Freight guides from a China-based forwarder

Your first shipment from China: the 8-step roadmap

Every guide below is one step of this sequence. Read it once to see the whole chain, then come back to the step you are on. The marks tell you who is actually responsible for each part.

• ● We handle it — booked, filed or supervised from Shenzhen with the carrier and our vetted partners
• ○ You provide it — a decision, a document or money that has to come from you as the importer
• ◐ Depends on your Incoterms — who pays and who files changes between EXW, FOB, CIF and DDP

1. Fix the mode and the container

   Nothing can be quoted until the cargo is defined: commodity, packing list with net and gross weight, total CBM, and where it has to arrive. That single set of numbers decides full container or consolidated, and which box type fits.

   • ● Advising on usable cube and payload, and flagging a weight limit before it becomes a rework
   • ○ Packing list, total CBM and gross weight, destination ZIP or port, target delivery window

   FCL or LCLLCL per CBMContainer types and loading

2. Agree the Incoterms with your supplier

   The term in your sales contract decides where your cost and your risk start. It is the cheapest decision you will make on this shipment and the hardest to change later.

   • ● Translating each term into the charges you will actually see on the invoice
   • ○ Negotiating and writing the term into the contract with the supplier
   • ◐ Origin trucking, customs entry at origin and the export declaration all move with the term

   Incoterms for importersDDP explainedChoosing a forwarder

3. Compare quotes line by line

   A freight rate is three blocks — ocean freight, origin charges, destination charges. Two quotes that look identical on the headline number often differ in the small print, and the difference lands on you at the destination port.

   • ● An itemized quote, usually within 24 hours, with every local charge named
   • ○ Checking which charges are collect at destination and who pays storage if the box is late

   What shipping cost includesQuestions to ask a forwarder

4. Book space and confirm the sailing

   Space is committed to a named vessel and voyage. The cut-offs that matter are the SI deadline, VGM and customs release — miss one and the cargo rolls to the next sailing at your cost.

   • ● Booking confirmation, shipping order, SI and VGM submissions, sailings and roll notifications
   • ○ Accepting a realistic ETA with buffer instead of the fastest published transit

   Transit times by routeDangerous goods booking

5. Pick up, load and supervise

   What gets loaded is what will be inspected at the other end. Loading sequence and bracing decide whether the cargo arrives sellable or crushed.

   • ● Factory or warehouse pickup, loading supervision, photos, container condition and seal number
   • ○ Cargo ready date, supplier contact, marks and any DG declarations

   Loading and securingLoad planning and securingFurnitureLithium batteries

6. Clear export customs in China

   The export declaration and the documents that travel with the bill of lading have to describe the same cargo, in the same words, with the same values.

   • ● Export declaration, bill of lading, commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin where it applies
   • ○ Accurate product description and declared value — a vague line item can hold a container
   • ◐ Who pays for the entry at origin follows your Incoterm

   Documents checklist

7. Clear import customs at destination

   This is the step where country-specific rules bite: filing deadlines, who the importer of record is, what security filing the lane requires, and which portal you must be registered in before the vessel arrives.

   • ● Pre-arrival document flow to your broker, ISF where the lane needs it, milestone updates
   • ○ Your import number, bond or portal registration, duty and tax payment, and your own HTS classification confirmed with your broker or the official tariff schedule

   US clearanceUS bondsSection 301De minimisCanada CARMCanadaMexicoAustraliaSouth America

8. Deliver, put away and close the cost sheet

   Drayage, delivery appointment and empty return are where demurrage and detention quietly start. Receiving rules are strictest for e-commerce warehouses, and duty true-ups land after delivery, not before.

   • ● Trucking booking, delivery appointment, free-time monitoring and a final itemized cost sheet
   • ○ A receiving window, dock or ground-level access, and unlabelling capacity at the door

   Amazon FBADDP to the doorLanded cost

Not sure which of these steps your current supplier or forwarder already covers? This guide lists the questions that expose the gap.

