Importing from China: how to import from China, step by step

There are two main places to find suppliers. Alibaba.com is built for overseas buyers, with English listings and export shipping. 1688.com is the domestic wholesale site. It is often cheaper, but it is in Chinese and set up for buyers inside China. Our Alibaba vs 1688 guide covers the trade-offs in detail.

Search by photo as well as by keyword. Chinese sellers describe the same product in very different ways, and an English keyword search misses a lot of 1688 listings. An image search usually finds the same item from several sellers, so you can compare prices on a like-for-like basis.

Count a listing as a match only when material, size and function line up. A cheaper listing that is a slightly different product is not a saving. We see this often with goods that look identical in photos but use thinner material or a weaker motor.

Shortlist a handful of suppliers and ask each the same questions. Cover price at your quantity and MOQ per variant, then lead time and carton size. Written answers make the comparison easy and show you which sellers reply clearly. Our MOQ guide explains why the listed minimum often changes once you ask for custom work.

Trading companies are not automatically a problem. Many small orders go through them because factories will not take low quantities. What matters is knowing who you deal with and what they add.

For mixed orders of many small items, buying in the Yiwu market can be a better route than searching across websites. Our Yiwu market guide explains how that works.

The riskiest moment in importing is sending money to a company you have not checked. Alibaba and 1688 are real platforms, but they host a huge number of independent sellers and do not vouch for each one. Our page on whether Alibaba is legit goes through where buyers actually lose money.

Start with the business licence. Every registered Chinese company has one, and a real supplier sends it without fuss. Look it up on the national enterprise credit system at gsxt.gov.cn. The company should be active, and its business scope should fit what it sells.

Then match the names. The company on the licence, the company on your contract and the account you pay should be the same entity. A request to pay a personal account or a different company is the most common setup for a loss, whatever reason comes with it.

Check the product as well as the company. Ask for a photo of the actual item next to a handwritten note with today's date, or a short video. A seller who holds stock can do this in minutes.

Keep payment on the platform where you can. Trade Assurance on Alibaba only helps when the order and the payment went through Alibaba with written specs.

None of this makes a supplier safe. It filters out the obvious problems before you commit. Our company verification guide walks through each step, and we run the same checks for free as part of a quote.

Order samples before a bulk order, even when the photos look right. A sample is the cheapest way to check material and size, and it gives you something physical to compare the bulk goods against later.

Samples sit outside the MOQ. Most suppliers sell one or a few units at a sample price, and some refund it against the first bulk order. Freight is often the bigger cost, because small parcels sent by express courier are expensive per kilo. Ordering samples from several shortlisted suppliers at once and shipping them together keeps that cost down.

When the samples arrive, check them against your spec rather than the listing photos. Measure the key dimensions. Test anything that moves, closes or switches on. Look closely at the packaging if your customer will see it.

Keep the approved sample. It becomes the reference for the bulk order and for any dispute. We suggest writing the approved spec into the order with photos of the sample attached. Material and color code belong in it, and so do size tolerances and packaging.

If a sample is close but not right, ask for a revised one before bulk. It costs time, but fixing a detail at the sample stage is far cheaper than finding it after the whole order is made.

Our sample request service collects samples from several suppliers into one parcel and photographs them on arrival in Yiwu, so you can compare before paying for international shipping.

Payment with Chinese suppliers is usually a deposit before production and the balance before shipping. The split is agreed with each supplier. Small stock orders are often paid in full up front, which is one more reason to keep first orders small.

The balance is your last point of leverage. Once it is paid and the goods have left, fixing a problem gets much harder. Plan the order so that an inspection or a set of photos comes before the balance.

On Alibaba, pay through the platform with Trade Assurance so the order falls under its dispute process. On 1688, sellers expect Chinese payment methods, so overseas buyers usually pay through an agent who places the order in China.

