Buying from china. Is sea freight safe or use Fedex for UK?

[Al's Collectio]

Hi everyone,

I am starting a new business in the UK and getting some bits shipped over from china but I'm not sure what shipping method to use.

I can either use fedex (10 working days) or sea freight (30 days), and both are door to door. But there is a huge difference in cost. Fedex being 970 USD and sea freight being 365 USD.

I would prefer to get my items sooner rather than later but if sea freight is viable then I can wait.

What are other peoples experiences with sea freight from china to UK? Do you get more problems?

Thank you

 

[japancool]

It's fine as long as you arrange your own freight.

 

[Al's Collectio]

It's fine as long as you arrange your own freight.

This is arranged by the supplier. It's my first time buying from china.

 

[japancool]

This is arranged by the supplier. It's my first time buying from china.

Then be wary of being hit by additional charges when the goods arrive, if shipping by sea.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Ron @MOIC will be able to help you out

 

[MOIC]

My advice is not to rely solely on the quotes provided by the supplier.

Get independent costs by air, sea and train and compare rates as well as the small print of what each rate includes. They will all be different.

There are factors to consider that will affect shipping costs, including the following:

• Products to be shipped
• Weight of shipment
• Dimensions of shipment
• Supplier incoterms (EXW, FOB etc)
• Delivery to your door
• Duties payable
• Speed of shipment

I would also advise getting an EORI number if you're planning regular shipments into UK.

 

[AlanJ1]

My advice is not to rely solely on the quotes provided by the supplier.

Get independent costs by air, sea and train and compare rates as well as the small print of what each rate includes. They will all be different.

There are factors to consider that will affect shipping costs, including the following:

• Products to be shipped
• Weight of shipment
• Dimensions of shipment
• Supplier incoterms (EXW, FOB etc)
• Delivery to your door
• Duties payable
• Speed of shipment

I would also advise getting an EORI number if you're planning regular shipments into UK.

Some great advice here, would also mention that air pricing will start to rise the closer we get to Christmas.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

This is the classic importer dilemma of speed over cost and there are several things you need to consider.

If there is margin/profit in the product and you believe that you might sell out in a month, order 2 batches (or split a larger initial order) sea freight the first and air the second, so, when you sell out, the new shipment arrives......

 

[MOIC]

Some great advice here, would also mention that air pricing will start to rise the closer we get to Christmas.

I would add that the price increases up to CNY, as most buyers want the goods shipped prior to CNY closures, so it's a classic case of supply and demand.

 

[Al's Collectio]

Thank you everyone.

 

[kantanLiving]

Also note, unless your supplier has a good rate from courier, using fedex DHL main brands may be more expensive for airfreight if setup by them.

Can always ask your supplier if they can use other couriers? EMS is one of chinas main couriers also probably the cheapest in a lot of cases for a new business. Yodel is another one for china to UK for smaller parcels. Unless your ordering large amounts that are going on pallet. Then it would be good to get some independent quotes.

(experience from 2021- just a recommendation) A previous company i worked for had used UNICARGO an eu logistics company who were pretty speedy and decent pricing getting goods from China to UK/USA for air and sea. They have offices in china and so there workers can communicate directly with your supplier in mandarin. This is a big + for importing rather then using a company that does not have any local workers or outsource the work to another company in china. But they are largely volume base, so something to consider in future.

Seafreight vs air

Air - faster, door to door, more simple to deal in most cases. Main neg = more expensive 3 or 4x seafreight prices.
Express can be as fast as 3 days China to UK, standard upto 10 days.

sea - slower upto 90 days +, can get delayed at sea or port depending on conditions, can get held up because of other batched container issues. If using LCL can risk damage to your goods if they stacked something on it intentionally or unintentionally. If there are document issues whilst its at sea, you have time to resolve which is good. As others mentioned depending of incoterm used by you/supplier you may get hit with additional charges when it lands. so look up each term and decide which is best for you.


All the best