Importing from China

Thanks so much for all the info. Honestly, the last thing I want to do is fly all the way to China—it would be absolutely ideal if I could just get this entire thing sorted from my own armchair here in the States. If I’m reading this right, they handle the shipping arrangements, don't they? And look, I’m completely lost when it comes to those acronyms like T/T or L/C, but I'll dig into it—no harm in learning, right? I always assumed a trip was mandatory because that's what I'd heard, and even the Chinese person I've been emailing keeps insisting we come out there in person. By the way, he actually thinks I'm a man... I've just been playing dumb because I haven't a clue how to correct him, but maybe they just aren't fond of working with women? Though, if I'm being honest, I suspect my own biases might be even more old-fashioned than theirs, if you catch my drift.

I really hope you aren't planning on importing one of those Chinese SUVs that pulled a literal zero on the crash tests!!!
It’s officially the first car in history to actually "achieve" that kind of score 😁 😁 😁

So, let me continue my explanations for Dennis Lewis5, just so I can make certain everything is crystal clear to you.

1. The Chinese absolutely have nothing against doing business with women; quite the contrary, in fact. In the vast majority of instances, the women are actually the ones I am communicating with or meeting face-to-face. And if you want the easiest way to establish that kind of personal rapport, you simply head to trade shows across Europe. I highly recommend New York City. It’s much more accessible than flying all the way to China, and since it hosts the largest and most frequented exhibitions in the region, that is where they almost always show up. You really ought to research when the specific company you are interested in—or perhaps already working with—is exhibiting. Once you know, you can invite them out for a beer, some sausages, or even a proper business dinner. There, you will see for yourself what I mentioned above: at most booths, you'll find women running the show. They often go by names familiar to us, like Sarah, Wendy, or Joanna, though their surnames will, of course, be characteristically Chinese.
Mind you, I should reiterate that this isn't strictly necessary; you can certainly wrap up an entire deal without ever leaving your own hometown.
You can find a complete calendar online. Just type Google CES into your search bar and it will pull up all the relevant events for you.

2. As for transport, that falls entirely on your shoulders—you organize it and you foot the bill. Once the goods you ordered are ready for dispatch, the supplier will ask for the delivery address of the freight forwarder who will be handling the shipment all the way to America. Over here, we rely on major shipping giants like FedEx or Carl Schenker. These companies maintain offices in every corner of the globe, and they will handle all the logistical heavy lifting for you.

3. Regarding payments, T/T and L/C are the primary methods. L/C stands for Letter of Credit, which is essentially a bank guarantee. It serves to ensure that you don't necessarily have to pay for the goods upfront, because the bank guarantees the payment instead. However, using an L/C drives up your costs because a bank guarantee is a premium service, so I personally never use it. T/T is the payment method I described to you previously.

I could probably start charging you for these lessons, ha ha ha!
If any other questions cross your mind, please, just ask.
Best regards!

Honestly, you really should be charging for this kind of insight—I mean, look at us, the whole forum is now educated on imports from China because of you, if not even more people beyond this circle. (And let’s face it, the US is dealing with such a massive trade deficit right now.) What you’re doing here is basically pure volunteer work! 👍
Anyway, thanks a million. We pull imports from Europe all the time and frequently deal with FedEx, so this info is going to be incredibly useful for us.

Anyone here have experience importing from India?

Dennis Lewis5, man, what would you even import from China? I’m pulling stuff in from all over the map these days. You might actually have some solid advice for me...

jaffar, come on, write a few more pages...

Also, if anyone here imports from China, could you help me out? I'm looking to order a computer, and I was wondering if I could run an order through one of you guys. Does anyone know roughly what the shipping costs and all those extra fees would look like?

