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How I Import from China as a Private Individual (Step by Step)

By Import Business Guide • • 5 min read

A lot of people think you need a company to import from China. You don't.

I import as a private individual. I have no company. I hired my own shipping agent myself, and my orders arrive at my home in Portugal.

In this post, I'll show you how to import from China the way I do it, step by step. No jargon, just the process I actually follow.

What my last order looked like

To make this real, here's my last order:

  • What I bought: 200 hinges and 150 handles
  • Order value: 216 USD
  • Terms: EXW
  • Shipping to my agent's warehouse in China: 5 USD
  • Shipping to Portugal: by sea, DDP
  • Time to Portugal: about a month and a half
  • Problems: none

Now let's go through how it works.

Two terms you need to know first

Before the steps, two short terms. You'll see them a lot.

  • EXW (Ex Works): the price covers the goods at the supplier's place. From there, getting them to you is your job.
  • DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): the shipping price already includes taxes and duties. So when the goods arrive, there are no surprises at the door.

My orders are bought EXW from the supplier and shipped DDP by my agent.

How I import from China: step by step

Step 1: Know your real cost before you pay

Before I pay anything, I do the math. The product price is almost never the real cost. Shipping, taxes and duties all add up.

I explain how I do it in How to Calculate If an Alibaba Product Is Worth Importing.

Step 2: Have your own shipping agent ready

I hired my shipping agent myself. You don't need a company for this.

The agent has a warehouse address in China. That's the address I give to my supplier.

If you want to know more about how I work with my agent, read How I Ship My Alibaba Orders with My Own Shipping Agent.

Step 3: Pay the supplier

I pay my supplier for the order.

Step 4: Wait while the supplier produces the order

After I pay, I wait. Production takes about 3–4 days.

Step 5: The supplier sends it to the agent's address in China

When the order is ready, the supplier sends it to the address in China that I gave them. That's my shipping agent's address.

On my last order, this local delivery to the agent's warehouse cost 5 USD.

Step 6: The agent checks the goods and sends me photos

This is one of my favourite parts.

The agent receives the order, opens it and takes photos. Then they send the photos to me.

I look at them and tell the agent everything is OK.

This way, I see my goods before they leave China.

Step 7: The agent ships it DDP

Once I confirm, the agent puts the goods in the container and ships them DDP.

Because it's DDP, taxes and duties are already included. I don't have to deal with customs myself.

Here's what this part cost on my last order:

  • Sea shipping, DDP: 2.73 €/kg. The order weighed 32 kg, so 87.36 €
  • Remote-area fee: 14.77 €
  • Agent commission: 24 €
  • Total: 126.13 €

Step 8: Follow the tracking code

The agent sends me a tracking code, so I can follow the order.

Step 9: Wait and receive it at home

After that, I just wait to receive it at home.

My last order took about a month and a half to reach Portugal. There were no problems.

What changed since my first order

My first order was 50 iPhone chargers, and it worked differently. At the time, I didn't have a trusted Chinese agent. The supplier arranged the shipping.

Shipping was 65 dollars, plus VAT of around 15 dollars. The full story is in I Imported iPhone Chargers from China: Costs, Profit and Mistakes.

Compared with the hinges, the chargers were much lighter. They went by air, at about 7–8 €/kg. That's more per kg than the 2.73 €/kg I pay by sea now. But because the chargers were so light, the total shipping cost ended up similar. The big difference is how they travelled:

  • Chargers: by plane, shipped by the supplier
  • Hinges and handles: by boat, shipped by my own agent

Apart from that, not much has changed. The basic idea is the same: pay the supplier, get the goods shipped, and wait for them to arrive.

Tips for your first import

If you're starting out as a private individual, here's what I'd keep in mind:

  1. You don't need a company. I import without one.
  2. Do the math first. Know your real cost before you pay the supplier.
  3. Give the supplier your agent's address in China. The agent then takes care of the rest.
  4. Ask for photos before shipping. It lets you check your goods before they leave China.
  5. Understand EXW and DDP. EXW means getting the goods from the supplier is your job. DDP means taxes and duties are included, so there are no surprises at the door.
  6. Always get a tracking code. You'll know where your order is.
  7. Be patient. Shipping by boat took about a month and a half for my last order.

Conclusion: keep it simple

Importing from China as a private individual is easier than it looks.

My process is simple. I pay the supplier. The supplier sends the goods to my agent in China. The agent checks them, sends me photos and ships them DDP with a tracking code. Then I wait for the order at home.

If you're about to start, do three things before you pay anyone:

  • Calculate your real cost.
  • Have a shipping agent ready, with an address in China.
  • Ask for DDP shipping, so taxes and duties are included and there are no surprises at the door.

That's how I do it. And so far, my last order arrived with no problems at all.

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