Complete Guide to Shipping from China

1. The full journey: from factory to your warehouse

Before we talk about containers, rates, and freight forwarders, it’s important to understand the logistics chain as a whole. Each stage has its own cost, timeline, and risks.

Stage 1 – Picking up goods from the factory

Everything starts at the factory. Depending on the agreed Incoterms rule, your Chinese supplier may take on more or less responsibility for getting the goods to the port. If you work under FOB, the supplier usually arranges transport to the port and export customs clearance. If you agree on EXW, you are responsible for organizing transport from the very beginning, including domestic trucking within China.

For beginners, FOB is often easier and safer, because part of the work is handled by the supplier. Even then, it’s crucial to know exactly what is included in the price and at which point the supplier’s responsibility ends.

Stage 2 – Preparing the paperwork

Before the goods can be loaded, the right documents need to be prepared. In most cases, these include:

• commercial invoice,
• packing list,
• bill of lading,
• export customs clearance confirmation,
• quality and compliance certificates, if required for your product.

Key documents at a glance

Bill of Lading (B/L)

The bill of lading is one of the most important documents in sea freight. It confirms that the cargo has been received and loaded on board, shows key details about the shipper, consignee, vessel, and cargo, and is used at the destination to release the goods.

Commercial Invoice

The commercial invoice is the basis for calculating customs duties and VAT. The value, product description, quantity, and delivery terms must match the real market value and your contract, because any discrepancy can cause problems with customs.

Packing List

The packing list shows the structure of the shipment in detail: number of boxes, dimensions, gross and net weights, and what is packed where. Customs officers and your freight forwarder use it to compare the declared and actual shipment, and during any physical inspections.

Errors in the paperwork can stop your shipment, prolong transit, and generate extra costs. That’s why checking the documents is one of the critical steps in the entire process.

Stage 3 – Loading and sea transport

In China, your goods are loaded into a container and shipped by sea to the destination port. Sea freight is the most common choice for larger shipments, because it’s much cheaper than air freight. Transit time depends on the route and the origin and destination ports, but in practice it is often between 45 and 55 days to Adriatic ports.

You also need to add the time needed to get the goods from the factory to the Chinese port, plus unloading and domestic transport on your side. That’s why the total time from order to warehouse is often between 55 and 70 days.

Stage 4 – Arrival at the port and customs clearance

When the vessel arrives at the destination port, your goods must clear customs before they can move on to inland transport. This is also where extra charges appear, and they often surprise importers who only looked at the “ocean freight” line in a quote.

These charges include port and terminal fees, handling, documentation, storage, and other local costs. This is why you should always ask your forwarder for a complete and transparent quote, not just the ocean freight part.

2. The role of the freight forwarder

A freight forwarder is a company that organizes and coordinates the logistics process on your behalf. For importers working with larger shipments, the forwarder is not just a helper but a key business partner.

Their job usually includes:

• booking space on the vessel,
• coordinating pickup from the factory,
• checking and preparing documentation,
• communicating with the port and customs,
• organizing delivery to your warehouse,
• tracking the shipment and solving potential issues.

A good freight forwarder can save you time, reduce risk, and help you avoid hidden costs. Their experience with shipments from China is extremely important.

3. Sea freight costs from China – what’s really in the price?

The transport price is not just the ocean freight rate. A realistic cost calculation needs to include multiple items on both ends – in China, on the sea leg itself, and after arrival in Europe.

Origin charges in China

On the Chinese side you typically have:

• domestic transport from the factory to the port (trucking),
• terminal handling charges at the Chinese port (THC),
• documentation and export customs broker fees,
• export duties and taxes, where applicable.

Ocean freight costs

On the main leg, the price can include:

• base ocean freight – per container (FCL) or per CBM (LCL),
• BAF (Bunker Adjustment Factor) – fuel surcharge,
• CAF (Currency Adjustment Factor) – currency fluctuation surcharge,
• various seasonal, market, or emergency surcharges (for example Emergency Bunker Surcharge).

Sea freight rates are highly volatile and can change monthly – and often weekly or even faster. In peak seasons (for example before major holidays) prices can be several times higher than in calmer months. [web:149]

Destination charges

Once the goods arrive, you will face:

• terminal and port charges at the destination,
• line and forwarder documentation fees,
• customs broker fees,
• import duties and VAT,
• domestic transport from the port to your warehouse.

In practice, a realistic FOB-based formula looks like this:

3.1 LCL vs FCL – how to choose the right option?

This is one of the first and most important decisions in your transport planning. Each option has a clear situation where it makes the most sense.

FCL – Full Container Load

FCL means you book an entire container just for your goods. The container is sealed at the factory or at the port in China, a seal is applied, and nobody else’s cargo is loaded with yours until it reaches the destination.

