Frequent questions about supplies from China

Yes. The minimum shipment through DPC is 50 kg. Shipments of 150 kg or more are generally more economical: at the minimum, fixed costs for goods receipt, documentation and last-mile delivery are spread across less cargo, so the per-kilogram cost is noticeably higher. If your shipment is lighter, you can build up the weight by consolidating orders from several suppliers or holding goods at our Guangzhou warehouse; use the shipping calculator to see the cost for your cargo.

Yes. Working with your own supplier is the most common setup. You give them the address of our Guangzhou warehouse; we then receive the goods, count the packages, check the SKUs and provide a photo report. Supplier sourcing is a separate, optional service. The prices and terms you have agreed remain yours, and we do not get involved in your purchasing or correspondence with the factory unless you ask us to. See our warehouse in China for the process.

Yes, the services are taken individually: supplier payment, goods receipt and storage at the warehouse in Guangzhou, inspection of the goods before dispatch, consolidation, delivery by cargo or official import. Payment is taken on its own when the logistics are already set up but the transfers will not go through. Inspection is taken when control is needed before dispatch rather than after unloading at your own warehouse. The 50 kg minimum applies to a dispatch, not to each individual service.

The first step is a quote for a specific shipment, based on the goods, weight, volume, supplier's city and destination city. We then agree the scope of services and shipping method, give the supplier our Guangzhou warehouse address, receive the goods and send you a goods receipt report with photos. We dispatch the shipment once you confirm.

Seven parameters: what the goods are, the weight, the dimensions or volume of the places, the number of places, the value of the shipment on the invoice, the supplier's city in China and the delivery city. Tell us separately how often you order and whether you need documents for official import – that determines the scheme. If the volume is unknown, give us the box dimensions: freight is charged on the greater of actual and volumetric weight. That set is enough to put together a quote broken down by block.

We will, provided the shipment is from 50 kg and the purchase is commercial rather than for personal use. The model is designed for active importers with repeat purchasing: marketplace sellers, retail, manufacturing, HoReCa, construction, car parts. With infrequent supplies the gain usually comes not from the rate but from the fact that defects and shortages are found at the warehouse in Guangzhou, before dispatch. For a one-off parcel of a couple of kilograms an ordinary courier service is simpler.

Yes. We do not take on goods subject to import or export restrictions, excisable and licensed categories, perishable food, live plants and animals, weapons and their parts, or counterfeit goods and goods bearing third-party trade marks without the rights holder's permission. For a number of categories the answer depends on the country of import and the scheme: what goes through as official import with a certificate is not always possible by cargo. We check the category before quoting.

Not necessarily. We check the supplier's company against its business license and the open registers before the first payment, and the goods at our own warehouse in Guangzhou before dispatch: piece count, SKU verification, measurements, photo report. You take the decision on discrepancies remotely and the cargo waits in Guangzhou. A trip makes sense for complex equipment, trade fairs and personal contact with the production site, but it is not required for regular purchasing.

The total is made up of several components rather than a single rate: collection from the supplier, goods receipt and warehouse handling, inspection, packaging and palletising, transport to the destination country, documentation, last-mile delivery and, where applicable, supplier payment. Collection within China is charged at the carrier's actual cost or as a surcharge of $20–50 per shipment. We provide a line-by-line breakdown; see shipping costs for details.

Because a per-kilogram figure neither shows the total cost of the shipment nor stays current for long. The same rate produces a different cost per unit depending on cargo density, the number of packages and the services required. For each shipment, we therefore calculate the landed cost per unit at your warehouse.

Most likely the shipment became bulkier and the freight was charged on volumetric weight. On road routes the calculation threshold is a density of 100 kg/m³: if the shipment is lighter than that threshold, you pay for the space occupied rather than for the actual weight. On air express there is no threshold at all, a place is paid for on volumetric weight with a coefficient from the carrier's rate card on the specific route. What makes a shipment denser is repacking and palletising at the warehouse in Guangzhou.

The payment can be made through us: you pass us the invoice, we check the beneficiary's name, account number and bank against the invoice and the contract, transfer the funds to the Chinese company's account and issue a payment confirmation quoting the invoice number. Payments do not go to personal accounts or to unrelated legal entities. The scheme, the documents and the typical reasons for rejection are described in the section supplier payment. The module also works separately from the logistics.

First you need the reason for the return from the beneficiary's bank: without it a repeat transfer will produce the same result. Most often it is the data – the beneficiary's name on the payment order does not match the company's name at the bank in China, the payment reference contradicts the invoice, the account is closed, or a private individual is named as beneficiary. We check the details before the payment, so returns of this kind are cut off in advance. While the money is on its way back, the supplier does not start production and the dispatch date slips.

