How much do international freight forwarders actually make? The truth might hit many freight forwarding bosses hard. Recently, I came across some internal industry data that divides monthly income into seven levels. Those of you running air freight to middle east special lines, take a look and see which level you’re at.

**Level 1: Mom-and-Pop Shops Earning Less Than 20,000 RMB a Month**

These small forwarder booths make up about 60% of the industry. Basically, it’s one person or a couple renting a small space in the freight market. They survive by helping others book cargo space or handle customs documentation. Most just take small, scattered orders, like personal parcels or sample orders for small trading companies. These bosses might take home just over 10,000 RMB a month and have to track shipments all day. Their business relies entirely on referrals. If a client pushes for a lower price or customs starts inspecting, they might not even make enough to cover the rent.

**Level 2: Small Micro-Specialists Earning 20,000 to 100,000 RMB a Month**

This group makes up about 30% of the industry. They usually have 2 to 5 employees and focus on one main route, like Shenzhen to a specific country in Southeast Asia. On the surface, making tens of thousands a month sounds good. But after paying for space deposits, overseas agent clearance fees, and employee salaries, the boss might only actually take home around 20,000 to 30,000 RMB.

For example, I know a guy in Guangzhou running an air freight to Dubai route. He works from 8 AM to midnight every day, only taking three days off for Chinese New Year. At the end of the year, his net profit was just over 200,000 RMB – about the same as his salary when he was an operations supervisor at a big forwarding company, and that didn’t even include social security and housing fund benefits.

**Level 3: Regional Route Agents Earning 100,000 to 200,000 RMB a Month**

These account for about 5% of the industry. They have cooperative partners both in the Chinese departure cities and at the overseas destination ports. For example, a company doing Europe routes might have a collection team in China and a clearance agent in France. They typically have 5 to 15 employees and can consistently handle full containers or bulk LCL shipments for small to medium-sized trading companies. Bosses at this level, making 100,000 to 200,000 a month, are finally starting to see some real profit. But you have to survive to get there. These forwarders usually have been in the game for over 5 years. The initial investment – like deposits for agents, system fees, qualification fees – is at least 500,000 to 1,000,000 RMB. The return on investment might not even be as stable as just buying financial products.

The forwarders in these first three levels together account for 95% of all international route forwarders in China. Most of them are just struggling to get by, not making the kind of money outsiders imagine.

**Level 4: Bi-National Forwarders Earning 200,000 to 500,000 RMB a Month**

There are only about 4,000 or so of these nationwide. They have collection points in multiple Chinese ports, like Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Ningbo. They also have their own small clearance teams in the destination countries. For instance, a company specializing in air freight to UAE might have its own clearance office in Dubai. Bosses here make around 200,000 to 500,000 RMB a month, which is considered high income in the industry. But the pressure is multiplied. They have to manage teams across different ports and deal with the risk of unfilled space. For example, they might book space for 10 ocean freight containers but only get enough cargo for 8. They have to cover the cost of the 2 empty containers themselves. Plus, they’re always worried about big clients delaying payments.

I know a guy running a Shanghai to Los Angeles route. Last year, an e-commerce client delayed paying a bill of over 2 million RMB. He ended up having to sell his apartment in a good school district to cover the gap. The glamour is all on the surface.

**Level 5: Multi-Country Route Forwarders Earning 500,000 to 1,000,000 RMB a Month**

Fewer than 800 companies nationwide reach this level. They have their own delivery and clearance teams in more than three countries, like covering Germany, France, Italy in Europe, or Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand in Southeast Asia. They have stable shippers, such as mid-sized factories or established e-commerce chains, and can secure contract space directly with shipping lines. Bosses here take home around 500,000 to 1,000,000 RMB a month and can finally breathe a little easier. But actually, they’re even more worried. At this level, the capital they need to tie up is at least 5,000,000 RMB – space deposits, overseas team salaries, bridging payments for clients’ credit terms, etc. If one major client pulls out or a shipping line suddenly raises rates, their cash flow could collapse. Everyone in the industry knows that hitting a million a month means you’re walking on the edge of a cliff.

**Level 6: Regional Freight Forwarding Groups Earning 1,000,000 to 5,000,000 RMB a Month**

There are probably only about 280 of these in China. They can offer customized services, like special routes for new energy products or dangerous goods. Bosses here make 1 to 5 million RMB a month and can finally enjoy life a bit. But they still don’t sleep well. They’re constantly competing with the top-tier forwarders for big clients and have to watch out for shipping lines and airlines suddenly adjusting their freight rates.

Take the Red Sea crisis last year, for example. Many forwarders specializing in air freight to middle east routes saw their profits slashed by millions because of route interruptions and soaring freight rates.

Take our company, DL International Logistics, as an example. In our air freight to middle east business, we have buy-and-pay agreements for 20 pallet positions per week on two major airlines. That’s 10 times the capacity of an average forwarder on this route, making us one of the top 5 for air freight to middle east. (An average-level forwarder might only have 2 or 3 pallet positions.) Having a buy-and-pay agreement means we have to pay the airlines upfront every week, whether we have the cargo or not. So, they make a stable profit regardless.

The fact that we dare to do this shows we have the cargo volume. Why don’t other forwarders at our level in the air freight to middle east market dare to do the same? Simple – they don’t have enough cargo. We have the support of major clients. For example, we once shipped electronics worth 40 million RMB for Huawei. Now, we handle all their exhibit shipments. They trust us because we guarantee delivery speed.

**Level 7: International Freight Forwarding Giants Earning Over 5,000,000 RMB a Month**

Fewer than 50 companies in China are at this level. These are the large forwarders operating globally, with their own offices worldwide, integrating the whole chain from space booking to clearance to overseas warehousing. But what many don’t realize is that these giants also started from a single small route. Some survived for 12 years by focusing on the Middle East route. Others nearly went bankrupt during the 2020 pandemic when space was unavailable. They all climbed back from the brink of failure. Reading this, many bosses finally understand: don’t listen to outsiders who say freight forwarding is easy money. In reality, 95% of forwarders are struggling to make a living, and less than 1% actually achieve true financial freedom.