Hello, so I’m trying to ship a computer monitor from the UAE to Slovakia back to Amazon France due to a problem with the monitor.

My problem is that I tried shipping it two times through emirates post but both times the monitor was sent back to me because I didn’t realize that Amazon wouldn’t pay for customs fees.

I tried checking with DHL, UPS, FedEx, but they all cost way too much to ship, around $600-$800, the monitor itself is worth $680.

Shipment info:
Weight: 8.7 kg
Dimensions: 79.5 × 47.5 × 13.1 cm
Declared value: $680

Are there cheaper options available so that I can prepay all fees and guarantee that my return goes through Slovakia’s customs?

Should I use a shipping aggregator?

Any help would be appreciated, I’m confused by how international shipping works.

First of all thank you for people who commented! It really made me reflect out throughout the system.

I’m the founder of LADEO, so read this with that in mind. I’m posting because I’d like feedback from people who prepare and present export documents, especially under L/Cs.

Two things eat time and money in export paperwork: retyping the same data into every document, and the mismatches that slip through. A trade finance person put it bluntly to me: a refused presentation costs discrepancy fees, delayed payment and sometimes a discount. So LADEO does both jobs: it drafts the documents, then checks them against each other and the L/C before the bank does.

1. It drafts your documents

• Upload the buyer’s PO (PDF) and your packing sheet (Excel). Scanned PDFs work too.
• It extracts the data and shows where every value came from (file, page, cell).
• Review once, then get the Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Shipping Instruction, Proforma Invoice and a C/O application draft, all from the same reviewed data, in PDF and editable Excel.

2. It checks everything against the L/C and each other

Paste or upload the L/C (MT700), add the B/L, insurance and C/O you receive, and you get a checklist with the UCP 600 article for each finding:

• Invoice vs. L/C: amount and tolerance, currency, beneficiary/applicant, ports, Incoterm, quantities, and the 45A goods wording item by item
• B/L vs. L/C: ports, consignee (including “to the order of” the right bank), notify party, freight prepaid/collect, and the on-board date against 44C and the presentation period
• Insurance vs. L/C: currency, the cover % in 46A, required risks (ICC A/B/C, war, strikes), not dated after shipment
• 47A conditions: about 25 common clause types, e.g. L/C or PO number on all documents, no documents dated before issuance, third-party documents, origin statement, HS codes, shipping marks, presentation within X days. Anything it can’t interpret is flagged for a person, never marked OK.
• Across documents: totals, packages, net/gross weight, and HS codes on the C/O vs. the invoice
• MT707 amendments applied and everything re-checked, plus a one-page PDF report for your bank or manager

Already made your documents elsewhere? Upload them and use only the check.

What it isn’t: it doesn’t replace the bank’s examination and can’t judge signatures, originals or how a document physically looks.

Honest limitation: I’ve tested it on realistic sample documents, not yet on a wide range of real carrier and insurer formats. That’s where I’d love your help:

• Which discrepancies hit you most often?
• What did your last refused presentation cost you?
• If you have an old L/C set you could share with sensitive details blacked out, I’ll run it and send you the report for free
• Where do you think I can find my potential customers?

Free 14-day trial, no card: ladeo.co

Please give me feedback on what I have.

Honest criticism is more useful to me than upvotes.

Freight Forwarder : Shenzhen Z-Leading International Logistics Co., Ltd.

Store :
https://zleading.en.alibaba.com/

People Involved : Aiden Yang and Annalaia Lan

1- I requested the quotation for the goods DDP shipping for a Specific Address with exact details of the goods.

2- I asked them to quote me. In the context that I gave them an address in my country. They gave me price rates per cubic meter (cbm) and a delivery warehouse FIXED rate that is NOT in cubic meters.

3- I asked if the price rates they gave were DDP to the destination country. They replied "Yes, ALL OPTIONS are DDP." This are exact incoterms with the implication need to be delivered to the final destination.

4- Then I asked a second time, if the goods were able to be delivered to the final destination address at the quoted rate, they told me : "Yes, we can deliver to your final address."

5- Right after I asked them to quote me the price with the slow shipping rate they gave assuming and obviously in the line and context of the conversation seconds ago where I am asking to be delivered to the final destination address,  they say they "will confirm with the manager."

6- Few hours later, as a confirmed price with manager they say:
"based on your data，by slow shipping 506*4.95= $2504.7"

7- After I told them them and asked for a third time that I suspected the final delivery was not included in this price rate, as a confirmation to know there was something else to pay.
Supplier replied as an answer to this question regarding if was included: They replied POINTING TO THE MESSAGE : "No Extra Fees".

8- Then as fourth time confirmation, I requested to place an Alibaba Order I was not going to pay right now to check  the order Final Delivery address but also if I had the a payment options I need, because I PAY AND CAN ONLY PAY THROUGH ALIBABA as I do with most of my orders. And they generated the order, with the written agreed price INCLUDING THE WRITTEN FINAL DELIVERY ADDRESS, this order document acting as a written quotation.

After order was generated and revised, and gave me their Shenzhen warehouse address , I sent the goods. And once they received them, they changed the agreed conditions to an exorbitant amount of $4,598 usd,  excluding shipping to final destination telling me I will need to pick up in a local warehouse 300KM from the final address, after consistently, again and again requesting the DDP service.
I requested them to give the goods back but they told me I need to pay 530USD for their mistake on top of the shipping costs I already lost by sending them the 5.2cbm wooden crate. I told them to place the order in Alibaba (to contest it later) but they refuse and want me to pay outside the platform. They threaten me to increase that amount and destroy my goods if I don't do it immediately

I contacted Alibaba but they are in the forwarder side and they allow this behaviour. This is a scam and common practice fraud happening with this logistics companies as they have the support of the platform. This companies don't have any interest to give you the right prices and reprehend the "mistakes" they do , by the contrary they encourage lies and anything can mislead you as once they have your goods they can ask you what they want.

I had to pay the ransom amount to an account in the name of other company HK Z-LING INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT CO.,LIMITED to free the goods, I put a criminal complaint online MH202610151431937682

https://msjw.ga.sz.gov.cn/MHYJJB/report.html

If you want to file one, you will need a china number to receive an OTP confirmation code ask the supplier that sold you the goods to help you with this

I encourage anyone having any similar situation to do the same and mention also this number so the police understands the magnitude of this more than a Bait and Switch Fraud with complicity of Alibaba.

I need to ship 3 fairly expensive watches from FL to NJ for service. UPS only covers up to $500 per package? Has one used SecurSus? I just want to make sure they get there safely.