Importing from China

Hey everyone!

When you're shipping air freight out of China, should you be going with Ex Works or FCA? I'm trying to wrap my head around how the export customs clearance actually works in this setup.
Thanks

Hey everyone,
I could use some advice here. I'm looking to import my first shipment from China and found a supplier.
We settled on a price, but a buddy of mine suggested I request samples first to make sure this isn't some scam outfit.
So, I asked for samples. They said fine, but now they want $100 for just 1.1kg of goods, or
they want my freight forwarder's info—which I don't even have yet. What should I do? Paying $100 for 1.1kg
seems like a total joke to me. I honestly thought if they were actually serious about doing business, they'd cover the sample costs themselves.

The air express shipping will run you about $100... If you want to send me a private message, I might be able to help you navigate the whole import process. Especially if this is your first time bringing goods into the States and you aren't quite sure what to expect—I can help you map out all the potential costs beforehand, vet the company, and perhaps even help you negotiate much better pricing...

swiftmaker18 said:Hey everyone,
I could use some advice here. I'm looking to import my first shipment from China and found a supplier.
We settled on a price, but a buddy of mine suggested I request samples first to make sure this isn't some scam outfit.
So, I asked for samples. They said fine, but now they want $100 for just 1.1kg of goods, or
they want my freight forwarder's info—which I don't even have yet. What should I do? Paying $100 for 1.1kg
seems like a total joke to me. I honestly thought if they were actually serious about doing business, they'd cover the sample costs themselves.

I haven't heard of anyone giving out free samples yet. Most of them just tell you that if you stick with them and start placing larger orders, they'll credit the cost of those initial samples toward your first big shipment. That's basically how it works...

It really depends on which manufacturer you're dealing with... some will throw in samples for free, sure, but they almost never cover the shipping costs!

Bradley Wilson5 said:I haven't heard of anyone giving out free samples yet. Most of them just tell you that if you stick with them and start placing larger orders, they'll credit the cost of those initial samples toward your first big shipment. That's basically how it works...

So, what kind of goods would you actually import? They never bothered giving me samples—it was just as I described before... plus, you have to handle the shipping yourself...

Honestly, it seems a bit sketchy if someone offers you the product, the freight, and everything else all at once... but maybe that's just how the market is right now...

Mislav Cao,

How can I get ahold of your email or find out which firm you work for? Come on, don't be shy! :-)

I'm looking into importing some goods from India (Washington, D.C. to Miami)—about 100kg, 1cbm, with a value of roughly $500.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Susan Thompson2 said: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

Hey there,
I'm looking into ordering some mobile units from China. Everything looks straightforward on their website, and they'll handle the ocean freight.
The total value of the shipment is roughly $6667, and I’d be running this through my business. Does that mean I can claim a tax refund, and does anyone know what a typical shipping agent might charge for these services?
Also, any idea how long things usually sit at customs while the paperwork gets sorted out?

I am currently in the process of importing some mobile units for a colleague... please reach out if you need any assistance navigating this... and I'll say it again... it is much better if we coordinate our own shipping from the States rather than leaving it in the hands of those Chinese suppliers.

restlesstiger47 said:Hey there,
I'm looking into ordering some mobile units from China. Everything looks straightforward on their website, and they'll handle the ocean freight.
The total value of the shipment is roughly $6667, and I’d be running this through my business. Does that mean I can claim a tax refund, and does anyone know what a typical shipping agent might charge for these services?
Also, any idea how long things usually sit at customs while the paperwork gets sorted out?

So, here’s how it is... my experiences with this forum up to this point...

There is honestly no point in trying to help anyone.... most people posting here are just clueless, and those looking for specific advice are incredibly unserious about their business goals....

I mean, seriously—do you all actually believe that by ordering maybe 1 to 100 units of something—no matter how massive that feels to you right now—you can somehow dictate pricing or terms when dealing with suppliers in China? I have to ask... where exactly is your head at?

I have wasted so much precious time dealing with unserious individuals on this forum... it has reached the point where it isn't even funny anymore.

Take, for instance... Case Number 1... this gentleman... he’s just starting a small service-based business in the tourism sector... he wants certain goods... and he seems to think they’ll magically arrive from China tomorrow (via teleportation? and for free, naturally)... meanwhile, he hasn't even secured a rental space or officially registered his business... yet he’s already demanding discounts on Chinese imports..... I mean, really... (yes, I am talking about you!)

