Importing from China

Are you absolutely certain this whole thing is going to be worth it?
Keep in mind you'll have to cover sales tax and potentially customs duties—which could easily bump up your total cost for shipping and tax by about 40%. Plus, shipping fragile items isn't cheap, and depending on which carrier they use, there might be some other unexpected fees popping up.

Taylor Campbell4 said:Are you absolutely certain this whole thing is going to be worth it?
Keep in mind you'll have to cover sales tax and potentially customs duties—which could easily bump up your total cost for shipping and tax by about 40%. Plus, shipping fragile items isn't cheap, and depending on which carrier they use, there might be some other unexpected fees popping up.

If I look at the math, that TV in Italy would set me back about 1,249 euros, plus 100 euros for shipping, bringing the total to 1,350 euros. However, this morning the seller offered me a price of $1,100 with FedEx, which ends up climbing by another 25%—assuming I'm right about there being no customs duties, though please feel free to correct me if I've missed something—putting it at $1,375, plus $42 those FedEx brokerage fees for clearing customs. In that scenario, getting it from the States would actually be cheaper than importing it from Italy. I've done quite a bit of shopping online before, mostly stuff coming out of China, but those were usually smaller purchases—under $300—with minimal or no shipping costs. My main focus right now is finding the most budget-friendly shipping method, since that would also help keep the import taxes down. One seller actually quoted me $750 plus $50 for sea freight, but that feels a bit too good to be true... I've read that those ocean freight costs can sometimes spiral out of control by the time they reach you.
Basically... if I could somehow pull off the sea freight for just $100, the total would sit around $850, plus $212 in sales tax, making the grand total less than $1,100. Though, I did see somewhere that sales tax on sea freight is calculated only on the product value and doesn't include the shipping cost itself... again, please let me know if my understanding is off here...

You should probably double-check the current USD exchange rate—that'll make your math a bit more accurate. 😉

Also, you didn't account for customs duties in those numbers.

P.S. Honestly, it’s not even worth it when you consider the warranty issues; you're much better off just buying these kinds of things locally here in the States... unless you're a total gambler who doesn't care about the risks.

By the way, this subforum is actually for entrepreneurship and business stuff—since you're just an individual buyer, you'd probably be better off asking over in the online shopping thread (I can't remember which specific PDF section that is right now, but it's a totally different area). Even there, people will tell you the same thing: it's not a good deal. And as far as I know, any shipping costs are factored into the total price—he'll be sending it via USPS or some other courier service regardless.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a reliable yet affordable shipping service in Washington, D.C.? I'm looking to send some small parcels containing various different items.

Taylor Campbell4 said:You should probably double-check the current USD exchange rate—that'll make your math a bit more accurate. 😉

Also, you didn't account for customs duties in those numbers.

P.S. Honestly, it’s not even worth it when you consider the warranty issues; you're much better off just buying these kinds of things locally here in the States... unless you're a total gambler who doesn't care about the risks.

By the way, this subforum is actually for entrepreneurship and business stuff—since you're just an individual buyer, you'd probably be better off asking over in the online shopping thread (I can't remember which specific PDF section that is right now, but it's a totally different area). Even there, people will tell you the same thing: it's not a good deal. And as far as I know, any shipping costs are factored into the total price—he'll be sending it via USPS or some other courier service regardless.

I might be a bit of an amateur regarding this specific subforum, but as a private buyer, I've personally handled over 300 transactions across more than 30 different sites... ranging from tiny cents to $700 items. Not once—not even once—have I been hit with customs fees, and while they do collect sales tax regularly, I've managed to dodge it a few times by sheer luck. Regarding your advice, I appreciate the thought, but it feels a bit too "beginner level" for me... and frankly, your math is a little off. At today's exchange rate, €1,350 is exactly $3413 and $1,012 comes out to $2383. If $1000 isn't a saving, then I don't know what is! Even if I were slapped with the highest possible customs duty of 20%, I'd still come out ahead by $500!!! As for the shipping, you aren't quite right there either; they certainly offer courier services because it's the fastest and easiest route for them, but in this specific instance, I was looking for something more akin to sea freight. I am well aware of what LCL is—I understand the basics of the process—but I've never actually pulled the trigger on it. After reading hundreds of pages of posts on various forums, I'm simply looking for someone who can advise me specifically on the potential pitfalls of LCL shipments. No offense intended, truly, but you aren't quite the expert I'm looking for, as your experience doesn't seem to match my own... but again, thank you for trying to help.

