As we have reported before at Home Business Magazine, drop shipping has become increasingly popular among e-commerce entrepreneurs in the post-pandemic world. Whether you are running a business-to-business or business-to-consumer model, the benefits of drop shipping are numerous. For example, you do not need to spend money on storage space because your supplier and your shipper become, in effect, your warehouse. Furthermore, drop shipping should enable you to receive payment upfront for consumer items your customers are purchasing, which gives you the cash flow you need to purchase items directly from suppliers. Even better, employing the drop shipping model to import from certain overseas economies is less hassle than you might think, certainly given the profit margins that can be generated.
Yet, importing from the world’s manufacturing superpower, China, does take some knowledge. That is why it is often best to get going with an experienced freight forwarding company to help you deal with import duty and excise duty, where it is applicable. According to one of the UK’s leading companies that handles consignments from China every day, Barrington Freight, one of the things that small businesses tend to struggle with isn’t so much having items shipped from the Far East but the paperwork that needs to be inspected when items arrive in UK ports. Along with the various tips they have for importing from China, what are the most effective methods available? In the main, there are three choices. Let’s deal with each in turn.
Courier Imports from China
Ideal for smaller but higher value items, courier services from China are the most expensive but quickest option. This is the service to opt for when you need something as soon as possible and your customer is willing to pay a premium to get it on time. Low volume consignments tend to face the fewest delays with this method of shipment, but there is a high environmental impact to consider.
Air Freighted Imports from China
Air freight from China to the UK will typically take a couple of weeks to organize, but deliveries could be made within six days if you time things well. You get high levels of product security and trackability with air freight, but the service won’t be as rapid as a courier. If you are shipping EXW, then this service is generally less expensive than couriering when importing items up to 200 kilos in weight. The corresponding FOB figure would be about 100 kilos for imports from China.
Containerized Sea Freight from China
Most drop shipping enterprises make use of the globe’s favorite method of carrying out commercial shipments these days. With shared containers and a lower carbon footprint than other methods of importing from China, this is a convenient and cost-effective method to use. Anything over 100 kilos is cheaper to ship by sea, but even smaller items work out as less costly when they are stowed in general shipment containers. The one downside with this method is that consignments typically take six weeks to arrive in the UK from a Chinese port.
