Warehouse in China: what happens to cargo before dispatch
Between “the supplier has shipped” and “the cargo is moving” there are a few days in which almost everything is decided: whether the goods arrived complete, whether they are the right goods, whether the packing will survive being reloaded. The cargo spends those days in a warehouse. Below: what is done to it there, what costs money, and why long storage with us is not an option.
Cargo is received by a person, not a pickup point
At the warehouse the cargo is received by our own member of staff in China. This is not an automated drop-off where a box goes into a numbered locker: the consignment is checked against what you ordered, so discrepancies show up before dispatch, not after.
The difference is felt in one place — when the supplier has sent the wrong thing. Catching that at the warehouse costs an exchange of messages with the factory. Catching it after customs clearance costs you the consignment.
As soon as the whole consignment is assembled, it can be packed and released onto a standard route the same day. There is no waiting for a truck to fill up: the consignment leaves when it is ready.
Checking and recounting
Checking and recounting the goods is done by agreement: free of charge, or charged by labour if counting has to be done piece by piece and takes time. This is settled before receiving, not afterwards.
What can be inspected at the warehouse:
- the number of packages and the weight against what the supplier declared;
- a recount of the goods inside the packages;
- the condition of the supplier’s packing — it travels on by truck or by air and has to survive that;
- the labelling, if you use your own.
What we do not do: we do not test quality and we do not assess whether the goods match a sample. That is inspection work, not warehouse work, and the two must not be confused — “we looked at it” and “we verified it against the specification” are different things.
Packing: prices per package
A supplier’s packing is designed to get the goods to the next workshop, not to Almaty via two reloads. That is why packing is almost always redone.
| Type of packing | Price | When it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Bag and tape | $5 per package | dense goods in a factory box, short leg |
| Cardboard corner, bag, tape | $6 per package | the box crushes along its edges and will be stacked |
| Wooden crate, small boxes | $15–25 per package | fragile, expensive, heavy |
| Pallet in a crate | $30 per cubic metre | a whole mixed pallet |
A crate costs three to five times more than a bag and is almost always cheaper than breakage. Broken goods are not covered by insurance — neither ours nor the carrier’s — so packing is not an upsell but the only protection against damage the cargo has at all. More on this — defects, breakage and shortages.
Storage: there is none for a fee, and that is not generosity
We do not offer paid storage. For regular clients cargo sits free of charge; if storage is needed separately and for a long time, the service is discussed case by case.
The reason is simple and it is fairer to say it out loud: the warehouse exists to dispatch quickly, not to hold for longer. Cargo that sits takes up space and ages on paper; cargo that moves earns money for you and for us. Long storage with us is not something to plan around.
If goods need to accumulate over months, that is a different service and a different conversation, and it needs to start before the first shipment, not once the boxes have arrived.
Collection within China
The supplier can bring the cargo to the warehouse itself — that is the cheapest option and it works with most factories. If it cannot, we arrange collection: at the carrier’s actual cost or with a $20–50 surcharge.
The surcharge is the client price and it appears in the invoice as such — there is no separate hidden line here.
Collection is worth costing in advance when there are several suppliers in different provinces: a handful of small collections can cost more than the gap between rates. How this is brought into a single consignment — consolidating cargo from several suppliers.
How long cargo waits for dispatch
Once a consignment is assembled and packed, the time to departure depends on the route, not on the warehouse.
| Route | From ready to dispatched |
|---|---|
| Russia, Kazakhstan | packed in the evening — collected overnight |
| Uzbekistan | agreed with the carrier and taken to its depot: ready during the day means dispatch that evening, otherwise the next day |
| Europe, air | packed and confirmed today — dispatched tomorrow |
| Ukraine | a few days to agree, then 1–4 days to the inspection point and departure |
After that comes the journey itself and customs — that is covered in delivery times by route.
Frequently asked questions
Can cargo be stored at your warehouse in China?
We do not offer paid storage. For regular clients cargo sits free of charge, and if storage is needed separately and for a long time the service is discussed for that specific case.
The warehouse exists to dispatch an assembled consignment quickly, not to hold it. If goods need to accumulate over months, tell us before the first shipment: that is a separate conversation.
How much does packing cargo in China cost?
Bag and tape — $5 per package. Cardboard corner with bag and tape — $6 per package. Wooden crate for small boxes — $15–25 per package. Pallet in a crate — $30 per cubic metre.
A crate is almost always cheaper than breakage: damage to cargo is not covered by insurance, and packing remains the only real protection.
Who receives cargo at the warehouse in China?
Cargo is received by our own member of staff in China. The consignment is checked against what you ordered, so discrepancies show up before dispatch.
Checking and recounting the goods is done by agreement: free of charge, or charged by labour if counting has to be done piece by piece.
How much does it cost to collect cargo from a supplier within China?
At the carrier’s actual cost or with a $20–50 surcharge. That is the client price and it appears in the invoice as such.
The cheapest option is for the supplier to bring the cargo to the warehouse itself — that works with most factories.
Do you check the quality of the goods at the warehouse?
No. The warehouse looks at the number of packages, the weight, a recount inside the packages, the condition of the packing and the labelling. Quality and conformity to a sample are inspection — separate work.
The two should not be confused: “we looked at the cargo” and “we verified the goods against the specification” are different promises.
Can several small orders be combined into one consignment?
Yes — that is what the warehouse is for: orders arrive from different suppliers on different days and leave as a single consignment. As soon as the last item arrives, the cargo is packed and released onto its route the same day.
Assembling pays because of weight: the larger the consignment, the lower the price per kilogram. The order of assembly is covered on the consolidation page.
Tell us what the cargo is, how many packages there are and how many suppliers it comes from — we will cost the packing and say when the consignment can leave.