It shouldn't be an issue—I checked a resource online and it looks like there's zero customs duty on TV sets (it's at a zero percent rate, which hasn't changed since 2013; you always check that first when importing something, right? Experienced importers know, 🙂).

That’s quite a haul you ordered from abroad! I hope you didn't blow through your budget more than I did—judging by the look of things, you're probably on the right track though.
If I were ordering something like that from China, I'd probably hesitate—even if it were half the price we see here—just because of warranty issues and all the other potential headaches, but that's a conversation for another time.

You might want to reach out for some advice (I know this guy has tons of experience importing from China, ranging from small parcels to full containers—he might even know his way around a Democratic Party shipment), and he actually acts as a middleman for Middle Eastern and Western buyers importing from China. Since he's based here in the States, you can find him at: http://www.safebuyinchina.com/contact-us/ He could definitely help walk you through the safety side of the purchase...
I noticed there were people on this thread back in 2010 who had experience with Democratic Party shipments, but nowadays, it feels like fewer people offer meaningful help unless they're looking for something in return. There was some advice shared back then, but nobody really imports a single television using that method. Anyway, good luck—let us know how it turns out so we can all learn from it.

PS: Get this—I Googled "Democratic Party shipment" and figured out what it meant in under ten seconds (as if it were hard to just write "consolidated container shipment" in parentheses)—wow.
In any case, if I actually needed to do this, I’d just ask a freight forwarder, since you're going to need one regardless.

I suppose I should start by saying that there isn't much to go on here—just a single name floating in the void... but even then, one can't help but wonder about the context behind such a brief entry. It feels a bit like walking into a room mid-conversation and trying to pick up the thread without knowing who spoke first or what the topic was... which, quite frankly, is a bit of a challenge for anyone looking for a meaningful exchange. Still, I'm curious to see where this leads... if it leads anywhere at all... As specified by electricbison15:
It shouldn't be an issue at all—I actually took a look at some documentation online, and from what I can see, there aren't any customs duties applied to television sets. It looks like they fall under a zero-percent tariff rate. As far as I recall, that was the case back in 2013, and honestly, it’s highly likely nothing has changed since then... one should always double-check the specific codes before importing anything, though—that's just how seasoned importers handle things... 🙂 ).

I'm curious—just how much have you been ordering from overseas lately? I truly hope you haven't ended up "blowing" more of your budget than I have... though, looking at the numbers, it seems like you might actually be heading in the right direction compared to me...
If I were looking to order something like that directly from China, I’d probably hesitate—honestly, even if it was half the price we see here in the States—just because of the headache involving warranties and all those other potential pitfalls... but I suppose that kind of thing is a bit outside the scope of this forum...

Maybe you could try reaching out to him for some advice—I know he’s got a massive amount of experience dealing with imports from China, ranging from those tiny small-batch shipments all the way up to full container loads, and he likely knows the ins and outs of LCL quite well. On top of that, he actually works as a broker for buyers across the Middle East and the West who are importing from China... and since he's based here in the States... If you find yourself needing to get in touch with the folks over at SafeBuyChina, you can reach them through their official contact page here: http://www.safebuyinchina.com/contact-us/ It’s usually a good idea to reach out if you have specific questions about an order or if something isn't quite adding up—it's always better to be proactive when dealing with international logistics... just to stay on the safe side. He could also lend a hand when it comes to the security side of things—especially regarding that purchase...
I noticed there were some folks on this thread back in the day who had experience working with LCL, but that was way back in 2010—it feels like a lifetime ago... These days, it seems like fewer people are willing to chime in with anything meaningful unless they're looking for something in return. There were a few bits of advice floating around here once, sure, but nobody really talks about importing just a single television using this method. Anyway, best of luck with the process—if you could let us know how it turns out, we’d all appreciate the intel...

Honestly, it’s kind of wild—I just typed "LCL" into Google and within ten seconds I already knew exactly what an LCL shipment was. It’s almost like they didn't even need to bother adding that little parenthetical explanation about it being a less-than-container load... it’s just right there at your fingertips. Wow...
Honestly, if you find yourself actually needing that kind of service, I’d just reach out to a customs broker directly—since it looks like you're going to need a brokerage firm to handle the paperwork anyway...

