It has been a while and I thought I would talk on the topic of transport and shipping from China. We have probably all seen how things are cheaper in China right? Well price is one thing but actually getting it to your door can be a bit of a nightmare and it could be full of surprises. Shipping could be as hard or as simple as you choose to make it or choose to pay for it. We have had our schooling on this and over the past few years we have learned how to avoid the traps. Firstly lets talk about TAX! There is no getting away from Tax and there are generally two types of taxes that need to be paid, i will talk in context of South Africa each country has its own rules and regulations. the first tax would be the customs and excise duty paid on certain commodities, please note not all items require this tax there is actually a large number and or category of goods that are duty free. Much of it would depend on what the item is what it does and what it is made of. Internationally each product is classified in a numbering system called HS code, these codes are international and some items may fit snugly into multiple codes, choosing the right and legal code is paramount as to finding what duty you need to pay. The second tax is VAT the standard VAT which is 14% is not the same as the Importers VAT which is slightly higher Next is the shipping, the most expensive and most hassle free service is to simply use a courier service, but they are both expensive and have their limits. Some courier will charge import admin fees this is never discussed before shipment and the shipper is never informed. The cheaper forms of shipping are also the most complex, unlike a courier solution where all parties are contracted in and a single handling price is given, freight separates all the costs of all the players in the chain. If you think of the process of you buying an item from a Chinese firm and want the item delivered to Johannesburg, the chain will look something like this; Supplier-> China freight company -> China Dock Freight mover -> China Bond dock -> Shipping company -> Durban Shipping release -> Durban Docs -> Durban Agent -> Short haul -> Forwarder -> Delivery to client Now this is over simplified there are still agents, Customs, Insurance companies. I think you get the point this is a long list i used the example using sea freight there is a faster airfreight however the list of handling companies could even be higher there. Luckily for us there are specialist companies who deal with all this for you, Your customs import agent and forwarding agent will negotiate on your behalf and handle these logistical challenges for you for a fee. Its important to remember when choosing your preferred shipping is to start with a some simple questions, how much stuff do I have , How much do I want to pay, and how soon do I need it. These questions will help you make an informed decision just remember though that sea shipping which is the cheapest option can be as much as 200 times cheaper than by air. the minimum volume for us to ship by sea is 1 cubic meter. So if you planing on buying from overseas id try plan early and have your goods come by sea. There is so much more we can discuss here but we can add more later.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 04:22:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015