Importing from China

By the way, if anyone out there is looking to team up on a partnership or wants to split some shipping containers and costs to save a bit of money, feel free to reach out...

Greetings. I am currently in search of a reliable import agent specializing in logistics from China—does anyone here have a solid recommendation?

brightcanyon18 said:Hey everyone.

So, I’m just starting out with importing stuff myself.
I tracked down this supplier over in Indonesia, and I'm looking to buy/import about 50
cell phones.
The guy told me straight up—"If you order 50 units, we'll waive the shipping costs and fees. Our company handles everything."
And from what I hear, there aren't any customs duties on cell phones, so it should just be sales tax.

Does anyone here actually have experience importing phones or anything like that?!

Honestly, I'm a little sketched out that this might be some kind of scam...
....who knows what kind of junk phones I'll actually get ....
....or if they'll even show up at all ....
This isn't exactly pocket change we're talking about here.

Apparently, I also have to report this to the Federal Communications Commission and deal with getting all sorts of permits...

Anyway, if anyone has been through this, please, enlighten me...

Thanks in advance

Cheers

You're definitely gonna get hit with customs. Even if you just buy some cheap phone pouches, they'll charge you. They probably include the shipping because it's a bulk package, but that "free fee" thing sounds totally sketchy. Like, what does that even mean? A free fee? Makes zero sense.

A friend of mine is looking into importing some films from China... we already sent an inquiry to one supplier, and the pricing looks decent... roughly $2 per unit for a batch of 1,000... FOB Long Beach

Given that this will increase the box size (we're talking about maybe 4 packs of 500 sheets of A4 paper), I don't see them sending this via ocean freight in a container,

Does anyone have any advice? My gut feeling is that shipping by air might actually be more cost-effective... unless they end up receiving a tiny little box sitting inside a massive container full of Styrofoam 🙂 .. the unit price is attractive enough that even paying for a container—around $1,500 based on what people are saying in this thread—would be worth it. But if air freight ends up being cheaper, or at least comparable, then it’s definitely faster...

Any insights or past experiences you can share? What would the total landed cost look like here? We are ordering 1,000 units... so that's $2 per unit plus shipping, customs, taxes, handling fees, and all that good stuff...

Larry Fisher3 said:You're definitely gonna get hit with customs. Even if you just buy some cheap phone pouches, they'll charge you. They probably include the shipping because it's a bulk package, but that "free fee" thing sounds totally sketchy. Like, what does that even mean? A free fee? Makes zero sense.

Totally agree. Customs is a given; there's no way you're getting stuff through without paying up.

Paul Williams9 said:A friend of mine is looking into importing some films from China... we already sent an inquiry to one supplier, and the pricing looks decent... roughly $2 per unit for a batch of 1,000... FOB Long Beach

Given that this will increase the box size (we're talking about maybe 4 packs of 500 sheets of A4 paper), I don't see them sending this via ocean freight in a container,

Does anyone have any advice? My gut feeling is that shipping by air might actually be more cost-effective... unless they end up receiving a tiny little box sitting inside a massive container full of Styrofoam 🙂 .. the unit price is attractive enough that even paying for a container—around $1,500 based on what people are saying in this thread—would be worth it. But if air freight ends up being cheaper, or at least comparable, then it’s definitely faster...

Any insights or past experiences you can share? What would the total landed cost look like here? We are ordering 1,000 units... so that's $2 per unit plus shipping, customs, taxes, handling fees, and all that good stuff...

Well, depends entirely on how fast you need it. If it's not urgent... you can just bundle it into a sea container... shipping for that amount to NYC should run you somewhere around $300-$400.

Total import costs = film + shipping + customs (maybe 12% max) + sales tax + brokerage fees (around $167)

I'm looking at picking up three or four office containers for my business. The Chinese have a massive selection out there, though I haven't actually dug into the pricing yet, but what do you guys think—is it even worth the headache of importing something like this from China? Also, is it actually possible to cut a deal where they don't just head back empty after dropping them off 😬?

it all comes down to the price tag and what kind of gear you're looking at, obviously
plus, it really depends on what your specific needs are... I seem to recall back in the day you could snag some of those old units sitting in shipping containers for next to nothing once they were decommissioned 😁

and sure, it's totally doable to join a union, just be careful which one you sign up for so you don't end up stuck on mandatory vacation for a couple of years😬

brisktinker15 said:I'm looking at picking up three or four office containers for my business. The Chinese have a massive selection out there, though I haven't actually dug into the pricing yet, but what do you guys think—is it even worth the headache of importing something like this from China? Also, is it actually possible to cut a deal where they don't just head back empty after dropping them off 😬?

You looking for actual office containers or just old shipping containers you can convert into offices?..

Office containers—you know, the full setup with electrical, insulation, windows, and a restroom.

Honestly, importing standard shipping containers probably isn't worth the headache since I can just source used ones right here in the States and retrofit them myself...

brisktinker15 said:Office containers—you know, the full setup with electrical, insulation, windows, and a restroom.

Honestly, importing standard shipping containers probably isn't worth the headache since I can just source used ones right here in the States and retrofit them myself...

Personally, I don't see the point in pulling that stuff from China—they're oversized loads and the shipping fees will kill you... if you actually need some old containers, hit me up.. I've got plenty sitting in Cleveland.

I mean, how is this even considered oversized when the dimensions are basically identical to your standard shipping container? 🤷

brisktinker15 said:I mean, how is this even considered oversized when the dimensions are basically identical to your standard shipping container? 🤷

Yeah... I'm with you there. Sure, the dimensions might look just like a standard shipping container, but a residential unit doesn't have that CSC plate—it's not built for sea freight. You can't just stack it or haul it around as an empty; you’d have to load it onto a flat rack.

driftingeagle2 said:Yeah... I'm with you there. Sure, the dimensions might look just like a standard shipping container, but a residential unit doesn't have that CSC plate—it's not built for sea freight. You can't just stack it or haul it around as an empty; you’d have to load it onto a flat rack.

Hmm... I'm totally lost here... someone please explain this to me in plain English for the slow kids on the block😬

brisktinker15 said:Hmm... I'm totally lost here... someone please explain this to me in plain English for the slow kids on the block😬

hm... in English it goes like this.... a shipping container is a shipping container and a storage unit is a storage unit...

I mean, I’d love to import some shoes... but I'm stuck at square one.
First off, I found these killer shoes on eBay being sold by someone from China.
The problem is, she won't tell me who her supplier or manufacturer is, and I can't track down anything quite like them anywhere else. Even using Alibaba is a total nightmare—you just type in "shoes" and the search engine throws everything and anything at you. It's useless.

Anyway, I run my own small business, but I don't have a freight forwarder lined up yet. That's the real headache. Does anyone actually know what shipping costs look like these days?

Has anyone here actually bought stuff off Alibaba? I’m looking at phones and electronics, but I can't tell if the gear is legit or if those manufacturers in China are just trying to rip me off. Anyone have some real-world experience with this?

Just wanted to shake things up here a bit... I have a question for the experts. I’m definitely not an economist, but I’ve got some ideas and plans brewing. Is it possible for a domestic company to buy goods from China through a middleman—basically buying from another American firm that specializes in importing from China? Or is every single business forced to deal with the Chinese suppliers directly and handle their own imports?

Sure enough

I've got some folks from China reaching out to me lately, trying to recruit me as an agent for them... they've got just about everything you could want in terms of consumer goods. I haven't signed anything or committed to anything yet, but I'm definitely curious to see if there's some real business potential to be found here...