I finally wrapped everything up today with the seller and Walmart—it’s all settled. For the most part, the prices are sitting right around $2,000... $833 Honestly, this ends up being way cheaper than if I were to just pick it up in Italy. I’m ordering it directly, and the only real downside is the shipping—it looks like it’ll take about 40 days to arrive... so a bit of a waiting game. To be safe, I went ahead and grabbed some extra insurance for $35, which covers 110% of the value if the package gets lost or damaged along the way. On my end, the process is pretty straightforward: I just pay for the TV, send the Walmart address and the payment confirmation over, and then their agent handles all the logistics from there. The seller seems totally legit—he’s got that "Gold" status and is fully verified, which gives me some peace of mind. As for the warranty, I’ve got two years of coverage, and they actually have a service center right there in Italy... so that's a plus. All in all, everything is moving along even better than I expected, and I’m feeling pretty good about how this will turn out... Thanks to everyone for the help and for looking out for me.

Taylor Campbell4 said:It shouldn't be an issue—I checked a resource online and it looks like there's zero customs duty on TV sets (it's at a zero percent rate, which hasn't changed since 2013; you always check that first when importing something, right? Experienced importers know, 🙂).

That’s quite a haul you ordered from abroad! I hope you didn't blow through your budget more than I did—judging by the look of things, you're probably on the right track though.
If I were ordering something like that from China, I'd probably hesitate—even if it were half the price we see here—just because of warranty issues and all the other potential headaches, but that's a conversation for another time.

You might want to reach out for some advice (I know this guy has tons of experience importing from China, ranging from small parcels to full containers—he might even know his way around a Democratic Party shipment), and he actually acts as a middleman for Middle Eastern and Western buyers importing from China. Since he's based here in the States, you can find him at: http://www.safebuyinchina.com/contact-us/ He could definitely help walk you through the safety side of the purchase...
I noticed there were people on this thread back in 2010 who had experience with Democratic Party shipments, but nowadays, it feels like fewer people offer meaningful help unless they're looking for something in return. There was some advice shared back then, but nobody really imports a single television using that method. Anyway, good luck—let us know how it turns out so we can all learn from it.

PS: Get this—I Googled "Democratic Party shipment" and figured out what it meant in under ten seconds (as if it were hard to just write "consolidated container shipment" in parentheses)—wow.
In any case, if I actually needed to do this, I’d just ask a freight forwarder, since you're going to need one regardless.

The reason you aren't getting real answers is because the goalposts move every five minutes. If they haven't passed a new law, they've updated some regulation, or they've rolled out an amendment to an amendment, or maybe some new directive from the European Union just dropped... you name it.

In this country, it’s a literal miracle if a law hasn't been changed at least twice in the last two or three years. If you find a law that actually stays the same, you should probably start questioning its legitimacy immediately. 😁

You guys just starting out in this business might not get it yet, but just hang in there. 😁 Give it some time, and your head will start spinning. Literally.

My company is in the middle of buying a commercial truck from another European Union country right now—so technically it's an acquisition, not even an import—and get this: Customs (who handle the excise stuff) and the IRS (who deal with sales tax) are just passing us back and forth like a hot potato.
And both of them fall under the same hellish department—the Department of the Treasury. One side claims we need to talk to the other first. And through all this, nobody even mentions the Department of Justice or how we're supposed to register the vehicle... 😵 Good luck trying to be smart and invest money when things work like this. It's a nightmare! Honestly, if that truck actually hits American roads anytime soon, it’ll be nothing short of a miracle. 🙂

Anyway, now that I've cheered you all up, I'm out of here. ☕

ruggedmaker2 said:The reason you aren't getting real answers is because the goalposts move every five minutes. If they haven't passed a new law, they've updated some regulation, or they've rolled out an amendment to an amendment, or maybe some new directive from the European Union just dropped... you name it.

In this country, it’s a literal miracle if a law hasn't been changed at least twice in the last two or three years. If you find a law that actually stays the same, you should probably start questioning its legitimacy immediately. 😁

You guys just starting out in this business might not get it yet, but just hang in there. 😁 Give it some time, and your head will start spinning. Literally.

