We are considering buying some equipment from a manufacturer in China and the well researched deal seems sound but we got the invoice today and the shipping cost seems way to low.
Guangzhou China (near Hong Kong) to Houston TX, 1300kg/2900lb for a mere USD $680. I can give appx dimensions if needed, but it will be a big chunk of a shipping container. This is mostly by ship but door to door, 22 days in transit and without insurance, yes it will be insured.
This seems like way to small a price. So my fellow Dopers, what do you think?
Also any Customs costs/problems? These are audio components
I imagine that the seller is getting some kind of bulk rate and selling a lot of flashlights and other gizmos but it seems that the profit margin must be small.
I’m chatting on Skype with a friend who regularly ships containers full of equipment to the States. He said $4,000 to $6,0000 depending on the port, and other factors.
The cost you are quoted seems really too cheap, I’d look into it carefully.
I used to work for freight forwarder (a company whose business is handling international shipping for others). For LCL (Less than Container Load) shipping, the material is bundled together with other LCL items, and the cost is based primarily on dimensions and to a lesser degree the weight. (This is not the same as international postage which is probably what** Polar Iceman **is describing.)
You will need an agent on your side to handle the customs issues.
There is a huge volume of freight between the U.S. and China, so rates are extremely competitive.