Frequently asked questions and answers

Air delivery takes 7–12 days door to door: 1–2 days for consolidation at the warehouse, 3–5 days for the flight and transit, and 1–3 days for customs clearance and delivery within Ukraine. During peak season (October–December, before Chinese New Year) transit times may increase by 3–5 days.

Air freight pays off for high-value, lightweight goods: electronics, smartphone accessories, fashion jewellery, product samples. If your goods are worth more than $20–30 per kilogram, air delivery usually pays for itself through faster capital turnover.

Yes, but with IATA restrictions. Goods containing lithium batteries are accepted on dedicated flights with the appropriate documentation — the rate is 10–15% higher. Be sure to notify your manager when placing the order.

After departure you receive the air waybill (AWB) number and a tracking link in your account. Statuses update at every stage: warehouse — departure — arrival — customs — delivery.

The full cycle is 35–50 days: 25–35 days of ocean freight to Constanta or Gdansk, 3–7 days of port handling and transit, and 2–5 days for customs clearance and delivery within Ukraine.

Up to 12–15 m³, consolidated cargo (LCL) is usually more cost-effective. From 15 m³ it's worth pricing a full 20-foot container — the per-cube rate comes out lower and your cargo travels without transshipments. Try our container calculator.

An invoice, a packing list and, where required, certificates of origin and quality. We issue the Bill of Lading. For customs clearance you'll need the HS code of your goods — we'll help you determine it.

Yes. Routes run through EU ports (Romania, Poland) with overland delivery into Ukraine. All shipments are insured and the container is sealed at the factory.

Rail delivery takes 20–30 days: 14–20 days for the main China–Europe rail leg, then 4–8 days for transit and customs clearance in Ukraine.

For anything that isn't burning a deadline but doesn't want to wait for sea freight: stock for online stores, equipment, spare parts, furniture, building materials. Restrictions apply to dangerous goods and products with strict temperature requirements.

A single container train carries up to 50 forty-foot containers — the cost per kilogram is several times lower than air freight. You pay from $3.1/kg versus $5.9–7/kg by air.

Consolidated cargo takes 15–22 days; express trucks without pickup stops take 13–15 days. The route runs via Kazakhstan or through the EU (Poland), depending on the cargo type.

From 50 kg or 0.3 m³. Smaller shipments are better consolidated with your other orders or sent by air.

Yes, road freight is the most convenient option for oversized cargo: machine tools, furniture, construction structures. We provide dedicated lashing and tail-lift unloading.

It's a shipment where goods from several clients (or from several of your suppliers) travel in the same vehicle. You pay only for your own weight/volume rather than the entire container or truck — which makes groupage significantly cheaper for small and mid-size shipments.

Free of charge for 30 days. That's enough time to gather goods from 10+ suppliers across different Chinese cities. After that — $0.5/m³ per day.

Yes, a basic check (packaging integrity, package count) is free. Per-unit defect inspection, order verification and electronics testing are available at a separate rate from $0.2/unit.

1688.com is China's domestic wholesale marketplace with prices 20–40% lower than on Alibaba, but it operates only in Chinese and doesn't ship abroad. That's exactly why you need an agent with a yuan account and a warehouse in China. Alibaba is export-oriented: English interface, higher prices, larger minimum orders.

We verify the seller before payment (rating, store age, transaction volume) and inspect the goods at our warehouse before they ship to Ukraine. If the goods arrive defective or wrong, we open a dispute on the marketplace from our Chinese account — the chances of a refund are far higher.

Yes, we always recommend starting with samples. We purchase 1–2 units, send detailed photos/videos from the warehouse, or ship the sample to Ukraine by air.

1688 is dominated by trading companies and small middlemen. Working directly with a factory gets you prices 10–25% lower, quality control on the production line, private-label options (OEM/ODM) and supply stability for a recurring business.

We check the business licence in the state registry, registered capital, company age, litigation history, export licence and actual shipment records. Where needed — an on-site factory inspection with a photo report.

MOQ is the minimum order quantity. Chinese factories often set an MOQ of 500–1,000 units, but in 70% of cases it can be cut in half for a first trial order — it's a matter of negotiation, which we conduct in Chinese.

Mandatory payments: import duty (0–12% depending on the HS code) plus 20% VAT. The base is the customs value: goods price + shipping to the border + insurance. Add broker services from $100. Calculate the exact amount with our customs calculator.

Customs maintains price databases, and if it suspects undervaluation it reassesses duties at the "risk" price while your cargo sits stuck for 3–10 days. We declare the real value with the correct code — cheaper than fines and demurrage.

It depends on the category: toys, electronics, personal protective equipment and cosmetics require conformity assessment. Send us a product description — we'll check which documents you need, free of charge.

Yes — our turnkey import service: we import under our foreign-trade contract, pay all duties and hand over the goods with a delivery note. You operate without your own accreditation or currency transactions.