Chapter 6: Shipping and receiving

Finally, you are at the last step of the whole process. 

Most buyers ask the supplier to arrange the shipment to their country or home. The supplier will help arrange the shipping, handle import and export process. And you just pay all the costs to the supplier.

But if you want to arrange the shipping by yourself to save the cost, there are 3 common transportation methods for your reference:

• Express courier
• sea freight
• air freight
• railway

Express courier

Express shipping is the most suitable method for most people starting out.

Courier company, widely used in China is DHL, UPS， TNT and FedEx. 

With courier service, you get fast delivery times and an online tracking facility.

Most courier shipments take just 3~7 days to arrive in anywhere around the globe.

All you have to do is sign for the package when it arrives.

In most cases delivery is quick and reliable.

When there’s a problem, there is a tracking number that can help resolve the matter.

Please note that the advantages of different courier may vary from different weight and destination. You can ask the supplier or the forwarder make the best plan according to your cargo.

Air freight

Air freight is usually used for urgent transportation, small and light-weight items, and items that require higher security.

If the product is too large for express delivery and too small for sea freight, air freight is the best choice. Using air freight, the cost will be much lower than express.

Transit time varies based on the schedule of airlines, but in general range between 2~10 days. While extra work is involved when the goods arrive at the destination airport.

You have to handle documentation and customs clearance on your own (unlike with courier companies), which for many newbies may seem impractical. Of course, you can outsource these tasks to a customs broker or a trucking company at an additional cost.

Recommend Read: A Complete Guide To Shipping From China (2021 Update)

Sea freight

Sea transportation is the best way to transport bulk cargo.

Transport by ocean can take a very long time but can carry a massive amount of goods, which drives down the costs.

That’s why it’s popular and widely used in international transportation.

If your goods are exceeds 2CBM and you have enough time to wait, sea freight will be your top choice. Depending on where you’re located, it will take 7~60 days.

Just like with air freight, you’ll have to take care of the documentation, customs clearance and the transport of goods from the port to your warehouse. 

Customs clearance

With air or sea transportation, the last important step is customs clearance.

You should know what documents or certificates are needed in the process.

In the process of the export customs clearance in China and destinations, the following documents are necessary for all kinds of products:

• Proforma Invoice
• Commercial invoice
• Packing list
• Bill of lading

Of course, there are additional certificates needed according to different customs supervision requirements on products.

But for the export process, you needn’t worry about it too much. Usually, the supplier will help you tackle it.

In the process of import customs clearance in your country, there are also some standards or documents according to customs requirements in your country.

But some other certificates are different according to countries or products. You can consult the freight forwarder who can help you with logistics.

Pay import duties

In addition to product costs and shipping costs when importing from China, there is also a cost that cannot be ignored, that is, tariffs. 

When clearing customs, you need to pay for customs duties. But the standard is different according to countries or products.

For example, if you import shoes from China to America, you need to pay customs duties, MPF(merchandise processing fee), and HMF(harbor maintenance fee).

Some buyers are completely ignorant of the tariffs they should pay when buy from China.

We have seen many buyers on the Internet accusing Chinese suppliers did not tell them that they had to pay such high tariffs when place an order.

But in fact, most Chinese sellers don’t understand foreign tax policies at all, and they don’t know how much tariffs buyers should pay for their orders.

Chinese suppliers are usually only responsible for the fees that buyers should pay in China, so it is necessary for buyers to understand the calculation of import tariffs.

The tax rate of a product is usually determined by HS code and the country of origin, and you can learn how to calculate the US import tax rate here.

You can consult freight forwarders or your customs broker for documents required and product duty rate.

Recommend Read: How Much is the Import Tax From China to USA?