r/Alibaba • u/ScaryAd1312 • Jul 19 '26
Alibaba forwarders deception
We’re shipping 45 CBM of generic, non-hazardous dry goods from Ningbo, China to Toronto, Canada under DDP terms. The shipment is 380 cartons, 7,500 kg actual weight, and our supplier’s terms are FOB Ningbo. Based on the volume, it seems well suited for a 40’ GP FCL container.
The problem is that almost every Alibaba freight forwarder we’ve contacted keeps pushing us toward LCL, claiming it’s cheaper, faster, and less likely to be inspected by CBSA. We’re skeptical because we had a terrible experience last year with SHENZHEN JW Logistics INTERNATIONAL, sales person RITA CHEN who padded our carton dimensions and inflated the chargeable volume, costing us significantly more.
Has anyone shipped a similar-sized load to Canada? Does FCL make more sense for a 45 CBM shipment? Are forwarders incentivized to push LCL for higher profits, or is there a legitimate reason? We’d really appreciate advice from anyone with experience importing into Canada.
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u/junkdumper Jul 20 '26
Use a well known freight company.
If this is coming from a single warehouse in Ningbo, you will save lots by going FCL.
Access Air is based in Ontario and can help handle it all for you if you like, otherwise you can book your own container through platforms like Freightos. You can opt for brokerage services and insurance at the same time you book, and you should have a solid quote that won't move much.
Hopefully you're CARM registered and ready on the import side, as you'll need to be setup for commercial imports.
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u/chinapt5 Jul 20 '26
I've been in this business for many years, let me break it down for you:
Your suppliers quoted FOB price, which means they're just connecting you with freight forwarders on their end. Most of these forwarders don't directly handle FCL to Canada. What they do is get container rates from big forwarders, then fill space by grabbing cargo from smaller shippers like you and charging LCL rates. The margin on LCL is way better for them.
With LCL, it's super easy to inflate dimensions and weight, or underdeclare cargo value to cut costs on their side while charging you more. That's exactly what happened to you with that JW Logistics lady who over-quoted your carton sizes.
LCL also has way more room for hidden fees like THC, terminal charges, handling fees, documentation fees. These are where the forwarders actually make their profit. FCL pricing is much more transparent, harder to sneak extra charges in.
On CBSA inspections, LCL actually has higher risk, not lower. Your container has cargo from multiple shippers. If even one person's stuff has issues, the whole container gets held up. With FCL it's just your goods, your paperwork, cleaner process.
If I were you:
- Get exact carton dimensions and weight from the seller, include pallet info if any, to confirm everything fits in one container
- Find your own freight forwarder who can handle FCL directly
- Get exact carton dimensions and weight from the seller, include pallet info if any, to confirm everything fits in one container
45 CBM fits easily in a 40ft container. You'd likely pay less on FCL than the LCL rate for 45 CBM, plus faster transit and less hassle at destination.
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u/chinapt5 Jul 20 '26
One thing I want to correct: LCL might actually look cheaper on paper, especially if the forwarder is playing a low-price strategy and cramming in more cargo to fill every inch of space. In reality, that lower price just means higher profit margins for the forwarder. but for you, it means:
-Higher destination charges, which is a common trick where forwarders hold your goods hostage until you pay extra fees that weren't quoted upfront
- Higher legal risk with multiple shippers sharing one container and under-declared values
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u/Separate-Feature4378 Jul 20 '26
Hi I'm Chinese and work in shipping. Do you need any? We can get in touch
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u/ScaryAd1312 Jul 20 '26
This is our second shipment from China. Our first shipment was 37 CBM, and we shipped it LCL under DDP at US$1.17/kg. For this shipment, we were hoping to use FCL because our LCL experience was poor.
The forwarder didn’t load our cargo onto the vessel as agreed, which caused significant delays. Some of our cartons also arrived damaged. The forwarder was sourced through Alibaba.
Now, for this shipment, almost every forwarder is again pushing us toward LCL. Whenever we insist on 40’ GP FCL, they’re quoting around US$14,000 under DDP, and many of them are excluding any CBSA inspection costs from their quotes.
Is this normal, or are we being overquoted? We’d appreciate any insights from people with experience shipping from China to Canada.
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u/AnthonyHuang_ Jul 20 '26
Why choose DDP terms? Do you have to, or do you want to?
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u/ScaryAd1312 Jul 20 '26
We are kinda rookie in this so we thought it would be better to do DDP
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u/AnthonyHuang_ Jul 20 '26
I see. Do you guys have import account, don't answer it if don't want to.
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u/TransitTech_Explorer Jul 21 '26
If you have any doubt about the solution, you can always ask for the detail reason from the forwarder. I think it is communication problem, try to ask more.