How to Import Directly from China?

How to import products from China? Many businesses throughout the world depend on Chinese imports to fulfill their inventory requirements. Unfortunately, anyone new to importing items from China might find the process rather complicated and expensive.

Import products form China-Have you missed anything Below are eight (8) tips for managing the Chinese imports of your business more efficiently.

How to Import Directly from China?

1. Understand Your Role in the Process

You are an importer whenever you purchase products from foreign countries, such as China. All you need to do is give the supplier your address information, and they will do the rest. The shipment will likely come via air or ocean shipping.

Smaller packages with a lesser value will be delivered right to your door. Then you won’t have to pick up your packages from the nearest shipping store.

2. Find Good Products

Chinese factories make a lot of excellent products but also make a lot of bad products.

There are a lot of Chinese suppliers who sell cheap, low-quality products. You must avoid these products, especially if you’re going to resell them to your customers.

So you should know how to identify good and bad products according to two critical differences between China and Western countries:

• China has Different quality standards from the West countries.
• China has Different norms around intellectual property, and there are a lot of counterfeit products

The best way is to increase the value of the product you wish to import from China. Generally, it comes down to ensuring a differentiated and defensible offer.

In other words, if you control the key products you sell, if no other company sells the same product, and if your customers recognize the difference from your competitors, you are in good shape.

3. Check the Import Laws of your Country 

Before you purchase an overseas product, make sure you are legally allowed to import it into your country. Some countries have import restrictions on certain types of products.

If you try to import one of these restricted items, then it might get sent back to the shipper. You may even get fined by the government too.

4. Find the Classification Number of the Product(HS CODE)

Each imported item will have its own tariff classification number that is ten digits long. The tariff classification number and the Certificate of Origin are necessary to calculate the rate of duty, which is an import fee you must pay. A calculation of the land cost must be done as well.

The Incoterms are particularly essential to focus on. Before you submit your order to the supplier, make sure the landed cost is calculated.

You can find the FOB (free on board) rate by adding together the product price, Chinese shipping charges, customs clearance fee, land transport costs, and Duty & Tax costs. 

5. Locating the Chinese Supplier

If you know which products you want to buy bulk from China, the next step is to find a supplier who can fulfill your order. Make sure you understand their shipping terms, especially regarding the delivery time.

If you’ve found a supplier who looks good, then request a Proforma Invoice from them. It is also called a Quote Sheet. This documentation will give you specific information about your purchases, such as the weight, packed dimensions, value, and description of each product. 

There Is a Complete Guide for: How to find a Chinese wholesaler.

6. Calculate the Total Shipping Costs

International shipments have a plethora of fees attached to them. Aside from the standard shipping costs, you also have container fees, broker fees, packaging fees, and terminal handling fees.

Add up the total cost of all these fee so that you know what to expect for your shipping expenses. You can learn the complete guide for:  How to ship from China to the US

Before you arrange your shipment, you should ask for the following documents from your suppliers. These will be required to clear customs.

• A Commercial Invoice – The declared value of your products
• A Packing List – Size, weight, quantity…
• A Detail Sheet – Outlines how the products are manufactured so customs can determine the duty classification
• Bill of Lading – A legal document between the shipper of goods and the carrier detailing the type, quantity, and destination of the goods being carried.

Ocean shipping is a much bigger headache but totally worth it. If you are importing a large production volume, you can easily save between 5-6x compared to shipping by air.

Here is 6 ways to shipping Chinese merchandise bulk products: 

• 1. Air express
• 2. Air freight (DDP)
• 3. Regular post
• 4. Ocean expedited freight (DDP)
• 5. Ocean freight (FCL/LCL)
• 6. Train (DDP)

7. Track the Shipment

International shipments will not come quickly. If you’re on the East Coast of the United States and you order a product from China, then you probably won’t get the shipment for about 30 days. If you’re on the West Coast, then it will only take about 14 days or so. 

Save the freight documents related to the shipment, such as the bill of lading, commercial invoice, and packing list. You can use this documentation to understand the customs clearance process that your shipment will go through after it arrives in your country. 