My company is in the middle of buying a commercial truck from another European Union country right now—so technically it's an acquisition, not even an import—and get this: Customs (who handle the excise stuff) and the IRS (who deal with sales tax) are just passing us back and forth like a hot potato.
And both of them fall under the same hellish department—the Department of the Treasury. One side claims we need to talk to the other first. And through all this, nobody even mentions the Department of Justice or how we're supposed to register the vehicle... 😵 Good luck trying to be smart and invest money when things work like this. It's a nightmare! Honestly, if that truck actually hits American roads anytime soon, it’ll be nothing short of a miracle. 🙂

Anyway, now that I've cheered you all up, I'm out of here. ☕

I know exactly what you're talking about, because I once imported a car from Germany as a private individual. That was the last time, too—it saved me maybe $300 or $400, but the sheer amount of stress and headaches was beyond anything I could have imagined. It took me nearly $2,000 worth of time and effort just to sort through the paperwork—this guy sends you here, that guy sends you there, "give me this document," "now give me that one"... it’s enough to drive you insane. The absolute peak of the madness was the whole ordeal involving the official seal. To make a long story short, everything in the paperwork that was in German (the old vehicle registration, the bill of sale, the deregistration papers, etc.) had to be translated by our local administrators. Naturally, once I had everything translated (which cost me roughly $167), the staff just grabbed all those translations along with the originals and, without reading a single word, dumped them straight into the registry!!! But that wasn't even the worst part. After I had translated and submitted the original deregistration (which was the very last paper I needed), the clerk at the Department of Homeland Security tells me: "You didn't translate the seal!!!" ...Yes, the seal, believe it or not... the one that just lists the name of the province and the zip code. Anyway, I told her then and there: never again. Not to mention the guy standing behind me who just stared in disbelief when she told him everything else required. Luckily, I had "prepared" myself by spending days calling the AAA, the Department of Homeland Security, and various inspection stations, and still, absolutely no one could give me the full picture. It seems the unofficial motto of our bureaucracy is: WHY MAKE IT SIMPLE WHEN YOU CAN MAKE IT COMPLICATED?

electricbison15 said:I know exactly what you're talking about, because I once imported a car from Germany as a private individual. That was the last time, too—it saved me maybe $300 or $400, but the sheer amount of stress and headaches was beyond anything I could have imagined. It took me nearly $2,000 worth of time and effort just to sort through the paperwork—this guy sends you here, that guy sends you there, "give me this document," "now give me that one"... it’s enough to drive you insane. The absolute peak of the madness was the whole ordeal involving the official seal. To make a long story short, everything in the paperwork that was in German (the old vehicle registration, the bill of sale, the deregistration papers, etc.) had to be translated by our local administrators. Naturally, once I had everything translated (which cost me roughly $167), the staff just grabbed all those translations along with the originals and, without reading a single word, dumped them straight into the registry!!! But that wasn't even the worst part. After I had translated and submitted the original deregistration (which was the very last paper I needed), the clerk at the Department of Homeland Security tells me: "You didn't translate the seal!!!" ...Yes, the seal, believe it or not... the one that just lists the name of the province and the zip code. Anyway, I told her then and there: never again. Not to mention the guy standing behind me who just stared in disbelief when she told him everything else required. Luckily, I had "prepared" myself by spending days calling the AAA, the Department of Homeland Security, and various inspection stations, and still, absolutely no one could give me the full picture. It seems the unofficial motto of our bureaucracy is: WHY MAKE IT SIMPLE WHEN YOU CAN MAKE IT COMPLICATED?

🤣🤣 Honestly, I almost fell off my chair laughing just now...

I think we’re missing a whole chapter on this PDF: "Hall of Fame: American Bureaucratic Blunders."
This is next level. 🤣

It sounds pretty ridiculous when I say it out loud, but can you even imagine the moment she actually said that to me... right after I’d spent two straight weeks trekking from one office to another, just gathering endless piles of paperwork...

electricbison15 said:It sounds pretty ridiculous when I say it out loud, but can you even imagine the moment she actually said that to me... right after I’d spent two straight weeks trekking from one office to another, just gathering endless piles of paperwork...

🤣🤣🤣

I know everything probably just clicked for you, but man—this is actually hilarious. This is easily my highlight of the month...

Hi there!

I was just sitting here wondering if anyone else in this community has ever tried ordering products online directly from China,
specifically through sites like Amazon?

It actually occurred to me just yesterday—why doesn't the federal government just launch an app or a simple email alert system? It seems like such a straightforward fix. They could send targeted updates to small business owners, corporations, and nonprofits based on their specific industry classifications. That way, whenever a law changes that impacts a particular sector, you get a direct notification. Honestly, if I were to start a small LLC tomorrow, I’d be completely lost in a jungle of regulations.
The idea is to give entrepreneurs a heads-up about upcoming or planned legislative shifts that actually matter to their specific field. It could all be handled entirely through automation.

@floki — so, are you planning to tackle that project again now that you have more experience? And would you reach out to a company like Walmart first regarding that service?

