Importing from China

I'm looking at using an express service—something like FedEx or DHL—for shipments under 50kg.

Kenneth Rodriguez7 said:I decided to pass on those guys because they turned out to be nothing but scammers. Honestly, knowing how things work here with customs and all those potential extra fees and headaches, it would end up costing me at least twice as much. It just isn't worth the hassle to order heavy items unless you're bringing in an entire shipping container.

Regardless, I’m still planning to order about 4 or 5 pounds of some other essentials that I desperately need since they cost ten times more here in the States. I'll be using air freight, so I was hoping someone could point me toward which companies offer reliable air shipping and what their typical rates per pound look like.

Hey everyone,

I’m wondering how much I actually need those quality control agents, and which freight forwarders are best when importing from China. I’ve been talking to a manufacturer about some tents, and we’ve pretty much nailed down all the specs. Now we’re at the stage where I need to drop a 30% deposit to seal the deal. Since they aren't offering any guarantees beyond their basic business license, how can I protect myself from getting ripped off on shipping and extra fees? They quoted me $180 total for transport since the container size is 4.0 cbm. The goods would be coming from New York City and heading to Cleveland...

Thanks so much for the help🙂

Best,

I’m planning on bringing in four forklifts from this supplier http://www.jm-yetong.com/en/index.asp

We’ve gone back and forth quite a bit... honestly, they’re getting a little annoying with how many emails they send...

Is there any way to verify if this is a legitimate company?

It bugs me a little that they’re asking for the full amount upfront...

A word of caution regarding those cheap LCL shipments organized directly out of China—be careful. One of my business partners just got hit with a US import service fee of a staggering $1,000 for a "budget" 15cbm shipment that was quoted at only $420. It honestly feels like some kind of predatory shakedown... I’d strongly suggest arranging your logistics through an American provider instead. It might seem a bit more expensive upfront, but in the long run...

neoncyclist6 said:Hey everyone,

I’m wondering how much I actually need those quality control agents, and which freight forwarders are best when importing from China. I’ve been talking to a manufacturer about some tents, and we’ve pretty much nailed down all the specs. Now we’re at the stage where I need to drop a 30% deposit to seal the deal. Since they aren't offering any guarantees beyond their basic business license, how can I protect myself from getting ripped off on shipping and extra fees? They quoted me $180 total for transport since the container size is 4.0 cbm. The goods would be coming from New York City and heading to Cleveland...

Thanks so much for the help🙂

Best,

Greetings,

I have some prior experience working with this particular outfit—though, unfortunately, we weren't able to finalize an agreement in the end. If you're looking for a bit of guidance through the process, please feel free to reach out... I might be able to help you navigate it. Based on what you've described, are we talking about an electric-assisted pedicab?

Anthony Bennett6 said:I’m planning on bringing in four forklifts from this supplier http://www.jm-yetong.com/en/index.asp

We’ve gone back and forth quite a bit... honestly, they’re getting a little annoying with how many emails they send...

Is there any way to verify if this is a legitimate company?

It bugs me a little that they’re asking for the full amount upfront...

wiredcrane13 said:A word of caution regarding those cheap LCL shipments organized directly out of China—be careful. One of my business partners just got hit with a US import service fee of a staggering $1,000 for a "budget" 15cbm shipment that was quoted at only $420. It honestly feels like some kind of predatory shakedown... I’d strongly suggest arranging your logistics through an American provider instead. It might seem a bit more expensive upfront, but in the long run...

Yeah, I figured there was a catch once they started pushing their own freight forwarding on me... I have a contact over at FedEx, though. Has anyone used them before? Any experiences?

I worked with them quite a while back... if you're looking at LCL shipments coming out of New York City, I’d definitely suggest going with FedEx rather than anyone else.

neoncyclist6 said:Yeah, I figured there was a catch once they started pushing their own freight forwarding on me... I have a contact over at FedEx, though. Has anyone used them before? Any experiences?

I can certainly give you a hand with the import process... just shoot me a private message if you want to chat about it.

neoncyclist6 said:Yeah, I figured there was a catch once they started pushing their own freight forwarding on me... I have a contact over at FedEx, though. Has anyone used them before? Any experiences?

