Shipping and duties
Shipping and duties
What a landed cost from China is made of
A unit price is one line. A landed cost is the whole trip: the goods, haulage to the port, export clearance, the ocean leg, the customs entry, duty on the line we file under, then drayage and delivery to your door. Our quotes itemise each of those, so you can see where the money goes and what would change it.
The lines on every quote
- The goods
- Haulage to the port
- Export clearance
- The ocean leg
- The customs entry
- Duty on the line we file under
- Drayage and delivery
Origin
Where it ships from
The goods are made in China and sail from the South China ports. Full containers are the norm. For a trial quantity we can ship less than a container load, and the quote will say what that costs per unit compared with filling the box.
Customs entry
Who files the entry
We do, through our customs broker, and we have since 2020. The ISF filing, the entry summary and the tariff classification are ours to get right. If you would rather clear the goods yourself or through your own broker, say so on the quote request and we will price it that way.
Tariff changes
Duty
The rate that applies is the one in force on the day of entry, not the day of the quote. Each quote states the tariff line we intend to file under, the rate we quoted against, and which party carries a change in between. That last sentence is the one most suppliers leave out. We do not publish rates as advice; confirm any figure with your own broker.
How holiday lighting is classified and dutied, with the import-tax line from our own price lists, is in the guide to importing Christmas lights from China.
Delivery
Delivery to your door
In the United States and Canada, containers move by rail to an inland ramp or stay at the port, and a truck takes them the last leg. Delivery to a rail ramp, a port or your yard are priced differently, so the destination field on the quote form matters. Canadian orders can move by sea and rail; we have delivered that way before.
Worked example
A landed cost, line by line
Your quote puts a dated figure on each of these lines. The figures change with the product, the lane and the tariff line, so this page shows how each one is worked out rather than a sample price.
- The goods
- The unit price times the quantity, on the terms written on the quote.
- Haulage to the port
- Trucking from the factory to the port of loading.
- Export clearance
- Export documents and handling at the port in China.
- The ocean leg
- Freight for the container, or your share of one on a part load.
- The customs entry
- The broker's fee for filing the entry and the ISF.
- Duty on the line we file under
- The declared value of the goods times the rate for that tariff line, plus any other duty that applies to it.
- Drayage and delivery
- From the port or rail ramp to your door, priced by destination.
Add up these lines with your own figures in the landed cost calculator
Request a quote
Tell us what you need. We'll take it from there.
Send the product, the quantity, the destination and the date. We reply within 1 business day and tell you when your landed quote will follow.
- Reply within 1 business day
- Landed cost, itemised
We take on the orders we can do well, and we will say so if yours isn't one of them.