I actually know a woman who lived in China for five years—she’s now working in consultancy, helping businesses track down partners, handling imports, and navigating all that paperwork... 😉

If you want her phone number, just shoot me a PM... 🙂

Go ahead and send them over, but only if you can help me out with individual items. I’m looking for one-off pieces, not bulk orders of a thousand units.
Can I work out a deal with the company where they order through me? My idea is to have them ship it directly to their place, then I pick it up from them and pay them a small commission for the trouble.

Hey everyone! I’m looking for some guidance on importing produce and various food products from China. Does anyone know who the best point of contact would be for this kind of thing?
I tried reaching out to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, but they weren't exactly eager to share any helpful info. 😕

tincha said:Hey everyone, I’m looking for some info on importing fruit, veggies, and other food products from China—does anyone know who might be the right contact for that?
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to help me out with any details... 😕

Maybe try reaching out to the Chinese embassy. They should probably be interested in helping you navigate that—I'd imagine.

Maybe you guys should try to actually export something to China for once!

enga said:Does anyone have experience importing from China, or specifically, what it’s like doing business with Chinese people?

😂

Could someone walk me through the basic steps for importing goods from China?

I've been browsing the Made in China site and picked out a product, but I'm stuck on what comes next...😕

Look...

Once you track down a supplier... hit them up with an inquiry for specific goods on FOB terms—say, FOB Shanghai—and specify if you need a 20' or 40' container.

After you get that quote... don't forget to factor in the shipping costs from China all the way to Oakland.

+ customs + sales tax

I've dealt with plenty of Chinese suppliers myself—someone else already covered the payment side of things... I’d just add that you have to obsess over every tiny detail. If you don't explicitly define exactly what's included in the price, you're going to end up getting something completely different from what you expected.
As for delivery timelines? They love to run late. You've got their New Year celebrations early in the year where everything basically grinds to a halt for nearly a month—if you need gear during that window, make sure you nail down the actual arrival date so you don't get screwed. My rule of thumb? Take whatever the freight forwarders tell you and add at least two extra weeks for the container's transit.
Also, getting the actual order moving can drag on forever while you're arguing over container counts and load types. Remember the time difference, too. Don't sit on those emails—in my experience, if they catch you being slow, they'll be incredibly quick to push back during negotiations.

God! It makes me want to scream. This obsession with importing from China... it’s ridiculous. They just flood the market with junk, and then everyone wonders why they're constantly replacing broken stuff. But apparently, that doesn't bother the average person here in America. I personally refuse to buy anything made in China. I’d much rather pay a little extra for quality than deal with literal trash. I won't even step foot in their stores, let alone give them a dime. Honestly, we should be supporting our own American companies so our people actually have jobs, instead of bumping into some little fat Chinese person on every street corner. I get that domestic goods cost more, but importing garbage isn't the answer.

Yeah, I guess it’s better to just buy all that junk produced by those greedy American tycoons and thieves...

Chloe Sullivan14 said:God! It makes me want to scream. This obsession with importing from China... it’s ridiculous. They just flood the market with junk, and then everyone wonders why they're constantly replacing broken stuff. But apparently, that doesn't bother the average person here in America. I personally refuse to buy anything made in China. I’d much rather pay a little extra for quality than deal with literal trash. I won't even step foot in their stores, let alone give them a dime. Honestly, we should be supporting our own American companies so our people actually have jobs, instead of bumping into some little fat Chinese person on every street corner. I get that domestic goods cost more, but importing garbage isn't the answer.

I'm guessing the girl in the original post doesn't buy hair clips or whatever random nonsense you find in those dollar stores. China has leveled up in manufacturing—half the things you buy from Italy or elsewhere were probably made in China anyway. Any company that actually wants to survive while making mass-market goods is moving production to China or somewhere similar, mostly because the labor is so cheap.

Either way, it's obvious she thinks selling expensive stuff to people living on an average salary is a losing game.

To me, 👎 it feels like some sort of fake patriotism—there's no such thing as "patriotism" in business.

If you listen to Goldman... I’d be out of a job entirely..

Unemployment is climbing...

Definitely doesn't feel very patriotic..