Prepayment is normal on production orders, but paying a new supplier in full before any check is the main risk in purchasing. The working order is: check the company against its business license and the register before the first payment, then a partial prepayment, with the balance after goods receipt at the warehouse in Guangzhou and the photo report. If the supplier refuses any form of control and asks for a transfer to a personal account, the payment stops pending clarification. The terms depend on the category and the amount.

Because freight rates change faster than that: over 2026 they changed more than 10 times. The quote fixes the cost for 7 days from the date of issue, after which the figures are recalculated against the current market. It is not only rates that change but also the actual cargo parameters: if the weight or volume at goods receipt in Guangzhou differs from the supplier's figures, the requote follows our own measurements. That is why a quote always carries a date and the scope of services.

Yes. The carrier provides basic insurance cover as part of the transport service. It covers loss, theft and non-delivery, while the amount of cover depends on the route. Cargo damage is not covered; liability for damage is determined by the contract of carriage and the applicable convention. Manufacturing defects, product mix-ups and incorrect contents are also excluded and should be identified during goods receipt in Guangzhou before dispatch. We confirm the current voluntary insurance rate when preparing your quote.

Loss, theft and non-delivery are covered. The carrier provides the mandatory cover, and the amount depends on the route: $5 per kg by road to Kazakhstan; for Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Europe, we confirm the cover when preparing your quote. The limit is based on weight rather than shipment value, so it is usually low for expensive, lightweight goods. We also confirm the current voluntary insurance rate and applicable terms in the quote.

Record the damage on the carrier's delivery report and take photos when the shipment is handed over. Damage is not covered by insurance: liability is determined by the contract of carriage and the applicable convention, not by the policy. Insurance covers loss, theft and non-delivery. The claim is then pursued under the contract of carriage, and we provide the goods receipt records from Guangzhou showing the packaging and condition of the packages before dispatch.

The lead time is counted from the date of dispatch from the warehouse in Guangzhou: by road on the China – Kazakhstan route it is 10–15 days. Cargo is usually faster, official import longer because of the clearance. Carriage is performed by partner carriers, so we give a range rather than a date: the schedule is affected by the season, how loaded the border crossings are, and inspections. Lead times for all routes are collected on the page delivery lead times, and the route itself is set out in the section supplies to Kazakhstan.

Delivery from China to Ukraine takes 7–11 days from dispatch at our Guangzhou warehouse: the flight takes 4–7 days, followed by another 3–4 days for collection from Poland and customs clearance. We do not promise an exact arrival date because partner carriers handle the transport, and flight consolidation, queues and customs procedures can affect the schedule. Lead times become more consistent with regular shipments because the cargo is assembled in advance. See shipping to Ukraine for details.

Uzbekistan goes by road: 15–20 days on the accelerated route and 20–35 days on the economy route, from dispatch at the warehouse in Guangzhou. The difference between them is price and speed, and you make the choice at the quoting stage. The exact lead time depends on the scheme, the product category and the leg inside the country: transit transhipment and delivery to the consignee's city are also part of the range. The route is described on the page supplies to Uzbekistan.

Because the schedule is affected by legs we do not control: the supplier's readiness to ship, how loaded the carrier is, the season before Chinese New Year, queues at border crossings, inspections and customs procedures. Within our own leg the timing is predictable: goods receipt at the warehouse in Guangzhou, measurements, photo report, dispatch after your confirmation. We do not promise an arrival date, but we report a shift at the moment it appears rather than once the delay has already happened.

Yes. Building up a shipment is a standard arrangement: goods from different suppliers remain at our Guangzhou warehouse until the shipment is complete. We do not charge for storage, and the warehouse is free for regular clients, so there is no day limit or overstay fee. Longer-term storage for a specific project is agreed case by case. Every consignment is recorded in a goods receipt report with photos; see our warehouse in China for details.

Yes, the goods accumulated can be split into several dispatches: to Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The split is done at the warehouse in Guangzhou before dispatch, and each dispatch gets its own marking of places, its own packing list and its own quote, because the scheme and the documents differ by country. One country can go by cargo and another by official import. The 50 kg minimum is counted for each dispatch separately, not for the whole order.

On the carriage leg the carrier is liable under its own transport documents, while we run the supply as the operator: we keep in touch with the carrier, track the status and pass on information about any shifts. Goods receipt, measurements, storage and inspection in Guangzhou are our responsibility, and that is evidenced by a report with photos. We do not claim to be responsible for every leg at once: each has its own performer, and that is visible in the documents.