 Ask your customs broker to accept the shipment when it arrives at the customs facility. If there are no discrepancies with the paperwork, then your shipment should be available for pick up after customs clear it. For smaller orders, your shipment will be delivered to the address that you specified initially.

8. Check the Arrival of the Shipment

Ask your customs broker to accept the shipment when it arrives at the customs facility. If there are no discrepancies with the paperwork, then your shipment should be available for pick up after customs clear it. For smaller orders, your shipment will be delivered to the address that you specified initially.

After you receive the goods, you should check the product quality and give your supplier a feedback. Let them know where they should improve for the next order. 

Where to Find Import Bulk from China Supplier ？

If you cannot travel to China, the best way to find Chinese wholesale suppliers is to use an online directory like Alibaba or GlobalSources.com.

Here’s an example script that I use when reaching out to suppliers for the first time.

Hi “supplier name,”

My name is “your name,” and I’m a buyer for “store name”, a store in “your country” that sells “the products you want to carry.” We are interested in carrying many of the items that you have to offer.

Specifically, I would like to get pricing and availability for the following items…

“list the items…provide photos if you have them”

“list the items…provide photos if you have them”

If you could send us more info and your product catalogs and MOQ requirements, we would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you so much,

Once you’ve built contact, you can ask for samples, place orders, etc. The most relevant warning is that this process can take a while, and communicate back and forth with suppliers requires patience. For example, it takes from initial contact to get samples can easily take weeks.

12 Best China Websites to Import Products from China Directly:

Actually, the main Chinese wholesale websites existing now are only 6: Alibaba, AliExpress, Global Source, Lightinthebox, DHgate, Made-in-China.

You can find the best one to import things from China according to your requirement., check this post for how to find a supplier in China. 

6 Tips for Importing Products from China

1. Don’t Always Choose the Cheapest Products. 

How to import cheap products from china? Products that are priced too cheaply are probably bad products. If you don’t see a lot of other vendors selling similar products for the same price(same product from A to Z price), then something must be wrong.

Remember that purchasing quality products is essential, even if you have to pay a little more to get them.

2. Explain Your Specifications to the Supplier.

If you have specific requirements or specifications for the products or shipping, then you must discuss them with the supplier before anything gets shipped out. Otherwise, you might end up with products or materials that you did not want. 

3. Don’t Act Suspicious of the Supplier Upfront

When doing business with a new supplier, try to show a level of trust and respect when you communicate with them. Don’t act rude or suspicious with them if they haven’t done anything wrong. You need to have a good relationship with your supplier so that they will treat your products well and give you high-quality customer support.

4. Verify FOB Terms 

Please verify that your supplier accepts the FOB terms associated with their closest airport or port. If so, then you will have lower shipping expenses and more control of the shipment. 

5. Be Mindful of Shipping Times.

It takes a long time to ship products over the ocean from one country to another. Make sure you plan for shipping times that could take up to 30 days. In fact, it could take seven days just for the supplier to prepare the documentation, ship the product, and clear it through customs. Check this complete guide for: how to shipping from China.

6. Commercial Import Regulations

You only have to concern yourself with import regulations if you are importing products for resale or commercial purposes.

If you claim a shipment is for personal use, the customs authority has the final say in determining whether that is true or not. They will look inside the packaging and evaluate the shipment. If they see a bunch of products inside the packaging, they might consider it for business purposes rather than for personal use. Then the import regulations would apply. 

Import products from China Conclusion: 

Opting to become an independent importer is a distinctly entrepreneurial endeavor. However, it’s crucial to recognize the areas of your business where external assistance will be required.

The easiest way to import products from China is first to identify the supplier. Then, you should purchase samples and repeat them with the supplier until you are satisfied with the overall design of your product.

Finally, you should seek instructions from the freight forwarder to explain that you are importing the goods into your home country when it comes to bulk purchases.

Now, I’d like to hear what you have to say: Have you faced problems when you import products from China before? If so, how did it go? Let us know by leaving a comment below right now.

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Shaik Adil

1 year ago

Nice information

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