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Shipping via sea from China to UK...
 

HI there,

I have always used EMS for buying from China but now have been wanting to order larger amounts the shipping is getting silly. I have a few suppliers who are willian and wanting to ship to me via sea.

Now i have never done this and have no idea how to, i know you need to have a registered buisiness and pay import duty/taxes but if anyone could advise me on what to do and how they do it that would be great.

Thanks

Shipping via sea for huge amounts means you need to 1. register business yes but 2. you need a sea freight broker. Think you look them up online such as Delmar, etc. but I don't have first hand experience. We're talking about 5 digits and up worth of sea freighting with containers, etc.

Can be very costly and very time consuming. If you ask me unless your business makes a lot of money shipping by sea doesn't appeal to me.

If you are importing non-branded, non-trademarked items, it IS the cheapest shipping option, although it takes longer. But the minimum quantity is huge, like a truckload, or a half-trucklodd.

If trying this with "foo-foo" items as GreenBean puts it, then I woud not recommend it. If it gets inspected you will have to disappear and lie low, or it is up the river you will go, for a hundred thousand years or so...

Getting a trademark on foo-foo soon;)

Shipping by Sea is Not really that hard, there are MANY, Companies that do this. I Have been using these guys: Action Customs Expediters For a while and they are Good, I use them Together with this Shipping Company:China Shipping North America,,,

The amounts that you have to Buy is Really up to your Supplier, you can Have as little as a 1/8th Container load, but as with Everything the More you ship the Cheaper. Overall though Shipping by Sea Is A LOT LESS Money, even on the Smallest Level.

Also, It is NOT Required that you have an Import Licence or are Incorporated in order to Ship by Sea, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND it, though.

As usual, another well-informed contribution by Slapped. And info on top of that. Quite generous - /salute