Picking up shipments at port

Today I dealt with an inquiry from a person who had unwisely placed a large order first time round, and had not the slightest idea what happens about shipping. He did not even know the difference between EXW and FOB.

The shipment is traveling by sea.

I often read recommendations for people to just hire a truck and go pick up the shipment. Even some importing gurus who don't have a clue how it works say that it is easy.

If you go to the port to pick up, you will be treated as an outsider, and you will find out how unwelcome outsiders can be at a port facility. Nobody will help you. You will be shunted around, deliberately given the wrong advice about where to go and what to do next, and you could easily be there all day and still not get your goods.

Get your local freight forwarder to quote you on DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) basis, with the point of delivery being your storage address. They will handle all the red tape, but they will want a Power of Attorney from you.

Make all these arrangements before you confirm your order with the supplier.

To get a quote you will need to tell them package dimensions, total number of packages, total weight, product description, pick up address in China, and your delivery address. You should also ask your supplier to quote you FOB port (Shanghai? Shenzhen? etc?) and also get them to quote you EXW (Ex Works) because that might suit your forwarder better.

Get quotes from several forwarders. Rates can vary substantially.

If you have any questions, please post them on my AMA thread: Ask Me Anything About Product Sourcing And Importing For Profit. ― Veteran Importer Here.