Always pay the company named on the contract. Refuse any late change of bank details sent by email or chat, even when it seems to come from your usual contact. Confirm on a channel you already trust.

Know your total before you pay the deposit. The goods price is only part of it. Freight and duty come later but should be estimated now, so the deposit does not lock you into an order that does not add up.

If you buy through us, you pay against an approved quote. The quote and the supplier check are free. Our sourcing fee is 5% of the goods value up to $5,000 and 4% between $5,000 and $20,000. Above $20,000 it is 3%, with a $49 minimum per order. We add no markup to supplier prices and take no kickbacks from suppliers.

You pay Supplymo by bank transfer to our WorldFirst account. You never pay a supplier directly.

Quality control means checking the finished goods while they are still in China and the supplier can still fix them. Problems found after delivery are usually yours to absorb.

The standard method is an AQL inspection. An inspector pulls a random sample from the finished goods, sized by the order quantity, and counts defects against limits you set in advance. Our AQL guide explains how to read the sampling table and which levels buyers usually choose.

What to check depends on the product. A basic list covers quantity against the packing list, a visual check against the approved sample, key measurements, function tests and the carton marks and labels your market requires.

For small orders a full factory inspection can cost more than it saves. A practical alternative is to have the goods delivered to a warehouse in China and checked on arrival with photos and measurements. Orders that come through our partner warehouse in Yiwu get this check. When an order needs a factory inspection, we arrange one.

Agree in writing what happens if goods fail. Usually the supplier reworks or replaces the faulty units before shipping, and the balance waits until that is done.

If you sell on Amazon, check prep and labelling at the same stage. Wrong barcodes or missing warnings can get a shipment refused at the fulfilment centre. Fixing that from abroad is expensive.

Shipping from China is a trade-off between cost and time. Air freight and express are faster and cost more per kilo. Sea freight is much cheaper per unit on larger volumes but takes weeks longer. Every price and transit time is an estimate until the goods are packed and measured.

Freight is charged on weight or volume, whichever is greater. Light but bulky goods are billed on volume, so carton size matters as much as weight. Our CBM calculator works out the volume of your cartons, and the air vs sea guide explains where the switch to sea usually starts to pay.

Your Incoterm decides where the supplier's job ends and yours begins. On FOB the supplier delivers onto the ship at a Chinese port and you arrange the sea freight. On EXW you collect from the factory. On DDP the seller delivers to you with duty paid, which is simple but hides the cost breakdown. Our Incoterms guide compares all eleven terms.

If you buy from several suppliers, consolidate. Having goods delivered to one warehouse in China and shipped together is usually cheaper than several separate shipments. We keep goods in our partner warehouse in Yiwu free for 30 days while the rest of an order arrives.

Book shipping with the final address in mind. An Amazon fulfilment centre has different delivery and labelling rules from a 3PL or your own door, and a mistake there costs extra fees at the far end.

Customs duty and clearance in your country are your responsibility as the importer, whatever the supplier says. Start with the HS code, the product classification that sets the duty rate. The first six digits are shared internationally, and each country adds its own digits and rates.

Duty is a percentage of the customs value, and countries calculate that value differently. The United States generally uses the price paid for the goods. The EU includes freight and insurance to the EU border. Import VAT or sales tax is added on top in most markets, and some goods from China carry extra tariffs.

Many countries also have a low-value threshold below which small parcels are taxed differently. These thresholds have been changing, so check the current rule with your customs authority before relying on it.

You will usually need a commercial invoice and a packing list, plus the bill of lading or air waybill. Some products also need test reports or certificates. In most cases a customs broker files the entry. Their fee belongs in your landed cost.

Our HS code and import duty checker gives a first estimate of the duty line for your market, and the landed cost guide shows how duty fits into the full cost. Treat both as estimates. The rate that applies is the one your customs authority or broker confirms for your exact product.

We help estimate landed cost and suggest likely HS codes. We do not act as your customs broker and cannot guarantee a customs outcome.