Sourcing and importing from China
Freight costs, sourcing charges, shipping terms, compliance and inspection.
Why your container cost more than the quote
Freight from China is charged on volume, not weight. Here is how CBM works, why bulky goods wreck a good unit price, and how to compare quotes on what the goods actually cost delivered.
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What a China sourcing agent costs, and why we don't charge that way
Commission, flat fee or trading margin. The three ways sourcing from China gets charged, what each one does to the agent's incentives, and which one leaves you exposed.
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FOB, CIF and DAP, and which one actually protects you
Where risk passes, who picks the freight forwarder, and the CIF trap that catches first time importers at the destination port.
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How to tell if a Chinese supplier's CE certificate is real
CE is mostly self declared, so a certificate alone proves nothing. What to ask for, how to check a notified body number, and the current position on UKCA.
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Pre-shipment inspection: what to actually check
AQL sampling explained plainly, what belongs in an inspection brief, and why the timing of the inspection matters more than the inspection itself.
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