Importing from China

Steven Anderson14 said:So, we’ve got a bit of a situation where a supplier (based outside the US) totally botched an invoice. It already cleared customs and everything, but basically, the sales tax was undercalculated because the total should have been $1,100 higher than what was listed. What's the deadline for notifying Customs to fix the tax assessment? And more importantly, what kind of penalties are we looking at if we don't report it right away? I’ve been digging through the CBP website, but I can’t find anything concrete.
Any help would be appreciated if anyone knows the drill.

Just an update for anyone wondering—I figured it out. You can report all those discrepancies within a 3-year window without getting hit with any penalties.

How are you all sourcing manufacturers in China? Is Alibaba the go-to, or is there a better way? I’m assuming I shouldn't be paying some middleman agent...

Ronald Allen5 said:How are you all sourcing manufacturers in China? Is Alibaba the go-to, or is there a better way? I’m assuming I shouldn't be paying some middleman agent...

Just tell me specifically what you're looking for?

Ronald Allen5 said:How are you all sourcing manufacturers in China? Is Alibaba the go-to, or is there a better way? I’m assuming I shouldn't be paying some middleman agent...

If you're using Alibaba, you can actually see how many years each vendor has been active on the platform, which is really the first thing you ought to check; if they’ve only been around for a single year, I’d probably just steer clear entirely.
Alibaba also has its own community forums, so you can pretty much dig into the feedback and gauge how much people actually trust a specific seller.

Michael Hayes8 said:If you're using Alibaba, you can actually see how many years each vendor has been active on the platform, which is really the first thing you ought to check; if they’ve only been around for a single year, I’d probably just steer clear entirely.
Alibaba also has its own community forums, so you can pretty much dig into the feedback and gauge how much people actually trust a specific seller.

Then there are those "Gold Members" who have been around forever, yet I still read stories about them scamming people without any consequences. The real issue is that Alibaba doesn't offer the kind of protection you get with, say, Amazon...

People suggest hiring an agent to inspect the goods before shipping. But how do I know that agent isn't in cahoots with the supplier? I could end up paying both of them and losing everything.

It's a minefield of "what ifs." Still, considering we import stuff from China every single day, it leaves me with plenty of questions...

Hey everyone,

I’ve been in touch with a supplier over in China and we’ve pretty much settled all the details. I’m just stuck on how to handle the payment—they want either a partial or full deposit before they start production, which totally makes sense. The catch is that if I use TT, they’re going to tack on an extra $50 per transaction, but if I go through WU, there aren't any extra fees.
I’ve actually never used WU before—no experience there at all—and I don't think my bank (Federal Reserve) even supports it. Plus, I’m not entirely sure if sending payments this way is even allowed under our regulations; I definitely don't want to end up breaking any rules, so I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks!

From what I gather, when you use Walmart, you're essentially sending cash directly to an individual rather than a registered corporation, so that probably won't hold any water if you're actually trying to clear a formal customs shipment through official channels

I guess maybe Walmart charges you a fee for sending money too, and it looks like it could be close to 15% if I'm not mistaken.
Why don't you just send it directly to their account through SWIFT instead?

Thanks for the input,
My Chinese suppliers basically slap a $50 surcharge on me if I pay through a bank—they claim that's what the bank charges them, so they just pass it right back to me. If I used Walmart instead, there wouldn't be any extra fees from their end—so I was just wondering if anyone here has experience paying proforma invoices via Walmart and could share their thoughts.
Nothing else to do but go through SWIFT—I'll just bake that $50 into my landing costs.

Greetings everyone,

Amy Palmer32, I see you have some experience navigating Alibaba. I’ve spent the last few days negotiating with several different suppliers over there—specifically direct factories, since I wanted to go straight to the source—to finalize deals for some LED components, switches, and tiles. So, I'm currently working with three separate factories. They’ve all sent over their quotes for both the goods and the shipping costs. For the LEDs, I settled on using FedEx for about $50, while the other items are looking at roughly a hundred bucks for express shipping. Now, here is my question: does the price they quoted include customs duties, sales tax, and everything else? Or am I obligated to ask each seller specifically if the total is truly "all-in"? 😕

EDIT: One more thing—I haven't gone overboard with the quantities; we're talking maybe 4,000 diodes, about a hundred switches, and ten tiles. I'm starting to worry that by the time everything lands, it might actually end up costing me more than just buying them locally here in the States. The diodes should be fine, but for the other two items... well, I'm honestly not so sure. :S

Well, that might help you get through customs, but the real question is whether you actually have the legal authority to import it and what kind of paperwork you’re using to do it

I handled my own import through my LLC, so I just paid the customs duties and sales tax directly

