Shipping from China: Complete Importer Checklist

China remains the world's largest exporter, and for good reason: scale, speed and a manufacturing ecosystem that can prototype on Monday and ship a pallet on Friday. But the difference between a smooth import and a disaster usually has nothing to do with the product — it's the paperwork, the forwarder choice, and a handful of details that nobody warns first-time importers about. This is the checklist we wish someone had given us.

1. Verify the supplier (before you transfer money)

• Ask for the business license (营业执照) and check the registered scope matches the product.
• Look up the company on the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (gsxt.gov.cn).
• Confirm the bank account name matches the company name on the license — never wire to a personal account.
• Order a paid sample on your account before placing the full order.
• Use Trade Assurance on Alibaba for the first 1–2 orders if you can.

2. Negotiate the right Incoterm

For your first imports, ask for an FOB price at the nearest port to the factory — usually FOB Shenzhen, FOB Ningbo, FOB Shanghai, FOB Qingdao or FOB Xiamen. FOB means the supplier handles getting the goods on board the ship and clearing Chinese export customs; you take over the cost and risk from there. Compare quotes from suppliers on an apples-to-apples basis.

3. Get your CBM and weight before you book

Ask the supplier for the master carton dimensions, carton count and gross weight per carton. Plug those into the CBM Calculator to get your total cubic meters and weight. This is the single number that decides whether you ship LCL, 20ft FCL, 40ft FCL or 40HC FCL — and it's the number every forwarder quote will be priced against.

4. Pick the right port pair

• Shenzhen / Yantian — best for South China factories (Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou).
• Ningbo — best for Zhejiang (Yiwu, Wenzhou). Often the cheapest rates to the US West Coast.
• Shanghai — biggest port in the world, huge consolidation capacity, strong to EU and US East.
• Qingdao — North China factories (Shandong).
• Xiamen — Fujian and southern Zhejiang.

5. Choose LCL or FCL

As a rule of thumb on China lanes: under ~12 CBM go LCL, above ~15 CBM go 20ft FCL, above ~28 CBM go 40ft FCL, above ~50 CBM go 40HC. Always quote both options around the threshold — sometimes LCL rates are so depressed that 20 CBM still wins as LCL.

6. Book with a forwarder, not the carrier directly

Carriers (Maersk, MSC, CMA, COSCO) sell space at list rates. Freight forwarders buy space in bulk at a discount and resell to you. Unless you're shipping 50+ containers a year, a forwarder will always beat the carrier's direct rate, and they'll handle the dozen pieces of paper nobody told you about.

7. Get the documents right

• Commercial Invoice — exact HS code, value in USD, Incoterm, country of origin.
• Packing List — carton count, CBM, gross/net weight per carton.
• Bill of Lading (B/L) — issued by the carrier; "telex release" is faster than original B/L.
• Certificate of Origin — needed for FTA preferential duty (e.g. ASEAN-China, RCEP).
• Fumigation certificate — if you have wooden packaging (ISPM-15).
• Test reports — for electronics, toys, food contact, textiles.

8. Factor in destination charges

Many first-time importers see a great FOB quote and forget that they'll pay for destination THC (terminal handling), customs clearance, import duty, VAT/GST, port storage and last-mile trucking. Budget another $400–800 for an LCL shipment and $1,500–3,000 for an FCL on top of the ocean rate.

9. Pre-clear customs at destination

File the import declaration before the ship arrives, not after. ISF (US), ENS (EU), 10+2 — they all have penalty fees for late filing. Have your customs broker on the loop from booking, not from arrival.

10. Plan the unloading and storage

Live unloading at your warehouse: 2 hours is standard, then per-hour detention fees apply. If your warehouse can't take a full 40HC in two hours, pay the extra for drop-and-pick service instead.

Common mistakes

• Trusting the supplier's CBM number — always verify with the calculator.
• Booking the cheapest forwarder with no online reviews.
• Ignoring Chinese New Year (factories close 2–3 weeks; ship before).
• Skipping a third-party inspection (QIMA, SGS, AsiaInspection) on first orders.
• Forgetting fumigation certificate when wooden pallets are used.