Yes, Europe is an open route, and dispatches go by air: 12–20 days to the consignee's address from the date of dispatch at the warehouse in Guangzhou. That period covers the flight, handling at the arrival airport, customs procedures and the last mile to the door. Carriage is performed by partner carriers, so we give a range rather than a date. The terms for the route are on the page supplies to Europe, and lead times for the other routes are in the section delivery lead times.

The discrepancy is recorded at goods receipt in Guangzhou, before the international dispatch: you receive photos, the number of defective units and a description of the problem. You then take the decision – replacement by the supplier, a top-up delivery, a discount, a return or dispatch as is. The cargo waits at the warehouse until the decision is confirmed. Sorting it out in China is cheaper than sorting it out at your end: returning goods to a seller inside the country is easier than carrying them back across the border.

Basic goods receipt is the piece count, verification of SKUs against the packing list, weighing, measuring of dimensions, a visual check of the packaging for damage, and a photo report. An extended inspection is agreed in advance for the specific goods: sampling by quantity, completeness, functioning on simple indicators, verification of colour and sizes. We do not carry out laboratory testing – material composition and electrical safety are confirmed by a laboratory following a defined method. The scope of work is described on the page inspection of goods.

Yes, the photo report is part of goods receipt: photos of the places at the warehouse in Guangzhou, photos of the marking, photos of opened boxes under the agreed sampling, and separate shots of every discrepancy found. The report arrives before dispatch so that the decision is taken while the cargo is still in China. Video and the opening of every box are agreed separately, because that is separate warehouse time. The goods receipt procedure is the same for cargo and for official import.

First, the business license: the company name on the license must match the name on the invoice and in the payment details. Next, we check registration in the open register, the right to conduct export settlements, how long the company has been operating, and the address of the production site. We run this check before the first payment. Warning signs to stop at: a private individual's payment details, a change of account at the last moment, and a request to split the amount into several small transfers.

Yes, that is the main scenario for regular purchasing: suppliers deliver the cargo to the warehouse in Guangzhou, we receive each consignment separately and dispatch them as one – with a common packing list and a single marking of places. Instead of three or five dispatches you pay for one and receive one set of documents. The limit is on the weight and volume of the dispatch, not on the number of suppliers. More detail: cargo consolidation.

We reinforce packaging at our Guangzhou warehouse before dispatch at the listed prices: a crated pallet costs $30 per cubic metre, bag and tape cost $5 per package, a cardboard corner with a bag costs $6 per package, and a wooden crate for small boxes costs $15–25. Inadequate packaging is identified during goods receipt and documented in the photo report, so you can decide before dispatch. Repacking changes the volume and therefore the volumetric weight; we recalculate the cost using measurements taken after the work.

Yes. Send us links to the product listings and we will check the sellers, pay for the orders in China, receive the parcels at our Guangzhou warehouse and consolidate them into one shipment. The listed product price excludes domestic delivery, packaging and consolidation, so the full shipment cost must be calculated separately. Orders from different sellers can be combined into a single shipment. See purchasing from 1688 for details.

Yes, the preparation is done at the warehouse in Guangzhou: applying barcodes and labels to your template, assembling sets, inserting leaflets, packing into individual bags, repacking to the requirements of the marketplace warehouse. Marking codes and certificates are a separate matter: they are needed before dispatch and belong to the scheme with documents rather than to warehouse work. Documents are usually needed for selling through a marketplace, which is why official import is more often the choice.

Most often, we ship goods for marketplaces and retail, components and raw materials for manufacturing, HoReCa equipment, building and finishing materials, car parts, textiles, tableware and household goods. We confirm the requirements for your product category before quoting.

Because cargo does not produce a customs declaration, and goods that need permits, a certificate of conformity or marking codes will not go through under that scheme. Likewise, we do not take excisable and licensed categories, weapons and their parts, perishable food, live plants and animals, counterfeit goods, or goods bearing third-party trade marks without the rights holder's permission. We check the category before quoting, and the list of requirements by group is on the page goods and categories.

The difference is in the documents and in how the goods get onto the books. Cargo is delivery without a full document set for the goods: the costs are usually lower and the lead time shorter, but there is no customs declaration and no input VAT. Official import runs on a contract with the supplier, with an invoice, a packing list, transport documents and a customs declaration: more expensive and slower, but the goods sit on the books legally. A comparison of the schemes is in the section official import.

Under cargo you receive documents for the service and for the goods within the process: the supplier's invoice, the packing list, the goods receipt report from the warehouse in Guangzhou with photos, the marking of places, and confirmation of the supplier payment if it went through us. There is no customs declaration in this scheme, so input VAT cannot be recovered and the origin of the goods is not documented. For selling to companies and retail chains that set is usually not enough.

