China Sourcing

Marketplace inbound rules are specific and enforced. Amazon requires an FNSKU label on every unit and box content information on every carton, and it applies carton limits — commonly 25 kg or 50 lb and about 63.5 cm on the longest side, with heavier boxes needing a team-lift or mechanical-lift label. Polybags with an opening of 12.7 cm or more need a suffocation warning. Deliveries by pallet or truck need a booked appointment. None of that is negotiable at the dock, and a rejected delivery is usually re-worked at your cost.

Consolidation is where the real freight saving sits. Cargo from several suppliers arriving at one Chinese warehouse can be re-cartoned, labelled, quality-checked and shipped as a single consignment, which replaces several small express bills with one air or ocean movement. The trade-off is dwell: budget three to seven days for receiving, checking and building the shipment. For anything with tight seasonality, that window has to be in the plan rather than discovered.

On the tax side, business-to-consumer flows into the EU can use IOSS for consignments up to €150, which collects VAT at the point of sale instead of at the border. Beyond that threshold, and for business-to-business flows, the shipment clears normally and needs an EORI number and an import VAT settlement. Low-value import thresholds have been tightened in several markets recently, so confirm the current de minimis for your destination rather than assuming small parcels enter duty-free.