Importing from China

Can anyone point me in the right direction here? I’m hunting for an 8m hydraulic aperture bank—does anyone know a dealer currently stocking them, or maybe someone who could help me navigate the headache of importing one directly from China? Is that actually doable, or am I just chasing a pipe dream? And honestly, is the pricing over there actually significantly lower, or is that just some marketing hype? Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone here has had any experience importing textiles—specifically t-shirts—from China or Thailand...
Since I'm still figuring out how the tax situation works over here, I’d love to know what the standard procedure looks like regarding customs and duties in the States...

Thanks in advance for any insight you can share.🙂

Customs is 14% plus you still gotta deal with sales tax

So, just to make sure I'm following the math correctly... if I import goods worth $6.75, and I'll be hit with $933 in customs duties plus sales tax totaling $1.50, does that mean my total out-of-pocket cost ends up being $2.50?

Thanks for clearing that up! I actually have one more question for you

I was wondering if that 14% rate is a flat tariff applied to any country I source textiles from, or is that specific to imports coming from China... or perhaps Thailand?

thanks🙂

Thailand and China are basically the same thing... the only catch is that textile tariffs depend on what the fabric is actually made of--like, is it cotton? Viscose? What's the actual cotton percentage? But just budget for around 14% generally.

Jose Reed2 said:So, just to make sure I'm following the math correctly... if I import goods worth $6.75, and I'll be hit with $933 in customs duties plus sales tax totaling $1.50, does that mean my total out-of-pocket cost ends up being $2.50?

Thanks for clearing that up! I actually have one more question for you

I was wondering if that 14% rate is a flat tariff applied to any country I source textiles from, or is that specific to imports coming from China... or perhaps Thailand?

thanks🙂

If you're dealing with cargo worth that much, you’re going to need to track down a proper freight forwarder. You can't just wing it—not with those kinds of numbers on the line.

What exactly does a freight forwarder bring to the table when I'm already looking at a 14% tax rate plus sales tax? How much is this going to end up costing me in the long run... how does the whole process actually work?
Sorry, I'm still a total novice when it comes to all this stuff...🙂

Jose Reed2 said:So, just to make sure I'm following the math correctly... if I import goods worth $6.75, and I'll be hit with $933 in customs duties plus sales tax totaling $1.50, does that mean my total out-of-pocket cost ends up being $2.50?

Thanks for clearing that up! I actually have one more question for you

I was wondering if that 14% rate is a flat tariff applied to any country I source textiles from, or is that specific to imports coming from China... or perhaps Thailand?

thanks🙂

Actually, you've got the math slightly off. You apply the customs duty to the value of the goods first, and then you calculate the sales tax based on that combined total.☕

The final amount will be a bit higher... somewhere north of $8,000.

Thanks so much, girl!
But anyway, I was wondering... does that shipping company handle all the customs duties and sales tax, or am I going to end up paying extra fees on top of everything else through my broker?🙂

It’s pretty obvious the freight forwarder is going to take a cut$33 for their services. I don't have the exact figure on hand, as I suspect it fluctuates based on the total value of the cargo. ☕

Thanks for all the helpful advice so far...
Do I need to request a specific type of invoice from my suppliers in Thailand or China to properly prove the value of my goods?
Also, could I run into any trouble here in the States if my invoice says the shipment is worth, say, $2,000, but Customs decides it’s actually worth at least $4,000?
Sorry if these questions seem a bit naive, I'm still just finding my footing in this whole industry...🙂

I can tell you anything you want to hear, but if you actually have proof of payment, then you should fight it. 👍

Thanks for getting back to me

But what if I decided to take a trip over to Thailand instead
and picked up some goods there worth about $6.75
and he just issues the invoice under my own name$3.25?
Do you think the folks at Customs might try to mess with my paperwork or cause some trouble🙂?

Figured I’d jump in here too.

I'm looking at importing some motorcycle parts—mostly plastics—nothing critical like brakes or anything.
I’d probably start with about $3,000 worth of inventory. After I factor in shipping and then hit customs with a 5% duty plus 23% sales tax, we'll see where that lands.

The thing is, I have zero clue what shipping will actually cost given the container situation. We're talking maybe 10 boxes, roughly 0.3 m3, so I’d likely need about 3 to 4 m3 of space.

Has anyone here dealt with those companies that hunt down partial shipments just to cram containers full?

wanderingmaker3 said:Figured I’d jump in here too.

I'm looking at importing some motorcycle parts—mostly plastics—nothing critical like brakes or anything.
I’d probably start with about $3,000 worth of inventory. After I factor in shipping and then hit customs with a 5% duty plus 23% sales tax, we'll see where that lands.

The thing is, I have zero clue what shipping will actually cost given the container situation. We're talking maybe 10 boxes, roughly 0.3 m3, so I’d likely need about 3 to 4 m3 of space.

Has anyone here dealt with those companies that hunt down partial shipments just to cram containers full?

You should look for a reputable freight forwarder, someone like FedEx or a major logistics firm; they'll be able to give you the real numbers. 👍

Jamie Howard3 said:You should look for a reputable freight forwarder, someone like FedEx or a major logistics firm; they'll be able to give you the real numbers. 👍

Fine, I'll get a quote from them and see what the folks in China have to say. It won't happen until after the New Year anyway—right now I'm just chilling, gathering intel, and stacking cash so I can maybe grab a bigger shipment later.

wanderingmaker3 said:Fine, I'll get a quote from them and see what the folks in China have to say. It won't happen until after the New Year anyway—right now I'm just chilling, gathering intel, and stacking cash so I can maybe grab a bigger shipment later.

Just make sure you keep an eye on the Chinese New Year, because everything shuts down for about a month right around January or February...

Budget about $150 per CBM from China to Washington, D.C.... I’d need to check with Luke over in China to give you a hard number, but yeah—expect something around $150.

Stay far away from those Canadians (FedEx)..

Could I get a little help here?

I’ve got a 65 lb package headed my way, valued at about $1,000... specifically some neckties. What kind of customs fees should I be bracing for?

I just finished reading all four pages, and honestly, I think I got some of what I thought I knew mixed up.😢

Is there any way I could just hire a firm to handle everything—the sourcing, customs, shipping, all of it—without having to deal with the middleman myself? Like, can they just send me the final invoice so I can decide if the whole thing actually makes sense for my budget?
Please, help a guy out here.🙂