Case Number 2... this gentleman... he imports raw materials for his production line... "Made in America"... though, of course, the raw material comes from China... we are talking about tomato puree... which ends up being sold at Walmart..... after two months of back-and-forth communication and a meeting at his facility in Boise (yes, you!) I went out of my way to be helpful and even paid for the shipping of samples from China out of my own pocket—about $3,000-$1333... and of course, nothing ever came of the deal, and don't even get me started on the debt... the guy even broke his leg and stopped answering his phone, claiming he'd pay "tomorrow," and so on... he seemed like a legitimate professional at first... but there I was, having been burned.....

And I could go on forever!!

So that is the Heritage Foundation, entrepreneurship, and the rest of these Smiths!

If there are any actual serious professionals left in this group... I would ask only them to reach out to me...

wiredcrane13 said:I am currently in the process of importing some mobile units for a colleague... please reach out if you need any assistance navigating this... and I'll say it again... it is much better if we coordinate our own shipping from the States rather than leaving it in the hands of those Chinese suppliers.

Raw materials from China, but they call it an American product??? Give me a break.

And are you actually being serious? You go out of your way to pay someone else, and then you act shocked when they screw you over...

You're probably a good person who actually trusts people, but once you get burned—like I have, more than a few times—your whole outlook on people changes.

There’s probably like 1% of people out there who are decent and actually need help, and they'd actually appreciate it...

Greetings. It seems everyone here is preoccupied with discussing the FedEx shipping terms, but I find myself wondering if anyone actually has firsthand experience dealing with CIF—where the seller, specifically a Chinese person, handles all the costs, insurance, and freight... Any insights would be appreciated.

Richard Davis12 said:Greetings. It seems everyone here is preoccupied with discussing the FedEx shipping terms, but I find myself wondering if anyone actually has firsthand experience dealing with CIF—where the seller, specifically a Chinese person, handles all the costs, insurance, and freight... Any insights would be appreciated.

Honestly, when you look at the actual business side of things, there isn't a massive difference... it just basically means the person paying for the ocean freight changes hands, right?

I am well aware of that... However, my question remains: which route actually makes more sense financially? Or rather, which path is simpler to navigate when I am not looking to order an entire shipping container at once?

Richard Davis12 said:I am well aware of that... However, my question remains: which route actually makes more sense financially? Or rather, which path is simpler to navigate when I am not looking to order an entire shipping container at once?

Well, it really just comes down to your specific situation and whether you can find someone to handle an LCL shipment out of China,

I used to work with this one freight agency over in Cleveland that specialized in exactly that kind of shipping.

Even if you aren't grabbing a full container, it all boils down to how much stuff you're moving and what your margins look like. Right now, ocean freight rates are pretty low, so for most goods, just filling up maybe half of a 20' container is a totally solid way to go.

Cheers

Thank you

Looks like there are some pros in here, so I figured I'd toss a question out. I just placed my first order from China and one thing is tripping me up. I read online that shipping from China to the US takes about 30 days, and a buddy of mine said the same thing, but all these Chinese suppliers are quoting me a 7-day turnaround. I'm assuming this is sea freight, not air, since that's what they usually offer. I'm just confused because 7 days seems crazy fast given the distance. If it were an airplane, sure, but for a boat? It feels off.

Thanks for the help

So, I’m thinking about importing some stuff from China too. It looks like I’d need a 40" container, which would run me about $2,000 to get it all the way to Washington, D.C. Since I’d probably have maybe 2/3 or 3/4 of the space left over, I was thinking I could find someone to split the shipment with—you know, we just coordinate the timing and they cover their portion while I cover mine.

Is anyone actually interested in doing something like that?

But then again, when I look at these shipping rates and see how much they drive up the total cost, I really have to wonder if importing everything from China even makes sense. Like, how is that stuff even cheap in the first place? Maybe it only works if you're importing, I don't know, like a million units at once!

With the specific things I need—stuff that’s harder to move and better suited for smaller quantities—the price doesn't end up looking nearly as amazing as it seems.

Obviously... if you're just buying a couple of items at a time, shipping ends up costing more than the actual product. But when you buy in bulk, that shipping cost gets spread out across everything, so it barely hits the unit price at all...

Hey there! I'm trying to wrap my head around how shopping through Taobao or Paipai actually works over in China... I've been poking around online and stumbled upon some of those buying agents, like www.taobaobuying.com and http://taofocus.com/. Since I'm based here in the States, I'm not entirely sure if I can just order directly from the Chinese sites... or if using an agent is the only way to go? Has anyone actually dealt with this before?
Which shipping method is actually worth it? I checked out USPS and the prices are just brutal...
US Air Mail seems a lot cheaper, but since I'm living out in Pittsburgh, would I end up having to trek all the way to the airport in Boston to pick up a package?

It seems like everyone in Pittsburgh is flipping this stuff for profit, but nobody ever wants to spill the beans on HOW they actually pull it off.

Any advice would be appreciated... please help me out.