A freight forwarder arranges booking, documentation, and often customs coordination on your behalf, and a good one becomes one of the most valuable relationships in your import business. Compare quotes line by line rather than by the single bottom number, since forwarders differ in which charges are included upfront and which are billed separately later as 'additional' fees once the shipment is already moving.
Ask specifically about their experience with your product category and your destination port, their partner network at that destination, and how they handle problems, delays or damage, before you commit to a booking.