The set is built on the contract with the supplier and includes the invoice, the packing list, transport documents, the export declaration from China and the customs declaration in the country of import. For certain categories, certificates of conformity, permits and marking codes are added. With this set the goods go onto the books, input VAT is evidenced, and the origin of the shipment can be shown to a marketplace, a bank or a corporate customer. The clearance is carried out by a customs broker in the country of import.

Yes, but only under the official scheme: the right to recover it comes from the customs declaration in the country of import and the full document set for the goods. Under cargo there is no declaration, so there is no input VAT either – the costs are lower, but the goods do not go onto the books with evidenced origin. The choice is a matter of money: the saving from cargo against the amount of recoverable VAT and the ability to sell to companies and through a marketplace. The rate and the recovery procedure depend on the country of import.

It depends on the category and the country of import: some goods go without permits, some require a certificate of conformity, and certain groups require marking codes. This has to start before dispatch: certification requires samples, time and a separate budget, and marking is applied before sale. Testing is carried out by an accredited laboratory and the document is issued by a certification body. We do not do the testing, but we prepare the cargo and the documents and coordinate the process with those participants.

No, we are not a customs broker. The declaration in the country of import is filed by a specialist participant entitled to do so, and we organise the supply together with them: we collect the documents, agree the description of the goods and the codes, prepare the cargo at the warehouse in Guangzhou and keep in touch about the timing. The division is worth understanding in advance: the broker is responsible for the clearance, we are responsible for preparing the shipment and for the cargo data.

Arrange to work through an export agent that can issue the documents, or replace the supplier with a factory that already exports. Official import cannot be arranged with that supplier without a contract, invoice and export declaration because the customs declaration cannot then be filed in the country of import. Check this before making any prepayment: the company's business licence and registry record show whether it is authorised to conduct export transactions.

You remain the importer of record. The contract with the Chinese supplier, the customs declaration in the country of import and the entry of the goods onto the books are all in your legal entity's name, so input VAT and the origin of the shipment are evidenced by your documents. Our role is that of supply operator: goods receipt and inspection at the warehouse in Guangzhou, consolidation, preparation of the cargo data and coordination of the carriage. The document set is set out in the section supply documents.

No, customs clearance is an additional service on request, shown as a separate line in the quote. We are not a customs broker: the declaration in the country of import is filed by a specialist participant entitled to do so, while we collect the documents, agree the description of the goods and the codes, and prepare the cargo at the warehouse in Guangzhou. If you do not need the clearance, that line does not appear in the quote. The document set is described in the section supply documents.

The switch runs in parallel: your current supplies continue while one shipment is placed with us. The order is this – a quote for that same shipment of yours, agreement on the scope of services, a new warehouse address in Guangzhou for one supplier, goods receipt with a photo report, dispatch, and reconciliation of the actual figures against the quote. The rest of the volume is moved only after that, and nothing needs to be terminated in advance. How to break down your current provider's invoice is described in the section switching operator.

Yes, a test shipment in parallel with your current provider is the recommended way to start, and the minimum is the same: 50 kg. Four things are worth comparing: the actual cost per unit of goods delivered to your warehouse, the time from dispatch to collection, the quality of goods receipt and the photo report, and the speed and clarity of the response when there is a problem. One shipment gives measurable figures instead of promises, and it shows what happens when something does not go to plan.

A comparison only makes sense when the inputs match: the same cargo, the same services, the same currency and the same quote date. Convert both quotes to a cost per unit delivered to your warehouse and note what each rate includes: delivery within China, goods receipt, storage, inspection, packaging, documentation and last-mile delivery. Differences usually come from the scope of service rather than the freight rate itself.

A lower rate does not mean the supply is cheaper: what has to be counted is the total for the shipment, including delivery within China, goods receipt, storage, packing, top-up deliveries, idle time and losses from defects found at your own warehouse. We do not promise to be cheaper than the market: on dense cargo the rate decides a lot, on bulky cargo it decides little. This is tested on one shipment, where both figures are put together from the same list of operations and on the same date.

Yes, that is a separate scenario: suppliers deliver the cargo to our warehouse in Guangzhou, we receive it, do the piece count, verify SKUs, take a photo report, build up the shipment and hand the cargo over to the same carrier you work with today. The only thing that changes is the address you give your suppliers. That is how the control leg in China is tested without rebuilding the logistics, and for an active importer it is the calmest first step.

Then you stay: we have no volume commitments and no minimum number of dispatches per month. The test shipment is closed out with its own set of papers – the goods receipt report with photos, the packing list, and the quote with actual weight and volume – and at that point the work stops. The data on the shipment stays with you and is useful in a conversation with your current provider about price. You can come back later: the warehouse address in Guangzhou and the way we work will be the same.