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You bought something big in China. How do you get it to you?
Every guide answers a piece of that one question — how it ships, what it costs at your border, what happens between booking and sailing, what to prepare, and how to get a quotation without learning freight vocabulary first. Written from daily forwarding work; industry rules grounded in the ICC, IPPC and carrier publications.
Bought machinery or equipment in China? How it reaches your door
The full journey for first-time buyers of big items: crating, pickup, the ocean leg, customs and duties, and final delivery — explained without jargon.
Read the guide → 6 min readWhat to prepare before requesting a freight quote from China
The eight details a freight forwarder actually needs to quote your shipment — and why each one changes the number you get back.
Read the guide → 7 min readDDP shipping from China, explained honestly
What Delivered Duty Paid really covers, when it is the right choice, when it is a bad idea, and why no serious forwarder promises DDP everywhere.
Read the guide → 8 min readIncoterms for buyers: EXW, FOB, CIF, DAP and DDP in plain language
Who arranges and pays for each leg under every trade term, why EXW is usually the wrong ask, where CIF’s risk actually transfers, and when DDP is worth it — per the ICC rules.
Read the guide → 7 min readFCL or LCL: how the decision is actually made
Cost per cubic metre against cost per container, handling risk, and timing — how forwarders weigh the FCL/LCL crossover, explained without jargon.
Read the guide → 9 min readToo big for a container? Flat rack, open top, breakbulk and ro-ro
How out-of-gauge and heavy machinery actually ships: which equipment fits which cargo, what published carrier specs allow, and why lashing material counts towards the measurement.
Read the guide → 7 min readWooden crates, ISPM-15 and packing machinery for sea freight
What the ISPM-15 heat-treatment mark means, which wood it applies to, what happens when packaging fails inspection at a port, and how a machine should be crated before pickup.
Read the guide → 8 min readImport duty and landed cost: what you pay beyond the freight
Every line between a factory price and a machine working in your workshop: duty by HS code, import VAT/GST, port and brokerage fees — the mechanics, whichever country you import into.
Read the guide → 6 min readHow long does shipping from China take?
A realistic timeline from “ready at the factory” to delivery at your door: the ocean leg, transhipment, cut-offs, customs and delivery — and why the honest answer is a range, not a date.
Read the guide → 8 min readFrom confirmed booking to vessel departure, step by step
What happens between “booking confirmed” and “vessel sailed”: shipping orders, cut-offs, container pickup, customs release and the bill of lading.
Read the guide → 7 min readThe documents behind a shipment from China, explained
Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading (original, telex release, seaway bill), certificate of origin and the fumigation certificate — what each does and which you use at your border.
Read the guide → 6 min readDo you need a forklift? Unloading and last-mile options for heavy cargo
Live unload, lift-gate truck, container against flatbed, crane and telehandler: how a heavy crate actually gets off the truck at a workshop, a farm or a home — and what to check before delivery day.
Read the guide → 6 min readCargo insurance for machinery: what it costs to go without
Carrier liability limits, general average, the 110% insured-value convention and Institute Cargo Clauses (A) against (C) — why a machine worth thousands is worth insuring properly.
Read the guide → 6 min readDemurrage and detention: the two clocks that start when the vessel arrives
What free time is, when demurrage and detention start running, who pays, and how first-time importers keep arrival costs from snowballing.
Read the guide → 3 min readThe five-minute quote: what to send by WhatsApp or email
The three photos, one document and five facts that let a forwarder quote your machine without a round of back-and-forth — plus the WhatsApp and email routes that skip the forms.
Read the guide → 8 min readShipping Furniture from China: Foshan Markets, Consolidation & Delivery
Buying furniture in Foshan or Lecong? How multi-supplier consolidation, export crating, CBM volume calculation, customs tariffs and residential liftgate delivery actually work.
Read the guide → 9 min readHow to Ship a Home Battery from China: A First-Time Buyer’s Guide
Bought or about to buy a 5kWh–15kWh home energy storage battery in China? Sea vs air, UN38.3 and MSDS, who files dangerous goods, DDP vs DAP, and what to prepare before you ask for a quote.
Read the guide →Tell us what you are shipping
Send your shipment details and you will get a direct reply and an itemised quotation — no obligation.