I’ll be handling all the payments and importing everything through my business—my registered activities include international wholesale and retail, so that should cover the legal side. But here is what I am trying to wrap my head around: should I be adding an extra 35% markup to my cost calculations for everything I buy? I am looking at a 25% sales tax plus 10% customs duties... it adds up quickly. Right now, the diodes are coming in at $148 including shipping, the switches are $150 excluding freight, and the boards are sitting at $261 total. Everything is being shipped via FedEx, so I am assuming they won't hit me with any surprise fees beyond that initial 35%. Also, will I actually be able to write off that 25% sales tax later on? 😕

Amy Palmer32 said:I’ll be handling all the payments and importing everything through my business—my registered activities include international wholesale and retail, so that should cover the legal side. But here is what I am trying to wrap my head around: should I be adding an extra 35% markup to my cost calculations for everything I buy? I am looking at a 25% sales tax plus 10% customs duties... it adds up quickly. Right now, the diodes are coming in at $148 including shipping, the switches are $150 excluding freight, and the boards are sitting at $261 total. Everything is being shipped via FedEx, so I am assuming they won't hit me with any surprise fees beyond that initial 35%. Also, will I actually be able to write off that 25% sales tax later on? 😕

They’re gonna tack on the shipping costs too. Sales tax and customs duties are calculated based on the product price PLUS the delivery fee. And honestly, if sales tax is 25% and customs is 10%, it’s actually going to be more than 35% total—unless I'm tripping. It’s usually 10% duty applied first, then you take the sales tax on that whole amount. Or maybe it's the other way around, idk, just don't let it catch you off guard.

But hey, if you're registered for sales tax, you can "deduct" that 25%, right?

Hi everyone!
I'm looking to pick up something from China for personal use—it's about $150 and weighs somewhere between 50 and 100 lbs. The catch is that shipping alone is coming out to roughly $2,000! Does anyone have any advice? I was wondering if there's a way to find someone who already imports goods and might have some extra space in a container they could share. I'm in no rush, so timing isn't an issue. Thanks in advance!

Donna Kim4 said:Hi everyone!
I'm looking to pick up something from China for personal use—it's about $150 and weighs somewhere between 50 and 100 lbs. The catch is that shipping alone is coming out to roughly $2,000! Does anyone have any advice? I was wondering if there's a way to find someone who already imports goods and might have some extra space in a container they could share. I'm in no rush, so timing isn't an issue. Thanks in advance!

From what I understand, you can definitely opt for shared containers—basically, you just rent a portion of the space—so you shouldn't end up spending a fortune. It all really boils down to the volume you're taking up, but I'd imagine it wouldn't exceed $100, maybe even much less! What you're looking at right now is almost certainly air freight, given that shipping by plane can easily run you $10 or more per kilo.
If you happen to be in New York City, try reaching out to folks on those local import forums or even check near Jefferson; they're constantly bringing things in from China and might be able to help you out.

Thinking about importing some plastic flowers from China.
Anyone here have experience with that—or maybe a solid agent I could hit up?
Cheers

Alexander Kern6 said:From what I understand, you can definitely opt for shared containers—basically, you just rent a portion of the space—so you shouldn't end up spending a fortune. It all really boils down to the volume you're taking up, but I'd imagine it wouldn't exceed $100, maybe even much less! What you're looking at right now is almost certainly air freight, given that shipping by plane can easily run you $10 or more per kilo.
If you happen to be in New York City, try reaching out to folks on those local import forums or even check near Jefferson; they're constantly bringing things in from China and might be able to help you out.

wanderingwalker61 said:Thinking about importing some plastic flowers from China.
Anyone here have experience with that—or maybe a solid agent I could hit up?
Cheers

A full shipping container is around $2,000...
For 150 kg, weight isn't the main factor—it's more about the dimensions.

It all depends on which port you choose for pickup...
You can find agents online or handle it individually.
You could also cut a deal with a freight forwarder...😉

How much total quantity are we talking about?

Written on my phone—please excuse any typos.

Hi there!

I have a few questions regarding importing stuff from China. I’ve been browsing sites like Taobao or MisterTaobao—you know, those platforms that handle shipping to the US—but I'm hitting a wall. Some items priced at, say, 100 yuan end up costing nearly as much as something from $33, and once you factor in the shipping costs to get it here, the math just doesn't seem to add up! That said, I saw this one girl who seems to be consistently ordering their products (likely through an agent) and she's selling them for double—maybe even more—the original price and making a killing. Does anyone know the secret? What am I missing?

I've been wrestling with this for a while now—and honestly, I'm feeling a little lost—but I just can't figure out where the catch is!🙂🙂🙂🙂🤷🤷🤷🤷🤷

It all comes down to securing a dependable supplier who can consistently provide a low procurement cost.

Do you happen to have any more intel on this? Like, where should I go looking—maybe some specific sites—or who’s actually worth contacting? Every single site I check seems to charge the exact same shipping fees, which obviously scale up with weight... but honestly, $27 just to ship one single T-shirt? Bitch, please.

For instance—I found these sweatpants from a vendor in China $28, and they're listed here for $67. Once you factor in the shipping costs, there's zero point in buying them... you'd basically be paying extra just to lose money.