How to Compare Freight Quotes from Turkey and Spot Hidden Charges

You asked three forwarders for a price to ship goods from Turkey and received three very different numbers. Before you choose, make sure each quote covers the same journey and the same services. Freight quotes are notorious for looking cheap at first and growing later.

1. Confirm the start and end points

Is the quote from the factory door or from the Turkish port? Does it end at your port, your bonded warehouse or your own warehouse? A port-to-port price and a door-to-door price are not comparable.

2. Break the quote into sections

Ask every forwarder to use the same structure:

• Origin: pickup, inland trucking, export customs clearance, terminal handling, documentation

• Main freight: ocean, road or air freight, plus fuel and other surcharges

• Destination: terminal handling, delivery order fees, port charges, de-consolidation for LCL

• Import: customs clearance fee, inspection fees, delivery to your warehouse

• Excluded: duties and taxes, storage, demurrage, special permits

3. Watch for common hidden charges

• Surcharges listed as "subject to change" or "as per carrier"

• Destination charges left out of a cheap ocean rate

• Waiting time for trucks at the factory

• Storage after limited free days at the port or warehouse

• Container demurrage and detention

• Fees for document amendments

4. Check time, not just price

Compare transit time, sailing or departure frequency, and whether the service is direct or transhipped. A slightly higher price for a direct service can be cheaper overall if your goods are needed for a season or project.

5. Confirm validity and conditions

Freight rates change often. Note how long each quote is valid, the cargo details it assumes, such as weight, volume and packaging, and what happens if your cargo differs.

6. Ask about insurance

Basic carrier liability is limited and rarely covers the full value of your goods. Ask for a cargo insurance quote based on invoice value plus freight, and check what it excludes.

7. Look at the forwarder, too

Experience with your route, a local agent at destination, responsiveness and clear tracking are worth paying for. The cheapest forwarder is expensive if your shipment gets stuck.

Get comparable freight offers

TurkLink helps buyers coordinate supplier pickup, packing data and freight quotes so you can compare forwarders on the same basis.

Cover photo: Freight truck as seen on highway by Soulful sunshine, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.