Import process from China, from enquiry to delivery

The import process from China stops or continues already at the brief. Without spec, target quantity and a price the goods must fit, three factories give three incomparable offers. In this phase we narrow to 3–5 accounts and send the same RFQ. Price, MOQ, lead time, packing and payment are compared.

At the end you do not get a table of links. You get a recommendation: which account is a factory, which is a trader, what is missing in the spec, and whether the outline goods price even leaves room for sea, duty and VAT. If it does not, the process stops here. That is a useful outcome, not a failure.

Research takes about 1–3 weeks. It does not include sea of 35–52 days or a sample of 2–5 weeks. If the goods must be in the warehouse in a month, this phase often says the lot will not make it. Air shortens the sample path. It does not shorten a plant that is not yet chosen.

Verification is a plant visit or a documented check: licence, line address, who issues the invoice. The sample goes to written approval before the lot. We negotiate final price, minimum quantity and Incoterms, the rules of how far the freight price goes.

The purchase order is signed only when spec, packing and quality control (QC) criteria are written. A WeChat message that the sample is fine is not approval. The deposit follows that, not before. EXW is the factory-gate price. FOB is the price to the load port. Both are part of landed cost, not a substitute for it.

A sample usually needs another 2–5 weeks after the shortlist. If a mould or tool still has to be made, that time sits before the lot and must be in the quote, not a surprise after the deposit.

Oversight follows agreed steps: lot start, mid-run if the date is tight, and status before shipment. On sourcing execution above 2,000 USD independent quality control is standard. Below that amount we still inspect when scrap is costlier than a report.

Shipment is not booked until the report is approved. If the lot fails, rework stays in China. A claim after customs does not return the container. The remaining payment is tied to that report, not a message that the goods are ready.

Before loading we assemble commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and, where you count on preference, a certificate of origin (COO). The Serbia China FTA holds from 1 July 2024. Without a COO, duty follows the standard rate. The tariff code (HS) must match on the invoice and in the entry. One letter of difference in the description stops the rest of the story at customs.

LCL makes sense below a full container. FCL makes sense when you near 20 or 40 feet. Sea for a lot is about 35–52 days. Air is for a sample and for goods whose date cannot wait for sea, at a higher price per kilo. Rail is a separate scenario, not the default path.

You are the importer. The customs broker files the entry. Papillon coordinates paper from China and forwarding in the agreed scope. We do not sign the entry in your place and we do not promise zero duty.

You hold the brief, written sample approval, landed-cost approval and payments as agreed. Papillon holds the ground, talks, oversight and papers inside the chosen package. Supplier selection stops at a factory recommendation. Sourcing execution goes to goods ready to ship. Plant visit, lab and freight are separate costs, stated before start.

The process stops on purpose when the spec is not closed, when three offers do not fit your price even with a freight outline, or when inspection fails. Continuing after that only follows an expensive decision. What enters the price is on landed cost from China. Paper order is on China Serbia import documents.