Hey everyone,

I’m on the hunt for a reliable sourcing agent over in China.
If anyone here knows someone trustworthy, or if you actually work as an agent for the Asian market yourself, please shoot me a DM.
The plan is to start with some small test orders first, and then hopefully scale up to full containers down the road.
I’ve tried playing it solo a couple of times now, but honestly? It hasn't really worked out for me.

Thanks!

So, we’re looking into importing some GPS devices—the kind with SIM cards built-in—straight from China, which means we need to track down a solid freight forwarder and figure out the logistics.
To kick things off, we just want to bring in a small batch first to run some tests and see if they actually work.
The catch is, I'm being told this counts as telecommunications equipment, so we'll likely need to clear some hoops with the FCC to get everything approved. We definitely need some help navigating that bureaucracy.

Quick question—I’m looking to import a mixed shipment from China and I plan on setting up an LLC to handle it all.
I'm talking about a trial run of maybe 1 cubic meter. My plan is to reach out to a few different manufacturers or dealers through Jack Ma's platform; that's usually where I find everything I need. A buddy of mine has some experience importing smaller quantities via UPS, though he was dealing with a completely different product line.

Specifically, I’m looking at adult toys and wellness products for an online shop. I'm aware that the merchandise needs specific certifications and approvals to be legally sold within the US market.

So, here's the deal: does anyone have experience ordering and paying for a trial batch worth roughly $1,100? I'm wondering what kind of customs duties I should expect here in the States, and how much shipping would cost using air freight through either DHL or UPS. My friend had his stuff arrive in about five days, but he was only dealing with a small 10lb package...

The idea and the plan are there, but my head is a bit of a mess right now, so I'd really appreciate some solid advice...

Patrick Hughes31 said:So, we’re looking into importing some GPS devices—the kind with SIM cards built-in—straight from China, which means we need to track down a solid freight forwarder and figure out the logistics.
To kick things off, we just want to bring in a small batch first to run some tests and see if they actually work.
The catch is, I'm being told this counts as telecommunications equipment, so we'll likely need to clear some hoops with the FCC to get everything approved. We definitely need some help navigating that bureaucracy.

The FCC can be pretty strict with their regulations. Anything with Wi-Fi or cellular capabilities usually needs their green light. That’s often the hard part when dealing with Chinese suppliers, because the FCC basically demands a "Declaration of Conformity"—basically a certificate proving the device is legal to sell in the US.
If you don't have that, it becomes a bit of a headache.
The FCC also handles permits for testing or prototype equipment (which is usually limited to businesses), and it costs about $67 plus some paperwork you'll need to show them.
There are a few companies here in the States that specialize in getting these certifications done, so if you want more info, just shoot me a DM.

Hope that helps a little!

Hey there! I'm looking to import about 1,100 lbs of heavy cargo from China.
Is shipping by sea my only real option? An agent told me it takes about 38 days...
Or is there a faster way that won't totally break the bank?
If anyone has some insider info, I'd really appreciate it...

How many cubic meters does that 500kg represent? You really only have two paths here: air cargo or sea freight (LCL).
Generally speaking, if you're looking at 500kg via air cargo—assuming it stays under 1 cubic meter—you're looking at roughly $2-$4 per kilo... though that fluctuates quite a bit depending on the origin and destination. Personally, I often aim for arrival at airports near Washington, D.C. or even further out, because shipping costs can be significantly lower than flying directly into the local hub—and then I just arrange transport through Walmart or other domestic carriers to get it delivered within the States. Just a heads-up, though: when you ship by air, the freight cost gets rolled into the total value of the goods, which means both the item price and the shipping cost are subject to customs duties and sales tax. So, with sea freight, it's (item price * duty * tax), whereas with air, it becomes (item price + shipping) * duty * tax... it adds up.
And I really can't stress this enough: be extremely careful with LCL shipments organized directly by Chinese people.

Ryan Price11 said:Hey there! I'm looking to import about 1,100 lbs of heavy cargo from China.
Is shipping by sea my only real option? An agent told me it takes about 38 days...
Or is there a faster way that won't totally break the bank?
If anyone has some insider info, I'd really appreciate it...

I'm looking to import about 20 boxes—roughly 2 cubic meters of space—all the way from China. It's just packaging bags for Dekai pillows. Total weight is around 500kg. But I'm totally lost on this air freight pricing everyone's talking about. Is it $2-$4 per kilo or what exactly?