Advantages of FCL:

• Better cargo safety – no mixing with other people’s goods and lower risk of damage.
• Lower cost per cubic metre – the more volume you ship, the more FCL pays off.
• Faster customs clearance – fewer complications because the whole container belongs to one importer.
• Clarity and control – you know exactly what is inside and can track one unit end to end.

FCL usually becomes cost‑effective once your cargo volume is above about 15–18 cubic metres. If you are filling more than half of a 20ft container, it is almost always cheaper to take a full container.

LCL – Less than Container Load

LCL means your goods travel in the same container with cargo from other importers. You only pay for the space you use – the rate is calculated per CBM (cubic metre).

Advantages of LCL:

• No need to wait until you can fill a full container – you can ship smaller quantities.
• Lower total cost for small trial orders.
• Ideal for samples and first test shipments.

Disadvantages of LCL:

• Higher risk of damage – the cargo is handled and re‑stacked more often.
• Longer transit time – consolidation and deconsolidation add days to the journey.
• Higher cost per CBM compared to FCL.
• Additional local charges for deconsolidation at the destination.

With LCL shipments, packaging quality is critical. The cargo changes hands several times – in the consolidation warehouse in China, at the port of loading, during transshipment, and at the destination. Boxes must be strong and products well protected.

LCL vs FCL at a glance

4. Air freight

Air freight is much faster but also far more expensive than sea freight. It’s usually used when you need the goods urgently or when the shipment is small but high in value. Express courier air services (DHL, FedEx, etc.) typically deliver from China in about 3–7 days, depending on the service level and customs clearance.

It is most often used for:

• urgent orders,
• samples,
• seasonal products,
• light but valuable goods.

In air freight, pricing is not based only on actual weight, but on volumetric weight – in other words, how much space your shipment takes up in the aircraft.

Example:

Your shipment measures 100 cm × 80 cm × 60 cm and has an actual weight of 50 kg.

Volumetric weight is calculated as:

Volumetric weight = (100 × 80 × 60) / 6000 = 80 kg

Since 80 kg (volumetric) is higher than 50 kg (actual), the airline will charge you for 80 kg.

This means that light but bulky cargo can be much more expensive to ship by air than it looks at first glance.

5. Rail transport

Rail freight from China to Europe and Serbia has become an increasingly popular option. It is faster than sea freight and much cheaper than air freight, making it an ideal “middle option” between speed and cost. [web:148][web:151]

Rail is mostly used for:

• Medium‑sized shipments that cannot wait for a long sea route but are not profitable enough or urgent enough for expensive air freight.
• Seasonal goods (for example fashion collections, summer/winter products).
• Bulky or heavier cargo where air freight would be extremely expensive, but the margin is better than on typical “low‑value” sea freight goods.
• Electronics and higher‑value goods where you want to reduce the time your capital is tied up in transit.

In practice, shipments leave by rail from inland hubs in China (for example Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing), move through Kazakhstan and Russia (usually via Alashankou/Dostyk and Małaszewicze/Brest, where cargo is transferred due to different rail gauges), then reach logistics hubs in central Europe (Poland, Hungary). The final leg to Belgrade is handled by truck. [web:148][web:151]

Even though rail is faster than sea, it is strongly affected by capacity constraints, bottlenecks at gauge‑change points, and geopolitical events. In periods of disruption to sea routes (such as the Red Sea crisis), rail prices can move closer to sea rates, which makes rail even more attractive – but also requires early booking and a forwarder who actively tracks train schedules. [web:147][web:151]

6. The most common mistakes

Many importers repeat the same mistakes, especially early on.

• Accepting the transport organised by the Chinese supplier – it is usually better to manage freight yourself or through your own agent. Chinese sellers often do not show the full picture, especially local charges at the destination port.
• unclear agreement on Incoterms,
• poor or incomplete documentation,
• choosing the wrong freight forwarder,
• underestimating the total delivery time,
• ignoring destination and port charges at the arrival port,
• insufficient inventory planning.

One of the most common issues is that importers fail to include destination charges in their cost calculation. On top of the basic transport, you often face port fees, handling, storage, and local customs clearance – all of which can significantly increase your total landed cost.

If you avoid these mistakes, your whole import process will be much more predictable and stable.

7. Conclusion

Shipping from China is not just a logistics cost – it is a key part of your business strategy. It affects your pricing, lead times, stock levels, and overall profitability. Once you understand how pickup, documentation, sea or rail freight, customs clearance, and local charges fit together, it becomes much easier to stay in control.

The most important thing is to plan ahead, ask for clear and complete quotes, and never leave logistics to chance. Well‑organised transport often makes the difference between a smooth import and a very painful one.