After leaving my freight forwarding job, I’ve been holding back some truths for too long. Today, I have to say them. For those of you shipping air freight to the Middle East, please stay sharp.

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Spending years in this business, I’ve seen too many people get burned. Some freight forwarders only care about money. You think paying the shipping fee makes you a “king”? Too naive. When your package gets stuck in customs or your box arrives smashed, their customer service just says, “Sorry, nothing we can do.”

Since most of you probably ship only once, they don’t care about repeat customers. In the air freight to Middle East market, there are never enough scammers.

What’s even crazier are the tricks: they promise big things, bragging about their huge warehouses and stable shipping lines, but they don’t even have a proper storage facility. They take your goods and pass them off to some unknown small carrier.

Some fake websites look even more legit than the real ones. They advertise everywhere, claiming “lowest prices online” or “air freight to Middle East delivered in 72 hours.” But after you send your items, they disappear, leaving you with nothing—money and goods gone.

Take our company DL as an example. Only those in this industry know how important it is to have your own dedicated warehouse. We have a 2,000-square-meter exclusive warehouse in Yantian, with six floors. Goods are managed properly. You must wear a hard hat and work uniform to enter, and there are strict rules on where to walk. We control the entire logistics process ourselves, making us one of only three companies out of 60,000 in Shenzhen to do so. Foreigners who visit our warehouse give us a thumbs up.

A reliable freight forwarder is different: they check your package when it arrives, track it through customs, and respond quickly if there’s a problem. Unlike the bad ones who just vanish.

So if you’re shipping air freight to the Middle East, pay close attention to these three points to see if a company is reliable:

Check their credentials: Ask for their business license and freight forwarding certificate. If they can’t provide them, stop dealing with them immediately.

Look at their service: See if they measure your items professionally when they arrive at the warehouse and if they take photos as proof. If they delay giving you a tracking number after shipping, that’s a red flag.

Check reviews: Look for real feedback on social media. If all you see are complaints about lost packages or hidden fees, run the other way.

The freight market is a mess right now: they lure you in with low prices like “ship worldwide for $9.90,” but once they have your goods, they add on all kinds of extra fees.

And when problems come up, their customer service either plays dumb or blames it on “strict customs inspections” or “bad weather.” If you’re unsure about which company to choose, feel free to ask me.

I’ve fallen into enough traps to help you avoid them. Choosing a freight forwarder for air freight to the Middle East really makes a difference.