Moving from grey shipping to official import from China
- Commercial shipments from 50 kg
- Checked before you pay the factory
- Documents for accounting and legal resale
For companies ready to import under their own contract. We do not handle personal parcels or one-off small shipments.
When grey shipping stops covering business needs
You do not have to move every purchase at once. It is worth costing out the switch when your next shipment has to meet new requirements from your business, your buyers or a marketplace.
You need documents to sell and to book the goods
Confirmed import, an invoice, a customs declaration and a full document set for the specific deal are required.
Goods go to marketplaces, retail chains or tenders
Requirements appear for origin of goods, documents, labelling or proof of conformity.
Shipments become regular
You need to see the full landed cost, plan a schedule and stop depending on an opaque scheme.
The factory or the product changes
A new category, composition, brand, packaging or supplier calls for another check before payment.
Recognise your situation? We do not promise a universal scheme: we start with your specific product and your next shipment.
Have my goods reviewedWhat changes when you move to official import
Official import changes more than the route. Your company prepares to act as the importer under its own contract, and costs and documents come together into a single, verifiable chain. The exact document set is determined by the goods, the HS code and the terms of the deal.
| Question | Grey shipping | Official import |
|---|---|---|
| Main objective | Deliver a commercial shipment along an agreed route | Officially buy, import and clear the goods under the company's contract |
| Basis of the estimate | Cargo characteristics, route, transit time, handling | Goods, value, HS code, documents, payments, route and category requirements |
| Documents | The set depends on the agreed shipping scheme | Issued for the specific foreign-trade deal and official import |
| Planning | Transit time and delivery cost matter | Accounting, documents, labelling or proof of conformity where required and the full landed cost matter too |
Only need a commercial shipment moved? See the delivery options from China.
How we organise the switch without pausing your purchasing
We start not with cargo you have already paid for, but with one future, well-understood shipment. That cuts down last-minute rework and lets you test the process before scaling it.
- 1
Collect the data
Product, photo or link, specifications, invoice, weight, volume, destination city, readiness date.
- 2
Check the requirements
We review the HS code, documents, labelling and the questions to put to the factory.
- 3
Calculate the full economics
We bring together purchase, handling in China, freight, customs payments, documents and delivery to your warehouse.
- 4
Agree the scheme
Contract, roles of the parties, route, packaging, schedule and responsibility are fixed before shipping.
- 5
Run the first shipment
We follow the goods from factory to warehouse or fulfilment centre and record the working parameters for the shipments that follow.
Checked before you pay the factory
This is the decisive stage of the switch. Requirements for the goods and the documents cannot properly be added after the fact, once the shipment has already been imported.
What to check before paying for your first official shipment
7 questions before you pay the factory
- 1What is the product actually called and what is it used for?
- 2What material, composition, specifications and photos does the factory have?
- 3What is the likely HS code and what requirements does it create?
- 4Are conformity documents, labelling or other permits required?
- 5Who signs the contract and who is named on the invoice?
- 6What is included in the full cost to your warehouse?
- 7When are the goods ready and what buffer stock keeps sales running?
Send us the product or the specification and we will mark which points are already covered and which need checking before the shipment starts.
Get my shipment reviewedCompare the full cost of a shipment, not the rate per kilogram
The decision to switch is not made on the freight price alone. To compare, both models have to be taken to the same end point: goods in your warehouse, ready for use or legal sale. The tax consequences of a particular scheme are for the client to agree with their own accountant or tax adviser.
- Cost of goods
- Payment and handling in China
- International freight
- Customs payments
- Documents
- Labelling where required
- Delivery to your warehouse Full cost of the shipment
Full cost of the shipment ÷ number of units = indicative cost per SKU
What you receive before the first official shipment starts
We work through your actual shipment, not an abstract scheme.
List of data and questions
A preliminary list of the data and questions about your product.
Review of the source information
Analysis of the data behind the HS code, documents and labelling, with specialists where required.
A route for the job
Selected for your transit time, weight, volume and destination city.
Full shipment breakdown
A complete structure showing which work is included and which is not.
Document plan
A plan of documents and actions for the factory.
Shipment plan
A plan for the first shipment and for the regular schedule that follows.
If the factory has no export licence
If the factory cannot arrange export on its own, the terms of purchase and export clearance can be checked through the VBGO trading house in China. For eligible companies, purchase payment can be deferred by up to 120 days after a review of the legal entity and the terms of the deal.
Start with one clear shipment, then scale the scheme
For a first official import it is better to pick a product with predictable demand, a supplier you have tested and reasonably complete source data. That shipment fixes the packaging parameters, the documents, the route and the timings. The shipments that follow come together faster, because the team already has agreed specifications and a working process.
- 1
Pick a test shipment
A product with clear demand from a supplier you have already tested.
- 2
Check it and import it
Documents, route and economics are reviewed before shipping.
- 3
Lock in the process
The working parameters carry over to regular purchasing.
Who the move to official import suits
Marketplace sellers
When documents, labelling, a verified cost base and steady restocking matter.
Wholesale and retail chains
When buyers ask for documents on the goods and purchasing has become regular.
Manufacturers
When you import equipment, raw materials, components or spare parts and need a clear document trail.
Let us review the switch for your next shipment
Send the product or specification, weight, volume, value, destination city and the invoice if you already have one. VBGO will check the source data and propose a plan: what to prepare before paying the factory, which documents to allow for and how to build the route.
- We work through the actual product, not an abstract category
- We show the full cost to your warehouse
- We tell you what has to be settled before you pay the factory
We work with commercial shipments from 50 kg. We do not accept goods prohibited by law for transport or import.