Importing container's from china.

adam1987_2

Hi,

I currently import various products from china, at the moment I use couriers such as parcel force and DHL but I plan to rent a container soon.

Can someone please advice me on...

Where do I rent a container from??

Will customs open up my container and search it??

How and when do I pay tax, who decides the value of the goods??

Anymore tips or advise on procedures please??

tonyivb

I used to work for a company (MAT) that shipped containers from Italy (usually Naples). Our customers were mainly the big supermarkets who brought in wine, tinned tomatoes, olive oil etc, and it typically cost £800-£1000 for collection & delivery to port (any container port could be used)... delivery to the UK destination was extra (usually £200-£300).

I imagine that the paperwork will be more complex if you are shipping from outside the EU, but I imagine that the basic procedures will be much the same.

We allowed 3 hours for the container to be unloaded... any more & it would incur penalty charges. If you wanted to keep the container for longer than this then you could incur hefty penalty charges for rent of the box & trailer as well as an extra collection charge for the haulier to pick up the empty!

As to your questions...

Whichever shipping company you use, they will provide the container (as most importers don't have return consignments).

Customs can enter your container & search it, but if your paperwork is above board & correct they are less likely to! I imagine that Customs entering your container is the least of your problems... containers can go through many different transit points & unless you supply a lock (or get the supplier to buy one & get a key couriered to you) anybody can get in a container. The containers I used to ship would typically go the following sequence Supplier-Naples-Algeciras(Spain)-Europoort(Netherlands)-Felixstowe-Customer... yours may go through much more (in less savoury parts of the world).

The shipping company should be able to arrange customs clearance & tax payment for you... but this may be difficult if you are a first time customer. You should declare the true value of the goods... have a look onthe HMC&E website for more details.

If you are already buying from a supplier in China then ask them if they know of a reputable agent.

Also, if you are currently a customer of a courier company then ask them... they may have a container division (or a 'preferred' contact).

Good luck!

skeggysteve

A few years ago I worked for a company that imported furniture from the Far East... so here's my 2 p's worth!

China runs (ran) it's own containers (or boxes ) company - Cosco (sp) and you had to use then if you wanted a half decent service. But you could get a 45 ft box for the same price as a 40 ft. Used to cost us c£2200 delivered to the East Midlands.

Yes you get/got 3 hours to unload but thats not a big deal, ok we had furniture ie large items, but if smaller item are packed resonably well you should have no problem in unloading in under 3 hours.

I seem to recall that you also had a time limit on removing it from the docks, once it had cleared customs, that somethimes can be more of a problem.

Just make sure that you have the space to put the load. Don't forget a box is 8 x 8 x 40(or45) ft. - You can, and want to pack a heck of a lot of stuff in that!

Best bit of advice I could give is - get a good shipping agent. I know ours was great, sorted all the paperwork, transport, customs, insurance etc. etc. Don't know if he's still around but if yopu want his number let me know.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards & good luck,

Steve