Per kilo... though honestly, your best bet would be to reach out to one of your freight forwarders directly regarding those latest rates.

hiddentiger8 said:I'm looking to import about 20 boxes—roughly 2 cubic meters of space—all the way from China. It's just packaging bags for Dekai pillows. Total weight is around 500kg. But I'm totally lost on this air freight pricing everyone's talking about. Is it $2-$4 per kilo or what exactly?

Anyone else thinking about hitting up the World's Fair? It’s basically the holy grail for consumer goods—runs from April 15th through May 5th. I’m seriously considering making the trip, but honestly, the thought of wandering through those massive halls all by myself sounds pretty exhausting. Anyone else planning to go?

Hey there.
I’m looking for some guidance on importing stuff from China. I’ll be honest, I’m a complete amateur at this...
We’re talking about a massive volume of small items—roughly 800,000 units. Total weight is about 56,000 lbs, with each piece topping out at around 0.07 lbs. Given the scale, shipping by sea is the only way to go.
I’ve already hammered out a deal with the manufacturer on the Unit Price (FOB Los Angeles), which is a steal. But now I’m stuck wondering what the actual logistics and extra fees will look like once it reaches its final destination in Washington, D.C.
The thing is, I haven't even figured out how they’d package this—like, would it be in crates? And do I even ask them about the transport to the port in Los Angeles? My assumption is that a container arrives at the Port of New York City, and that's where things get complicated... or maybe even before that. What am I supposed to do with a container once it lands? My first thought was just trucking it all, but I have zero clue how you’d even load something like that. Rail seems more realistic, though I'm stuck on the transfer process—how do you move goods from a ship to a train car? I heard Amtrak has certain standards, like maybe 22,000 lbs per car, so we'd be looking at about five cars total... and then how does it get from the station to the final warehouse via truck?
Full disclosure: I know absolutely nothing about customs or the legal/economic headache that comes with it...
Any help would be appreciated. 🙂

Alright, look—I’m going to lay out a few pointers regarding maritime freight, commercial terms, payment methods, and the very real risk of whether you actually receive what you paid for. I've been working in freight forwarding for a long time now, so believe me when I say I'm speaking from direct experience:

Rule number one:
Book everything right here in the States, not through some contact in China. If you don't, you're almost guaranteed to get hit with extra fees later on, and you lose all control over the transport because you aren't the one issuing the mandate—the sender in China is. And let's be honest, China is a long way away...🙂 So, you want to book it at FOB parity from the port of loading all the way to Cleveland...
Rule number two:
If your budget allows, just buy a full container. It is by far the most cost-effective way to do this. Again, book it in the US on FOB parity; you negotiate this directly with the shipper. There are tons of freight forwarders and agents out there—just do a little Google searching🙂 and you'll usually find ocean freight inclusive of all surcharges, THC/handling at the discharge port around $150, Cleveland at a flat $60, plus local port forwarding at $40, and then you factor in the trucking to your location—which includes returning the empty container back to Cleveland. If you’re located in the Midwest or down in Florida, trucking becomes prohibitively expensive; you might look into Amtrak or just have Floridians drive it down to ST or Mobile.
Rule number three:
If you can't fill an entire container, then you import via LCL (Less than Container Load). You should still be working on FOB parity from the port of loading to the CFS (Container Freight Station) in your area. Whatever you do, do NOT book through the Chinese suppliers, because everything ends up costing four times as much due to the local fees here in America. You negotiate an "all-in" price per cubic meter plus the costs at the customs warehouse where the goods arrive—that averages somewhere between $4-$6 per 100kg, with a minimum charge of $15-$20.
I can be a bit bold and recommend the firm I work for—there are just three of us, we provide excellent service, our rates are competitive, and we've all been in this industry long enough to have seen every headache imaginable.🙂

Anyway, if you need any more info, just reach out.

Best,
Susan Thompson2

hiddentiger8 said:I'm looking to import about 20 boxes—roughly 2 cubic meters of space—all the way from China. It's just packaging bags for Dekai pillows. Total weight is around 500kg. But I'm totally lost on this air freight pricing everyone's talking about. Is it $2-$4 per kilo or what exactly?

Air freight is always calculated by weight—per kilo—so don't forget to factor in the customs fees! If you can actually afford to wait 30 to 45 days, just ship it by sea; it ends up being five times cheaper than flying it.

Cheers,
Susan Thompson2