Shipping to USA from China by Sea

While transporting goods to USA from China there are plenty of options to bear in mind including the way of transport, cost, weight concerns, licenses and more; but don’t worry as in this article we outline all the main factors that you should be aware of.

Factors to remember when shipping to USA from China by Sea

Below are the top factors that have been summarized so that when you ship your goods you are all good to go.

Freight and Cargo

There are five means of freight, each with its own pro and con. These five methods are:

• Transferring goods via air
• Transferring good via sea
• Transferring goods via courier service
• Transferring service via post
• Transferring directly via Amazon FBA

Considering the options from below you would be able to understand the process better.

Expenses

When shipping to USA from China by sea, you should know that this is the most cheapest and effective way. Why? Because not only is it cost effective but secure as well. The Amazon FBA is also an affordable option but all of your taxes and fees are to be paid before you ship.

License and Agreement

When shipping from China to USA via sea there is an agreement called OBL (Ocean Bill of Lading) that should be signed off. And in the case of transfer via air, an AWB (Air Waybill) is to be signed upon. These documents are custom clearances that serve as a receipt and ensure your goods safety. They also reflect the fact that an agreement had been signed between you and the supplier.

Other than that if you are a U.S citizen, there would be no need to pay any tariff because of CBP (Custom Border Protection) agreement which makes paying unnecessary tax illegal. Also you might need a local license since you are shipping internationally. If you are using a middle man or paying the company a great deal they could handle it for you like Amazon FBA.

Choosing your container

When you are shipping to USA from China by sea, you should choose which container would be suitable according to your needs. There are two types namely FCL (Full Container Loaded) and LCL (Less than Container Load). If your good weight a ton or less than that, then, LCL would be a preferable choice for you. Though if there are numerous supplies that need to be shipped, go with FCL.

Tracking and monitoring

Shipping to USA from China by sea allows you to track your cargo’s location successfully. Their systems have become quite proficient and they are able to provide live updates.

If you are going with sea freight via Amazon FBA, you should know that when they shift your cargo, it gets transported to multiple Amazon warehouses and the tracking of those goods can be tricky. So you might want to go in your Amazon FBA account settings and turn the inventory placement switch on. This way the goods would get shipped to a single warehouse and you will be able to keep track of it via Amazon’s support team.

Door to Door service

A great benefit derived from shipping via sea is that most freight companies offer door to door service for an extremely negligible cost. Even the Amazon FBA is an extremely effective logistics provider. One can also check the China Freight reviews to see what they offer.

Time consumption

Though this method has many benefits, there is a drawback to it. It consumes TIME! On average it takes one month and two weeks for your goods to reach U.S grounds.Amazon FBA is able to do it within a month or three weeks. Nevertheless, if you are going to ship your goodies across the dancing sea, you should have your mind prepared and patience would be a great virtue at that moment.