Importing goods from China for marketplaces
- Commercial shipments from 50 kg
- Documents and labelling to suit the product
- Costed before you pay the factory
For businesses buying goods to resell. We do not handle personal parcels or one-off small shipments.
A marketplace shipment does not start with the rate per kilogram
A seller's costs and risks appear well before the goods reach the warehouse. Before paying the factory it matters whether the product can legally be sold, what data customs clearance needs, and what will end up in the cost of a single unit.
Product and category
You need the actual name, purpose, composition, photos, specifications and manufacturer details. A commercial name on its own is not enough.
Documents and labelling
For each specific product we check what conformity documents, labelling and packaging data are required. These are not the same across categories.
Cost per SKU
Purchase price is compared together with handling in China, freight, customs payments, documents and delivery to the destination.
Restocking plan
Readiness date, transit time, buffer stock and the receiving terms of your chosen warehouse or fulfilment chain all matter.
Checking before you pay the factory leaves time to fix documents, packaging or labelling before shipping — rather than after the cargo has arrived.
Review my next shipmentFrom goods at the factory to your warehouse or fulfilment centre
VBGO builds the import half of the chain. Product-listing requirements, a given marketplace's receiving rules and your fulfilment provider's internal processes are for you to agree with them — we factor them into the shipment plan.
- 1
Collect the product data
Link or photo, specifications, quantity, weight, volume, invoice, city of departure and destination point.
- 2
Check the requirements
We review the HS code, documents, labelling and the data the factory has to provide.
- 3
Calculate the economics
We build a model of the full cost of the shipment and of a single unit, delivered to the agreed point.
- 4
Arrange purchase and route
Where required we bring in the trading house in China, warehouse handling, consolidation and a suitable mode of transport.
- 5
Clear and deliver
We import the goods under the agreed scheme, hand over the document set provided for, and deliver to your warehouse, fulfilment centre or another agreed point.
The receiving point must not be an assumption
Before the shipment starts, fix the address, the packaging and case-labelling requirements, the schedule and how the cargo is handed over.
What to check before ordering goods in China
7 questions before you place the order
- 1What is this product: purpose, composition, material, specifications and brand?
- 2Who is the manufacturer, and which documents or photos will they provide?
- 3What conformity and labelling requirements might apply?
- 4What volume, weight, number of cases and packaging type will the shipment have?
- 5What price and delivery terms are stated on the invoice?
- 6Where exactly should the shipment arrive: warehouse, fulfilment centre or another point?
- 7What is the readiness date, and how much stock is needed until the next restock?
Send us the product or the specification and we will mark what is already enough for a costing and what has to be requested from the factory.
Have my product reviewedWhich scheme suits a marketplace shipment
There is no single scheme that fits every product on a marketplace. For regular sales, a document trail, and anything where confirmed import, accounting, labelling or documents for buyers matter, official import under the company's contract is the option to consider. Grey shipping remains a separate way of moving a commercial shipment, where the agreed set of documents and risks fits the business need.
| Question | Official import | Grey shipping |
|---|---|---|
| Main objective | Officially buy, import and clear the goods under the company's contract | Move a commercial shipment along an agreed route |
| Why the goods are checked in advance | To establish the document, value and clearance requirements of the specific deal | To pick the right route, packaging, transit time and shipping terms |
| When it matters most | Regular sales, with requirements for documents, labelling and accounting | When the job is moving a shipment from 50 kg on agreed terms |
Cost the product all the way to the point of sale
The factory price is only one part of the economics. A management decision needs the full cost of the shipment to the agreed destination, and from there the cost of a single unit. Marketplace commission, storage, advertising and other seller costs are counted separately in the seller's own financial model.
- Cost of goods
- Payment and handling in China
- International freight
- Customs payments
- Documents
- Labelling where required
- Delivery to warehouse or fulfilment Full cost of the shipment
Full cost of the shipment ÷ number of units = cost per SKU delivered
One shipment plan instead of scattered contractors
For every item we establish whether it applies, how much work it involves and who is responsible in the costing.
Review of source data
Analysis of the product data and the questions to put to the factory.
Purchase and export
Arranging the purchase and export clearance through the trading house in China, where applicable.
Warehouse handling
Consolidation, checking of quantity and packaging, and preparation for despatch at the warehouse in China.
Route
Road, rail, air, sea or a multimodal route matched to the shipment.
Clearance
Coordinating customs clearance and the documents for the agreed scheme.
Delivery
To the warehouse, fulfilment centre or other point named in the costing and the contract.
Learn about deferred payment
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.
For sellers at different stages of growth
The shipping job looks different depending on whether you are launching a product, scaling sales or changing how you import.
Launching a new SKU
You need the product requirements checked and a costing before placing a large order with the factory.
Restocking regularly
You need a predictable schedule, consolidation of several suppliers and a repeatable document scheme.
Moving off grey shipping
Sales and volumes have grown, and requirements for documents, labelling and a transparent cost base have appeared.
Let us cost a marketplace shipment for you
Send a link or photo of the product, quantity, weight, volume, value or invoice, and the destination point. We will check the source data and propose the next step: what to clarify with the factory, which requirements to allow for and how to build the route.
- We work through the actual product, not the category
- We cost a single unit delivered to your point
- We tell you what has to be settled before you pay the factory
Commercial shipments from 50 kg. We do not handle personal parcels or goods prohibited by law for transport or import.