Guides
Import from China without the expensive lessons.
The checks, costs and paperwork our Shenzhen team uses on real orders. Free to read, with the official sources linked.
Start with your problem
What are you stuck on right now?
Pick the one that sounds like you. Each guide gives you the checks and numbers we use on real orders.
I'm about to send a deposit to a supplier I found online.
Check the licence, the owner and the bank account before you pay a penny.
How to verify a Chinese supplier before you payMy order ships soon and nobody has checked it.
Work out how many units to inspect and what counts as a fail.
AQL inspections explained, with a sample size calculatorI don't know what this will cost once it lands.
Add duty, VAT and freight to the factory price, with a worked example.
UK import duty and VAT on goods from China: how to work it outThe supplier says they're the factory. Are they?
The checks that tell a real factory from a trading company.
Factory or trading company? How to tell before you orderThe quote says FOB. What am I paying for?
Who pays each cost, and the point where the risk becomes yours.
Incoterms explained: EXW, FOB, CIF and DDP when you buy from ChinaSea, rail or air: which one for this order?
Days, pricing and the right choice for your order size.
Shipping from China to the UK: how to choose sea, air, rail or courier
Every guide
Sourced, dated and checked by our Shenzhen team
Comparisons
How to choose a China sourcing agent: fees, questions and red flags
Choose a sourcing agent you can check: a registered company in China with staff who visit factories, published fees, and a written answer to one question: do you take money from the factories you recommend? A good agent shows you the factory name and the factory's own price, inspects before you pay the balance and pays suppliers only on your instruction.
Importing to the EU
Shipping from China to Europe: sea, rail, air or parcels in 2026
Most stock from China to the EU goes by sea to Rotterdam, Antwerp or Hamburg: about 30 to 45 days port to port. Rail to Duisburg or Małaszewicze takes about 18 to 25 days and costs less than air. Air takes about 5 to 10 days. Since July 2026, parcels sent direct to EU consumers pay a €3 duty per item type, which makes bulk shipping to an EU warehouse cheaper for many products.
Importing to the UK
Shipping from China to the UK: how to choose sea, air, rail or courier
Most stock orders from China to the UK go by sea: about 30 to 45 days port to port, priced per container or, for smaller loads, per cubic metre. Air takes about 5 to 8 days and suits urgent or light, valuable goods. Rail through Europe sits between the two. Express courier is for samples. Book on carton sizes and weights from the factory, not estimates.
Suppliers & quality
AQL inspections explained, with a sample size calculator
AQL (acceptance quality limit) sets how many defective units an inspector can find in a random sample before the order fails. The sample size comes from your order quantity: 125 units for an order of 3,000 at the standard level. Most importers accept no critical defects, use AQL 2.5 for major defects and AQL 4.0 for minor ones. Inspect before you pay the balance.
Suppliers & quality
Factory or trading company? How to tell before you order
Check the business licence: a factory's business scope includes production (生产) of your product, while a trading company's lists sales or import and export. Then look at the address, the product range and who answers technical questions. Trading companies aren't bad, they add a margin and a layer between you and production. Know which you're dealing with before you negotiate.
Suppliers & quality
How to verify a Chinese supplier before you pay
Ask for the supplier's business licence and check its 18-character unified social credit code on China's national enterprise registry (gsxt.gov.cn). Confirm the company is active, its business scope covers your product, and the bank account you pay is in the same company name. Check test reports with the lab that issued them, and visit or audit the factory before a large first order.
Importing to the EU
How to import from China to the EU
Get an EORI number, find your duty rate in TARIC and make sure the product meets EU rules, including CE marking where it applies and a named EU responsible person. Duty is usually 0 to 12% of the value including freight to the border. Import VAT follows the destination country, from 19% in Germany to 23% in Ireland. Since July 2026, low-value parcels pay a flat €3 duty per item type.
Importing to the UK
How to import from China to the UK
Get a GB EORI number, find your product's commodity code and duty rate on the UK Trade Tariff, and check it meets UK product safety rules before you order. Ship by sea, air, rail or express, and have a customs broker declare it on CDS. You pay import duty (0 to 12% for most consumer goods) and 20% import VAT, which VAT-registered businesses can postpone and reclaim on their VAT return.
Suppliers & quality
Incoterms explained: EXW, FOB, CIF and DDP when you buy from China
Incoterms set who pays for each part of the journey and where risk passes from the factory to you. For UK and EU importers buying stock from China, FOB (or FCA for container shipments) is the sensible default: the factory handles Chinese export clearance and you control the freight. Avoid EXW unless you have a team in China, and be careful with DDP: if the seller pays your import VAT, you usually can't reclaim it.
Importing to the UK
UK import duty and VAT on goods from China: how to work it out
UK import duty is a percentage of the customs value: the price of the goods plus freight and insurance to the UK border. Rates for goods from China run from 0% to 12% for most consumer products. Import VAT, usually 20%, is then charged on the customs value plus the duty plus delivery costs to your UK warehouse. VAT-registered businesses can postpone it and reclaim it on the same VAT return.
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