01
Bonded warehouse import
Bulk stock held untaxed inside China. Each order is cleared, packed and delivered as it sells.
Service
Sell to Chinese shoppers through cross-border e-commerce import
Consumer goods enter China by one of three routes: as a personal parcel, as a cross-border e-commerce order, or as general trade cargo. Each route has its own tax rules and limits. Tell us the product, its price and your volume. We name the route that fits, file the customs entry and deliver to the buyer.
Route advice firstCustoms filingLast-mile delivery
The wrong route costs you at the border
A shipment declared the wrong way sits at the port. Send commercial goods as personal parcels and customs returns them or makes you clear them again as cargo. Use general trade for a product you could have sold through cross-border e-commerce and you pay full tariff on stock that has not found a buyer.
Choose the route before you choose the freight.
Three routes, side by side
| Personal parcel | Cross-border e-commerce | General trade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Individuals receiving goods for their own use | Overseas brands selling to Chinese consumers through a platform | Companies importing stock for resale in China |
| Value limit | RMB 2,000 per parcel. One indivisible item may exceed it. | RMB 5,000 per order and RMB 26,000 per person per year | None |
| Tax | A combined rate set by the type of article. Waived when the tax due is RMB 50 or less. | Tariff 0%. Import VAT and consumption tax at 70% of the normal amount. | Full tariff by HS code, plus import VAT and any consumption tax |
| Product rules | Personal use only. Commercial shipments must clear as cargo. | On the cross-border e-commerce import list. Personal use, no resale. | Standard import licensing, registration and labeling apply |
| Needed in China | A recipient | A registered agent who declares to customs, and a platform that reports order data | A Chinese importer of record |
How to choose
Start with the product. If it is on the cross-border e-commerce import list, that route gives you the lowest tax and the least paperwork. Customs treats the goods as personal-use articles, so the first-import licenses and registrations that general trade requires do not apply.
Then look at price. An item that retails above RMB 5,000 loses the reduced tax rate. General trade may cost the same and removes the per-person limits.
Then look at where you sell. Cross-border e-commerce covers sales to consumers through online platforms. Selling to distributors or into physical stores means general trade.
Direct mail or bonded stock
Cross-border e-commerce runs in two modes. In direct mail, each order ships from your warehouse abroad after the shopper pays. In bonded import, you send stock ahead to a bonded warehouse in China and orders ship from there. The tax treatment is the same. Delivery time and working capital differ.
What we handle
We check the product against the list, set up the customs filing, and send the logistics record that customs matches against each order and payment. For general trade cargo we can act as importer of record and file the declaration in our name. In both cases we deliver inside China once customs releases the goods.
The full comparison, with the official sources, is in three ways to clear goods into China.
The process
From your side to ours, step by step
Tell us the product
Send the product, its HS code if you know it, the retail price and the volume you expect.
We choose the route
We check the product against China’s cross-border e-commerce import list and the limits for each route, then recommend one.
Set up the filing
For cross-border e-commerce, we register the product and connect the order, payment and logistics data that customs requires.
Ship
Orders travel by direct mail from abroad, or from bonded stock inside China.
Clear and deliver
We file each customs entry and hand the parcel to a domestic courier for delivery.
- working days to clear customs
- 4–7
Questions
What sellers ask before they book
What is the difference between direct mail and bonded import?
Both are cross-border e-commerce routes with the same tax treatment. With direct mail, each order ships from abroad after the shopper buys it. With bonded import, you ship stock in bulk to a bonded warehouse in China first, and orders ship from there. Direct mail suits low or uncertain volume. Bonded stock delivers faster once demand is steady.
Is there a limit on what a Chinese shopper can buy this way?
Yes. RMB 5,000 per order and RMB 26,000 per person per year. A single item priced above RMB 5,000 can still use the route when it is the only item in the order and the shopper is inside the annual limit, but it is taxed in full at the general trade rates.
Can any product be sold through cross-border e-commerce?
No. The product must be on China’s Cross-Border E-Commerce Retail Import Goods List, and it must be sold to a consumer for personal use. Buyers may not resell it. Products off the list enter by general trade.
Can you act as importer for a general trade shipment?
Yes. For general trade cargo, we can provide the importer of record and file the customs declaration in our name.
Related
Often booked together
02
Express shipping to China
Door-to-door express into mainland China, with the customs entry checked before pickup and filed on arrival.
Three customs routes compared
A plain-English guide to the rules behind this service, with links to the official sources.
- Guide
Get a quote
Tell us what you have. We reply with a route and a price.
Country, goods and a rough weight are enough for a first answer.