A freight enquiry is easier to compare when every provider is pricing the same shipment and the same scope. “Twenty cartons from China” leaves too many assumptions open. Start with a short shipment brief, identify what is measured and what is estimated, and ask for a written breakdown.
1. Define the two handover points
Record the supplier’s pickup city and address, then the destination country, city and postcode. Say whether the shipment should end at a port, a warehouse or the buyer’s address. Name who will arrange collection, loading and final unloading.
If you have several suppliers, list each pickup separately instead of presenting them as one location. An early city-to-city estimate can help with planning, but label it as an estimate.
2. Describe the goods, not just the number of boxes
Provide the product name, material, intended use and an identifying photo or product link. State whether batteries, liquids, powders, magnets, fragile items or branded products are involved, and flag anything you are unsure about.
These details are a starting point for a carrier’s assessment, not a declaration that the goods are automatically acceptable on a route.
Give a realistic cargo-ready date. Separate “production expected to finish” from “packed, checked and ready for collection.” If an inspection is required before release, include that milestone in the plan.
3. Measure the final shipping packages
Request a packing list with one row for every different carton or pallet size. Record the package count, external length × width × height, unit of measurement and gross weight per package.
Gross weight includes the packaging. Add pallets where used. Do not substitute the unpacked product’s dimensions for the final shipping dimensions.
4. Check the CBM calculation
For identical rectangular cartons measured in centimetres:
CBM = cartons × length × width × height ÷ 1,000,000
Training example only — not a Yiwu Lian shipment or freight offer:
Group A: 24 cartons, 50 × 40 × 30 cm, 11.5 kg/carton = 1.44 CBM and 276 kg.
Group B: 10 cartons, 60 × 40 × 35 cm, 16 kg/carton = 0.84 CBM and 160 kg.
Total: 34 cartons, 2.28 CBM and 436 kg.
Calculate each carton size separately, then add the results. If cartons will be palletised, ask for the final loaded-pallet dimensions and weight; do not add both carton volume and palletised volume for the same goods.
CBM is volume, not a freight price. Carriers may use volumetric weight and service-specific charging rules. Ask which conversion factor, rounding method and minimum charge apply; do not assume one divisor works for every mode or carrier.
DHL chargeable-weight guide:
https://www.dhl.com/us-en/home/global-forwarding/freight-forwarding-education-center/calculating-chargeable-weights.html
5. Compare the scope, not only the headline rate
Ask the provider to mark each item as included, excluded or subject to confirmation: pickup, origin handling, export documentation, main transport, destination handling, customs services, duties and taxes, final delivery, insurance and possible storage or waiting charges.
Where a trade term is used, state the agreed term and named place rather than relying on an abbreviation alone.
Request quotation validity, currency, payment milestones, estimated transit time and the assumptions behind the price. A transit estimate is not a delivery guarantee. Reconfirm the offer when quantities, packaging, dates or delivery points change.
6. A shipment brief you can copy
Pickup: [supplier address and contact]
Delivery: [country, city, postcode and exact handover point]
Goods: [product, material, photos and relevant cargo characteristics]
Packing: [cartons/pallets; each size; total gross weight; CBM]
Ready date: [confirmed date or clearly labelled estimate]
Required scope: [pickup / main transport / destination services]
Please identify included and excluded charges, validity, transit assumptions and any missing information.
7. Start with the information you have
You do not need to invent missing measurements to begin. Send the supplier’s current packing list and mark open questions.
Yiwu Lian shipping and logistics coordination:
https://www.yiwulian.org/services/logistics
Submit a project brief:
https://yiwulian.org/request
The objective is a quotation that can be compared on the same shipment facts and the same service scope.