Logistics
How to Ship Clothing from China: Freight, Duties & Timeline
The factory quote ends at the factory gate. Here's everything between that gate and your warehouse — what it costs, who handles what, and where first-time importers get burned.
August 10, 2026 · 13 min read
Updated September 30, 2026. Confirm current freight quotes, product classification, origin, customs value and destination rules before booking. For EU imports, check the current requirements in the official portal:
EU Access2MarketsTable of Contents
1. The 4 Shipping Options (and When Each Wins)
Compare express courier, air freight, sea LCL and sea FCL against the same packed-carton details and delivery address. Express can suit samples or urgent cartons; air can suit a dated launch; sea LCL or FCL can suit larger orders when the calendar allows. Availability and total cost depend on the route, shipment and current quote.
- Express courier: Confirm the billed weight, remote-area charges, customs handling and delivery scope.
- Air freight: Confirm actual versus volumetric weight, airport handling, clearance and final delivery.
- Sea LCL: Compare ocean freight with origin and destination handling, customs and last-mile charges.
- Sea FCL: Compare the full container and inland delivery cost with LCL for the same shipment.
Include sample delivery in your cost breakdown.
2. What Shipping Actually Costs
There is no reliable per-garment shipping price without packed weight, carton dimensions, destination postcode, delivery term and date. Get current written quotes for the same shipment and compare what each service includes.
| Quote input | What to check |
|---|---|
| Packed cartons | Gross weight, dimensions, count and chargeable weight |
| Destination | Country, city, postcode and any address exclusions |
| Delivery scope | Incoterm, named place, clearance, duties, taxes and last mile |
| Schedule | Current route, estimated transit and approval deadline |
Include the quoted freight total in your manufacturing cost breakdown.
Use our CBM, chargeable-weight and cost-per-garment worksheet to allocate a written freight quote across your garments. For destination-specific DDP budget ranges, see the reference rates and confirm the final total for your cartons and postcode.
3. Incoterms: FOB, EXW, CIF, DDP Explained
The incoterm on your invoice decides who pays and who is responsible at every leg of the journey. Four you'll actually meet:
| Term | Factory Handles | You Handle | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXW (Ex Works) | Nothing beyond the factory gate | Everything: pickup, export customs, freight, import, delivery | Only with an experienced forwarder. Looks cheapest, rarely is |
| FOB (Free On Board) | Delivery to the Chinese port, export clearance, loading on vessel | Main freight, insurance, import clearance, duties, final delivery | The industry standard. Clean split of responsibility |
| CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) | Everything FOB covers + ocean freight and insurance to your port | Import clearance, duties, delivery from your port | Convenient but hides destination fees — compare against FOB + your own forwarder |
| DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) | Everything to your door, duties included | Unloading | Compare the named delivery place, importer arrangements, tax treatment and exclusions in the written quote |
Compare FOB and DDP using the same shipment details. DDP can reduce coordination work, but it is not automatically the best or cheapest option. Confirm who can act as importer, which duties and taxes are included, the named delivery place and any exclusions. A FOB quote needs the buyer's remaining logistics costs added before comparison.
4. Duties & Taxes by Country
Import duty and tax depend on the garment classification, fiber composition, country of origin, customs value, destination and current rules. A country-wide percentage is not a reliable quote for a specific style.
- USA: Confirm the HTS classification, current duty and any additional tariffs with the importer or customs broker.
- EU and UK: Confirm the tariff classification, origin, importer arrangements and applicable import VAT.
- Canada and Australia: Confirm the current tariff and import tax treatment for the goods and importer.
Ask the responsible broker to document the classification and charges for your actual goods before comparing FOB with a DDP quote. Confirm who pays each amount and which taxes, fees or delivery addresses are excluded.
5. The Documents That Clear Customs
Document requirements depend on the shipment and destination. Confirm who prepares and reviews each applicable document before booking:
- Commercial Invoice — the document customs values your goods from. Must match reality: product description, quantities, unit prices, HS codes, incoterm.
- Packing List — carton counts, dimensions, gross/net weights per carton. Customs and the warehouse both work from this.
- Bill of Lading (sea) or Air Waybill (air) — the transport contract and title document. For sea shipments, guard the original B/L carefully; whoever holds it can claim the cargo.
- Certificate of Origin — proves where the goods were made; required by some countries and for preferential tariff programs.
- Import Security Filing (US sea freight) — ISF/"10+2" must be filed before the vessel loads, not before it arrives. Confirm the filing deadline and which party is responsible before booking.
6. Realistic Door-to-Door Timeline
Build the delivery calendar from the approved production completion date, booked route and destination. Ask the forwarder to confirm pickup, export handling, transit, import clearance and final delivery for the shipment.
| Milestone | Confirm before booking |
|---|---|
| Export pickup and handling | Ready date, carton handover and departure booking |
| Transit | Current route, service and estimated arrival |
| Import clearance | Importer, broker, classification and document responsibilities |
| Final delivery | Named place, postcode, appointment and address exclusions |
Peak-season capacity and holidays can change availability. Confirm the schedule in the written freight quote and include a buffer suited to your launch risk.
7. The 6 Most Expensive Mistakes
1. Comparing sea quotes on ocean rate only. A low ocean-rate quote can exclude terminal handling, documents, delivery-order fees and inland delivery. Destination charges can materially change the total. Always compare door-to-door totals.
2. Choosing EXW without a forwarder. Under EXW you own the goods inside a Chinese factory gate — including Chinese export clearance, which a foreign buyer cannot file without a local entity. EXW without a freight forwarder is how first orders get stuck.
3. No cargo insurance. Ask what cargo insurance is available, what it covers and how the premium is calculated for the shipment. Compare that cost with the risk of loss or damage.
4. Booking freight after production finishes. Space on vessels and flights gets booked out in peak season. Reserve capacity when production starts, confirm when QC passes.
5. Forgetting the last mile. "Port to port" ends at a container yard, not your studio. Port → your address is a separate leg with its own cost, and it requires an appointment at some Amazon FBA and 3PL warehouses. Plan it before the vessel arrives, not after storage fees start.
6. Splitting a sea-worthy order into air shipments "to be safe." Switching a planned sea shipment to air can materially change the total cost. Compare written quotes and launch dates before deciding.
Want a Landed Cost Before You Commit?
Send your style list, quantities and destination. Ask which shipping terms are available and request a written breakdown of freight, clearance, duties, taxes and final delivery before comparing quotes.
Get a Landed-Cost QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
What's the cheapest way to ship 100 hoodies from China?
Compare current sea LCL, air and express quotes for the packed cartons and destination postcode. Ask each provider for the included services, exclusions and transit estimate; the lowest transport rate may not be the lowest delivered total.
Should my first order ship FOB or DDP?
Neither term is universally best. Compare written quotes for the same goods, destination and delivery scope. Confirm the importer arrangements, duties, taxes, clearance fees and exclusions; add the buyer's remaining costs to a FOB quote before comparing it with DDP.
How much is import duty on clothing into the US?
Duty depends on the garment classification, composition, origin, customs value and current tariff rules. Ask the importer or customs broker to confirm the applicable rate and any additional tariffs for your actual goods before finalizing the landed cost.
How long does the whole process take, production included?
Start with the project-specific sample stages and bulk schedule in the written production quote. Add the current freight route, clearance and final-delivery estimate from the forwarder, then allow for revisions and approvals before setting a launch date.
Do I need a customs broker?
Confirm who is the importer of record, which broker files the entry, and who pays clearance fees under the proposed term and named place. For US sea freight, confirm the ISF filing responsibility and deadline before loading.