Alibaba Shipping to Portugal: How My Orders Get from China to My Door
"Does Alibaba ship to Portugal?" Yes. But the better question is how your order gets here, what it costs, and who pays the taxes when it arrives.
I live in Portugal and I import from China as a private individual, with no company. These days I buy carpentry hardware, like furniture handles and hinges. Before that, I imported phone chargers.
In this post, I'll show you how my Alibaba orders travel from the factory in China to my front door in Portugal, with the real costs per kilo and the real waiting time.
The short answer
Here's how my Alibaba shipping to Portugal works today:
- Route: supplier → my shipping agent's address in China → sea container → my home in Portugal
- Shipping terms: DDP, so taxes and duties are already paid
- Sea cost: about 2.73 € per kg, plus a remote-zone fee and the agent's fixed commission
- Time: about a month and a half from the day the agent ships it to the day it reaches my door
- Problems so far: none. Nothing stuck at customs, no surprise bills.
Now let's go through it.
Step 1: Finding the supplier and testing with a sample
I find my suppliers on Alibaba using the search filters. That's how I found the hardware supplier I use, Wenzhou Oukali Hardware. I explain how I search in How to Search on Alibaba and Find Good Suppliers.
Before placing a proper order, I ordered a sample first.
When I pay, I pay through Alibaba with Trade Assurance, by card.
Step 2: Production and the trip to my agent in China
After I pay, production takes about 3–4 days.
The supplier doesn't ship my order to Portugal. Instead, the supplier sends it to my shipping agent's address in China. That's a key part of how I keep shipping simple.
I found my agent through recommendations. If you want to know more about that side, read How I Ship My Alibaba Orders with My Own Shipping Agent.
Step 3: The agent opens the box and sends me photos
When the goods arrive at my agent, they open the order and photograph it. Then they wait for my OK.
Only after I look at the photos and confirm does the order leave China. I like this step a lot: I see my handles and hinges before they travel thousands of kilometres.
Step 4: Sea shipping to Portugal, DDP
Once I say OK, the agent ships the goods by sea container, on DDP terms, with tracking all the way to my home.
From the day the agent dispatches the order, it takes about a month and a half to arrive. It's not fast, but I know that in advance, so I plan for it.
What Alibaba shipping to Portugal cost me: sea vs air
I've shipped both ways, and the price per kilo is very different:
| Sea (hinges and handles) | Air (phone chargers) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per kg | about 2.73 € | about 7–8 € |
| Who shipped it | my own agent | the supplier |
| Taxes | included (DDP) | included |
My last sea order weighed 32 kg. On top of the per-kilo price, there was a remote-zone fee and my agent's fixed commission. I show the full breakdown in What Is DDP Shipping?
Air is much more expensive per kilo. But the chargers were light, so air still made sense for them. Hardware like hinges is heavier, so sea is the obvious choice for me now.
My rule: look at the total, not just the price per kilo. Weight changes everything. I explain how I add it all up in How to Calculate If an Alibaba Product Is Worth Importing.
DDP vs DAP when shipping to Portugal
This is the part I'd want every beginner in Portugal to understand before their first order.
- DAP (Delivered At Place): the goods are delivered to you, but import taxes and customs are your responsibility when they arrive.
- DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): the goods are delivered to you with taxes and duties already paid.
I always ship DDP. It gives me zero problems. My orders have never been stuck at customs, and I've never had a surprise charge at the door.
Where the surprise charges come from with DAP
I always use DDP, so this is the general picture, not my own experience:
- Import VAT is due on everything. Since 1 July 2021, the old EU VAT exemption for small parcels is gone. Goods from China pay VAT no matter how cheap they are. In mainland Portugal, the standard VAT rate is 23% (Madeira and the Azores have lower rates).
- IOSS only covers small consignments. For consignments up to 150 €, a seller registered for IOSS can charge the VAT at checkout. If they don't, or the order is above 150 €, the VAT is collected at import.
- Duties and fees can be added. Depending on the goods and their value, there can be customs duty. Since 1 July 2026, the EU charges a temporary flat 3 € duty per item type on small consignments up to 150 €, and a 2 € EU handling fee per item is expected from 1 November 2026 for goods sold at a distance. The carrier that clears your parcel may also charge its own clearance fee.
With DAP, all of this lands on you when the parcel reaches Portugal. If you don't pay, or if the paperwork isn't right, your goods wait. That's exactly the situation I want to avoid.
For the full comparison with EXW too, see What Is DDP Shipping?
What I'd check before your first shipment to Portugal
- Ask for DDP to your home address. Confirm that taxes, duties and home delivery are included.
- Ask about extra fees. Depending on where you live, there may be a remote-zone fee, like the one I pay.
- Know the agent's commission. Mine is fixed, so I can add it to my numbers in advance.
- Ask for photos before dispatch. It's your last chance to check the goods while they're still in China.
- Get a tracking code. You'll know where your order is during those weeks at sea.
- Plan for the wait. By sea, count on about a month and a half from dispatch.
How it's gone so far
I've had no quality problems, no delays and no bad suppliers. I can't promise that will be true for everyone. But I think a big part of it comes from the process: a sample first, Trade Assurance, an agent who checks and photographs the goods, and DDP shipping so customs is never my problem.
If you're in Portugal and thinking about your first Alibaba order, start with the full process in How I Import from China as a Private Individual. Then get a DDP quote before you pay the supplier, and add every fee to your numbers. That way you know your real cost before your goods ever leave China.