the blanks. Send the same cargo brief to each provider. The template is not sent automatically.
HSIEHSHUN service information · Published and updated
Send cargo details, origin and destination postcode, readiness date, required delivery window and service scope. Ask for itemised inclusions, exclusions and conditions.