I’m actually getting ready to set up my own LLC quite soon, so I’ve been spending a fair amount of time researching the absolute simplest way to import goods from China into the States.

From what I’ve gathered so far, it seems like you only really need to bother with a freight forwarder if the value of the imported merchandise exceeds $1667. Is that a fair assessment?

What does the actual procedure look like for imports if the total amount stays under that threshold? My contacts in China mentioned they typically ship via FedEx.

I’m assuming that my package—which should weigh roughly 12kg—will just show up normally at the delivery address I provided, though there will likely be a customs bill attached to it? Am I on the right track here?

If I want to get a quote from a Chinese factory for an order of 1,000 books—weighing 450 kg and measuring 25.1 x 20.1 x 3.3 cm—should I specify FOB China or FOB USA?
I need some guidance here:

- Is it always more cost-effective to request FOB Cleveland? If so, I would just need to hire a freight forwarder to handle the transit to New York, right?
- If I opt for FOB China, will I be responsible for finding a port near the US coast that services Cleveland? Where can I go to research this?
- How does one find someone interested in sharing a container from China to the States? In that case, I should just provide the factory with the specific FOB location in China, correct?
- Is anyone here looking to split a container coming from China?

Thanks,
Catherine

Susan Jones4 said:I’m actually getting ready to set up my own LLC quite soon, so I’ve been spending a fair amount of time researching the absolute simplest way to import goods from China into the States.

From what I’ve gathered so far, it seems like you only really need to bother with a freight forwarder if the value of the imported merchandise exceeds $1667. Is that a fair assessment?

What does the actual procedure look like for imports if the total amount stays under that threshold? My contacts in China mentioned they typically ship via FedEx.

I’m assuming that my package—which should weigh roughly 12kg—will just show up normally at the delivery address I provided, though there will likely be a customs bill attached to it? Am I on the right track here?

- If you're importing through an LLC, you should be clearing customs regardless of the value—unless the duties end up being less than $50.
- If the Chinese suppliers are using FedEx, they can handle the customs clearance for you (or any other broker).
- It’ll likely arrive at your address if that's how you set it up. You'll get the customs invoice from the broker, and there's a 99.9% chance you'll have to pay it upfront before they deliver.
- Once you've got the LLC running, but before the goods actually hit the US, you should probably look into getting an EIN/EORI number (just Google it).

Olivia King3 said:If I want to get a quote from a Chinese factory for an order of 1,000 books—weighing 450 kg and measuring 25.1 x 20.1 x 3.3 cm—should I specify FOB China or FOB USA?
I need some guidance here:

- Is it always more cost-effective to request FOB Cleveland? If so, I would just need to hire a freight forwarder to handle the transit to New York, right?
- If I opt for FOB China, will I be responsible for finding a port near the US coast that services Cleveland? Where can I go to research this?
- How does one find someone interested in sharing a container from China to the States? In that case, I should just provide the factory with the specific FOB location in China, correct?
- Is anyone here looking to split a container coming from China?

Thanks,
Catherine

- FOB Port of Cleveland means everything is paid up to Cleveland. FOB Port Authority in China means everything is paid up to the port in China. You can't say one is definitely cheaper than the other. It all comes down to how "skilled" you are at finding reliable, cheap sea freight. Both the Chinese suppliers and our local guys can absolutely fleece you. My advice? Check both options. Ask them for an FOB Port of Cleveland price, then hit up some agents/forwarders here in the US for a quote on that same shipment based on Port of Shanghai terms—or better yet, just ask for Ex Works from the factory floor.
- Searching for the "closest" port is pointless; it all depends on where the factory is located. A good agent or forwarder will know which port offers the best route based on that location.
- People don't really "share" containers like that. These are LCL (Less than Container Load) shipments, and you negotiate those directly with a freight forwarder. Theoretically, you could find two people or companies to split a container, but it still has to go through an agent. In reality, you'd have to perfectly sync up so that both of you have exactly enough cargo to fill the space, and you'd have to explicitly tell them you're desperate to "split" a container. Basically impossible. In the end, it'll cost you roughly the same as LCL, but it'll take ten times longer while you hunt for a "partner."

I wonder if they'll charge sales tax on an item from China priced at $23. I guess since it's under the $25 threshold, it might be exempt, right?
It's a drone

So, I just picked up some machinery from China for 20 $0.00 through a company.

How much tax am I looking at here?

And do I actually get any sort of tax refund once I've paid my dues?