Shipping overseas doesn't happen without a great freight forwarder. You may make the sale, but freight forwarders move the freight to its final destination. A service without which international business would be impossible. Unfortunately, many freight forwarders fail when it comes to good customer service. Here are some tips for choosing the right forwarder for your needs.

1. Don't just meet with the sales rep. They typically have nothing to do with your freight. It's the air and ocean manager that you really want to meet with. Before tendering any freight to a freight forwarder, ask to meet with the air and ocean manager.

2.Interview the freight forwarder like you would any other job applicant. Ask the forwarder how they will improve your business and don't believe much of what they say. However, some freight forwarders have gone into the logistics and supply chain management business, so they might surprise you. It's always a good idea to learn about the full range of services a freight forwarder provides.

It's also interesting to ask forwarders to tell you about mistakes they've made and how they responded to them. That will get them squirming in their seats, but it will also tell you a lot about how their company works, or doesn't work as the case may be.

3.Find out what carriers the freight forwarder works with. What steamship lines do they use and what air carriers? This is important because service varies by carrier and you will, with experience, develop a list of carriers you want to avoid.

4.Request a freight quote and see how the charges compare to what you are paying currently. If you haven't done any shipping overseas previously, obtain quotes from three freight forwarders and see how they stack up. And note that shipping overseas cheap may be tempting, but there is no price low enough to compensate for bad service.

5.Give forwarders a test shipment and see if the live up to all the promises they made. If they don't, cut them loose or, if you feel there is potential, call a meeting to go over what went wrong and how it will be avoided in the future.