Private Label Products Shipping from China
Export freight for private label products — packing specification, container loading, HS classification and clearance. Quoted EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP or delivered duty-paid.
We move Private Label Products out of China as ordinary export freight — booked, packed and cleared to the same standard as any other commodity, but planned around the fact that it own-brand goods, where the trademark paperwork travels with the cargo.
It changes how the shipment prices. Priced by weight on sea freight, but the decision that actually costs money is equipment. Internal length is about 5.9 m in a 20ft and 12.03 m in a 40ft; anything longer needs an open-top, a flat rack, or breakbulk, and each step up changes the rate structure entirely.
One thing specific to this material. Detention on suspicion of counterfeiting. Where your brand is registered at destination, record it with the customs IP database and carry the registration certificate with the shipping documents — otherwise a routine check turns into a multi-week hold.
One compliance step accounts for most delays on this commodity: Marketplace prep compliance, and IOSS or destination VAT registration before arrival. Classification sits in chapter mixed; the exact code varies by specification, so verify it before budgeting duty.
Freight reference — Private Label Products
| Typical HS chapter | mixed |
|---|---|
| Cargo behaviour | Own-brand goods, where the trademark paperwork travels with the cargo |
| How it prices | Weight-limited, equipment-driven |
| Usual service | Sea FCL / flat rack |
| Main compliance step | Marketplace prep compliance, and IOSS or destination VAT registration before arrival |
| Trade terms available | EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP, DAP or delivered duty-paid |
HS chapters are indicative. The binding classification depends on your exact specification — confirm the heading before relying on a duty estimate.
Packing and protection
Brand artwork on the carton makes the consignment identifiable to customs and to counterfeiters alike. Keep brand marks on the retail unit and use plain outer cartons, and make sure the invoice description matches the brand shown on the goods.
Loading the container
In the box: Bed the bundles on timber dunnage so nothing sits directly on the floor, and chock the sides so the load cannot roll. Long stock that rolls in transit will destroy the container wall and everything stowed beside it.
Choosing the service
Which service: Sea FCL for standard lengths. Over-length goes flat rack or breakbulk — quote both, because on some lanes breakbulk beats an out-of-gauge container once the surcharges are counted.
Where it usually goes wrong
Detention on suspicion of counterfeiting. Where your brand is registered at destination, record it with the customs IP database and carry the registration certificate with the shipping documents — otherwise a routine check turns into a multi-week hold.
Live rates on lanes that carry this cargo
Published per-kilo and per-CBM rates from China, updated from carrier feeds. Rates are lane-based rather than commodity-based, so these apply to private label products as much as to any other general cargo on the same route.
Frequently asked questions
How is freight priced for private label products?
Priced by weight on sea freight, but the decision that actually costs money is equipment. Internal length is about 5.9 m in a 20ft and 12.03 m in a 40ft; anything longer needs an open-top, a flat rack, or breakbulk, and each step up changes the rate structure entirely.
How should private label products be packed for export?
Brand artwork on the carton makes the consignment identifiable to customs and to counterfeiters alike. Keep brand marks on the retail unit and use plain outer cartons, and make sure the invoice description matches the brand shown on the goods.
Air or sea for private label products?
Sea FCL for standard lengths. Over-length goes flat rack or breakbulk — quote both, because on some lanes breakbulk beats an out-of-gauge container once the surcharges are counted.
What customs paperwork does private label products need?
The step that most often holds a shipment is Marketplace prep compliance, and IOSS or destination VAT registration before arrival. Classification normally falls in HS chapter mixed, but the exact heading depends on your specification — send the product details and we will confirm the code and the duty position for the destination before you commit.
What goes wrong most often with private label products shipments?
Detention on suspicion of counterfeiting. Where your brand is registered at destination, record it with the customs IP database and carry the registration certificate with the shipping documents — otherwise a routine check turns into a multi-week hold.
Is there anything specific to private label products we should know?
Long stock rolls. Chock it, bed it on dunnage, and cap the ends — an unrestrained bundle destroys the container wall and everything stowed beside it.
Can you quote private label products on FOB or CIF rather than duty-paid?
Yes. We quote EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP, DAP and delivered duty-paid on this cargo. The term decides how much of the journey is already inside the price — the trade-terms table on any of our rate pages sets out exactly who carries which cost at each stage.