Posts by Bryan Chase37

I just need to vent for a second about the absolute nightmare that is LCL shipping through FedEx.

To give you some context, we received an invoice for their services just two months ago, and the rates were sitting at
$35 per cubic meter for LCL
plus
$30 per cubic meter for the offloading service.

Now, out of nowhere, a new shipment arrives, and they’ve decided to jack the prices up to $60 and $55 respectively.
There isn't even a published price list to look at; they basically just pull numbers out of thin air whenever they feel like it.
And don't even get me started on the CISF fees—they've spiked from $19 all the way to $50.75.

It is honestly ridiculous. At this rate, it actually makes more sense to just book a full container, even if we end up filling less than half of it.

feralgull13 said:Greetings, everyone!
I have two questions:
1.question
I am looking into importing some products from China—one of them I found listed on eBay and Amazon. To test the waters, I ordered a single item from a local seller who claimed it was shipping directly from China; I ended up waiting a full month and paid $10 for shipping, since he insisted it was coming straight from overseas. It was just a tiny 10cm x 10cm x 10cm box with a total value of $17. Now I am curious—how is it even possible for shipping from China to cost $10? Who actually manages those logistics? It seems like every marketplace in the US is flooded with these listings for random trinkets supposedly arriving direct from China. I want to order a few different items in small quantities just to see if the price-to-quality ratio holds up—so, what is the most cost-effective way to handle such a small shipment sent to a private individual?
2.question
Is there any massive wholesale warehouse within the US that stocks Chinese consumer goods—somewhere where it might actually be more profitable to visit in person due to lower minimum order quantities?

The seller probably just places a direct order to your doorstep and pockets the difference on the shipping fees.

Emily Price6 said:Greetings!

Could someone please walk me through how importing from China actually works? I'm looking at an offer that says "free shipping via FedEx," but I'm confused about what that truly covers. Does that mean the cost of getting the goods all the way to Washington, D.C., including export clearance? Or am I still on the hook for hiring a freight forwarder, paying import duties, and handling sales tax? I'm also debating my strategy: would it be smarter to just pay them an EXW invoice and handle the logistics myself using FedEx or UPS—perhaps negotiating with a carrier to pick up the package—or should I just pay the Chinese supplier upfront for the shipping so they can handle the dispatch directly?

Any help would be greatly appreciated—feel free to slide into my DMs if that's easier!
Thanks in advance!

If you go through FedEx, it’s generally cheaper if the Chinese suppliers handle the export themselves, since those export rates are typically lower than what you'd pay for imports. But in your specific case, since you mentioned the shipping is free, that shouldn't be much of a concern for you.
However, you absolutely will have to deal with the import side once it hits the States. You'll be looking at $33 for the Customs Bond Fee
and $10 for Processing Fees
plus a 25% tax on those two items, which totals $11
and then, of course, you have to factor in the standard sales tax based on the value of the goods.

rowdysurfer94 said:Hey guys, can anyone give me some insight on what freight forwarders actually charge for their services? Like, what does that fee even cover? Also, is there any way to get stuff shipped faster without breaking the bank? I'm looking at a box roughly 15x15x15 inches, maybe weighing around 22 pounds max.

thanks in advance for any help

I’m pretty much a newbie when it comes to importing stuff. So far, I’ve only managed to pull off maybe two or three small orders from China. Everything’s been smooth sailing so far, but I rarely get to order from the same supplier because I need a bunch of different items in relatively small quantities—usually just around 100 units per item.

thx

rene

The cost is entirely dependent on which agent you hire and which incoterms you settle on.
The path of least resistance is always letting the seller handle the heavy lifting: export, insurance, loading, transit, unloading, and delivery, leaving you to deal solely with the import side. That said, you might find a better deal if you manage some of those logistics locally here in the US.

Air freight is obviously the fastest route. Carriers like FedEx or TNT almost exclusively use planes for these types of shipments. Of course, air is also going to be the most expensive way to move anything.