General guides

Guides covering cost, timing, trade terms, paperwork and containers:

Cost, rates & transit

• What goes into container shipping cost — a transparent breakdown of ocean freight, origin charges and destination fees, and how to compare quotes that look similar but are not. (published September 21, 2026)
• LCL per CBM explained — the W/M rule, minimums, the full LCL cost stack and the 13–15 cbm FCL crossover, worked. (published September 28, 2026)
• Transit times by routeUpdated — realistic port-to-port and door-to-door timelines from China, and what typically adds days to the schedule. (published September 21, 2026)

Modes & equipment

• FCL or LCL — how to decide between a full container and consolidated cargo, with the break-even points we actually use. (published September 21, 2026)
• Container types and loading — ISO sizes, the 40HC/40HQ question, weight traps, and loading and securing technique. (published September 28, 2026)
• Lithium batteries by seaNew — UN 3480/3481/3171 classification, UN 38.3 documents, IMDG packing and the DG booking sequence for power banks and e-bikes. (published October 5, 2026)
• Container loading and securingNew — payload and center-of-gravity limits, lashing and bracing, Class 9 stowage, IPPC timber and the VGM tolerance we load to. (published October 9, 2026)

Trade terms, documents & compliance

• Incoterms for importers — EXW, FOB, FCA, CIF and DDP compared, plus how importer of record changes your liability. (published September 28, 2026)
• Customs documents checklistUpdated — the paperwork China exports require, what each document is for, and the mistakes that delay containers. (published September 21, 2026)
• DDP Shipping from China, Explained — What DDP includes, who pays which duty, the legal exposure behind it and when it is worth paying more. (published September 28, 2026)

Scenarios & how-to

• Shipping to Amazon FBA — importer-of-record rules, ISF and bonds for FBA, labeling, delivery appointments and DDP to the warehouse. (published September 28, 2026)
• Shipping furniture from China — Flat pack vs assembled, container choice, weight traps, protection and stuffing supervision. (published September 28, 2026)
• Panama Canal draft cuts 2026New — Gatun Lake below the 85 ft threshold: Neopanamax draft at 49.0 ft, 33 daily slots, canal surcharges and which lanes are actually exposed. (published October 10, 2026)
• Typhoon Champi: Ningbo & Shanghai port closuresNew — Ningbo and Shanghai closed by Typhoon Champi: closure windows, berth queues and cut-offs, and how to manage rollover risk before Black Friday. (published October 20, 2026)
• Durban port delays 2026New — Durban throughput up 20% while ships at Durban Gateway Terminal still wait about 11 days at anchorage: how yard congestion, truck booking slots and a 4-to-5-day import free time change China–South Africa delivery windows. (published November 8, 2026)

Guides by destination

Country-specific rules, charges and clearance for importers of Chinese goods:

United States

• US customs clearance — ISF 10+2, entry types, bonds, Section 301 and 232, exams and holds explained in order. (published September 28, 2026)
• Section 301 tariffs — the four lists, 7.5–25% base rates, the 2024 increases and how to check your HTS line. (published September 28, 2026)
• US customs bonds — continuous vs single-entry bonds, real costs, ISF coverage and who posts the bond on DDP. (published September 28, 2026)
• US de minimis suspendedNew — duties on every parcel since 29 August 2025, channel by channel, with informal entry to $2,500 and no gift carve-out. (published October 5, 2026)
• Choosing a China freight forwarderUpdated — risks raised before you book, quotes that state their scope, follow-up during transit and the questions to ask before committing. (published September 28, 2026)

Canada

• China to Canada — Vancouver and Prince Rupert vs Montreal, rail inland, and Canadian customs realities. (published September 28, 2026)
• Canada CARM setupNew — CARM Client Portal, BN15 and the own-financial-security rule in force since 20 May 2025: what to set up before your first container from China. (published October 5, 2026)

Mexico

• China to Mexico — Pacific and Gulf gateways, the pedimento, inland delivery and what causes delay. (published September 28, 2026)

Australia

• Australia import guideNew — GST at 10% of value plus duty, freight and insurance, the AU$1,000 threshold, ISPM15 wood packaging and the 2026 border charges. (published October 5, 2026)

South America

• China to South America — Direct services to Buenos Aires vs transshipment to Guyana, and why lead times are longer. (published September 28, 2026)

Route guides

Nine trade lanes we sail every week, each with a dedicated guide covering ports, transit times and destination charges:

• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Guyana
• Argentina
• Europe
• Africa
• Southeast Asia
• Australia

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