Direct to Consumer Shipping from China
Ocean freight for direct to consumer — container selection and loading plan, packing specification, HS classification and import clearance at destination. Quoted EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP or delivered duty-paid.
- Full container, LCL and breakbulk — priced per box, not per kilo
- Loading plan agreed before booking, not improvised at the warehouse
- Classification settled before the vessel sails
For Direct to Consumer, the freight quote is the easy part. What matters is that this cargo retail-ready stock where the box the customer opens is part of the product — get that wrong and the rate becomes irrelevant.
The pricing follows from it. Mixed. Marketplace inbound is priced per carton and per pallet with hard limits on both weight and dimension, and a carton that breaches them is refused at receiving rather than surcharged.
A caution particular to this commodity. Shipping retail-packed goods as if they were bulk. Retail cartons are designed for shelf display, not for a four-week sea crossing under load — they need a shipper, and they need the stack height limited.
On the compliance side the recurring item is straightforward to state and easy to leave too late: Marketplace prep compliance, and IOSS or destination VAT registration before arrival. HS classification generally falls in chapter mixed, though the exact heading depends on specification and should be confirmed against your own product before you rely on a duty estimate.
Freight reference — Direct to Consumer
| Typical HS chapter | mixed |
|---|---|
| Cargo behaviour | Retail-ready stock where the box the customer opens is part of the product |
| How it prices | Per carton and pallet |
| Usual service | Sea planned, air for restocks |
| Main compliance step | Marketplace prep compliance, and IOSS or destination VAT registration before arrival |
| Trade terms available | EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP, DAP or delivered duty-paid |
HS chapters are indicative. The binding classification depends on your exact specification — confirm the heading before relying on a duty estimate.
Packing and protection
The selling carton needs an outer shipper around it. Scuffed printing and crushed corners on retail packaging generate returns even when the contents are perfect, and a plain corrugated overbox costs a fraction of a return.
Loading the container
On loading: Palletise to the receiving standard — pallet height, overhang tolerance and stretch-wrap coverage are all specified, and appointment slots are refused for pallets that do not conform.
Choosing the service
On routing: Sea for replenishment planned around the season; air for launches, restocks and anything where going out of stock costs more than the freight. Split shipments across both when a stockout risk is real.
Where it usually goes wrong
Shipping retail-packed goods as if they were bulk. Retail cartons are designed for shelf display, not for a four-week sea crossing under load — they need a shipper, and they need the stack height limited.
Live rates on lanes that carry this cargo
Published per-kilo and per-CBM rates from China, updated from carrier feeds. Rates are lane-based rather than commodity-based, so these apply to direct to consumer as much as to any other general cargo on the same route.
Clearing direct to consumer at destination
The freight is the easy half. What decides whether this cargo lands on time is the HS heading it is entered under, the certification the destination applies to it, and whether the consignee is registered to import it. We file the entry in 160 markets and settle duty and tax as part of the movement, so the classification we quote is the classification that gets used.
Clearance requirements by market →Frequently asked questions
How is freight priced for direct to consumer?
Mixed. Marketplace inbound is priced per carton and per pallet with hard limits on both weight and dimension, and a carton that breaches them is refused at receiving rather than surcharged.
How should direct to consumer be packed for export?
The selling carton needs an outer shipper around it. Scuffed printing and crushed corners on retail packaging generate returns even when the contents are perfect, and a plain corrugated overbox costs a fraction of a return.
Air or sea for direct to consumer?
Sea for replenishment planned around the season; air for launches, restocks and anything where going out of stock costs more than the freight. Split shipments across both when a stockout risk is real.
What customs paperwork does direct to consumer need?
The step that most often holds a shipment is Marketplace prep compliance, and IOSS or destination VAT registration before arrival. Classification normally falls in HS chapter mixed, but the exact heading depends on your specification — send the product details and we will confirm the code and the duty position for the destination before you commit.
What goes wrong most often with direct to consumer shipments?
Shipping retail-packed goods as if they were bulk. Retail cartons are designed for shelf display, not for a four-week sea crossing under load — they need a shipper, and they need the stack height limited.
Is there anything specific to direct to consumer we should know?
The receiving warehouse, not customs, is the strictest checkpoint. Carton weight caps, label placement, box-content declarations and appointment windows are all enforced mechanically, and non-compliance is charged per unit rather than argued about.
Can you quote direct to consumer on FOB or CIF rather than duty-paid?
Yes. We quote EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP, DAP and delivered duty-paid on this cargo. The term decides how much of the journey is already inside the price — the trade-terms table on any of our rate pages sets out exactly who carries which cost at each stage.