Importing from China - The Process

If you’re new to importing, this article will be a great guide to provide you with a general overview of the process to import goods from China.

The process of importing from China to Australia can be broken down into several steps:

1. Product sourcing: Identifying and sourcing the products you want to import from China. This may involve visiting trade fairs, working with suppliers, or using online platforms like Alibaba.

2. Due diligence: Investigating the supplier and the product to ensure that it meets your standards and complies with all relevant regulations – it’s normal to be a little bit worried about sending money overseas but there are easy steps you can take nowadays to ensure the supplier is genuine, like asking the for photo’s of their factory and asking for their company license. You should also ask for a sample prior to placing a large order so you can sure of the quality. It's also very easy to get quality control completed locally in China by an independent company to ensure you know exactly what you’re buying.

3. Negotiating terms: Negotiating the price, payment terms, and delivery time with the supplier. Negotiating terms also means considering the Incoterms for the shipment, incoterms dictate who pays for what part of the international transit – we strongly recommend buying on FOB or Ex Works incoterms out of China. Please read our dedicated article on Incoterms for more information about this - please click here

4. Creating an import plan: Creating a detailed plan that outlines the steps you need to take to import the products into Australia, including customs procedures, logistics, and insurance – Willship can help you put all of this together so you know exactly what you’re up for well before deciding to go ahead with the purchase.

5. Arranging shipment: Booking the shipment with a freight forwarder like Willship, we’ll assist you in gathering the commercial invoice, packing list, and other documentation required for the import, and we’ll also provide you with an indicative sailing schedule and timeline. We will often also communicate directly with your supplier (with your permission) to ensure we have everything we need for the shipping and customs clearance.

6. Clearing customs and biosecurity: The next step will be to work with our customs brokers in order to get your goods cleared for entry into Australia, This may involve gathering appropriate documentation from your supplier and paying any customs duties, taxes, and other fees.

7. Delivering the goods: The final part of the process is the delivery of the goods to your warehouse, your house or other storage location, our team will work with you to determine a delivery method that suits your circumstances.

In Conclusion, While importing from China may seem a little daunting, we’re here to make sure everything goes smoothly from the get go. We’ll make sure you’re familiar with all relevant regulations, including those related to product safety, customs and biosecurity clearance, and import taxes and duties. Depending on the product you may also need to obtain licenses or permits, and you may need to comply with customs and biosecurity regulations depending on the commodity.

That about sums it up! Please feel free to get in touch if we can help in any way.