The long life of a single quote

On 2 June a forwarder I will call Kestrel Forwarding sent a customer a quote for one 40-foot container from Qingdao to Felixstowe: $3,280 all in, valid for seven days. On 19 July the customer paid an invoice for that box. The invoice said $3,911. Nothing improper happened in between. That is the interesting part.

This issue follows that quote through its seven stages and names the point at which each extra dollar entered. I have the documents, the dates, and the permission of the customer, who wants to remain nameless and a little less surprised in future. It is a long issue, because the story is long. Seven stages, two sailings, one ship that was not the ship anyone expected, and a spreadsheet that nobody updated on a Friday.

I will say now what I think the lesson is, so you can disagree with it as you read: a spot quote is not a price. It is the opening position in a negotiation that continues, silently, for six weeks after you accept it. Most shippers do not notice the negotiation because most of the movements are small and each has a plausible name.