The landed cost from China is almost never the figure in a 1688 listing or a factory's price list. Add domestic shipping, the sourcing agent's fee, international freight, insurance, duty, VAT and certification, and only then do you get the price at which the goods land in Almaty, Astana or Moscow. Below we break down each cost item, explain why volumetric weight often matters more than actual weight, and show what to send a manager to get a quote with no surprises at customs.
What makes up the landed cost from China: every cost item
Think of the final price as the sum of seven parts: some are fixed (the supplier's price), some depend on weight and volume (freight), some on the customs code and destination country (customs). Count only the first and you can be badly off.
| Cost item | What it includes | What it depends on |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier price | Goods at the factory or listing price; packaging, samples | Batch size, MOQ, negotiation |
| Domestic shipping | Factory or seller to the consolidation warehouse | Distance, weight, whether it is included |
| Agent fee | Sourcing, buying, receiving, inspection, reports | Scope of work and order value — on request |
| International freight | China warehouse to your city | Actual or volumetric weight, method, urgency |
| Insurance | Damage and loss in transit | 2% of the goods' value |
| Customs and documents | Duty, VAT, fees, broker, certification | HS code, country, importer status |
| Payment | Bank fees, conversion into yuan | Payment method, rate on the day |
Factory price: what is behind the number in the listing
The price on 1688 or in a factory's price list is a starting point, not a total. Ask the supplier about these before calculating anything else:
- Minimum order quantity (MOQ). Factories and wholesalers usually set a minimum — from a few dozen to a few thousand units. Below it the price is higher, or the seller will not ship.
- Price tiers. A 1688 listing often shows three prices — for a few units, dozens and hundreds. A bigger batch means a lower unit price but more money tied up in stock.
- Packaging and labeling. Boxes, stickers, Kaspi or Wildberries barcodes and inserts are usually priced separately, especially for private label.
- Delivery terms. EXW means 'from the factory's door': delivery to the consolidation warehouse is on you. FOB includes delivery to the port. Clarify what the price covers.
- Samples. Usually cost more than the production price and are paid for separately — that is normal, not a scam.
Domestic shipping in China
Goods reach the consolidation warehouse via a Chinese freight company: for small 1688 and Taobao orders delivery is often included or cheap, for factory batches it is charged by weight and distance. If you buy from several sellers, all parcels go to one address — for ChinaGoGlobal that is one of its four warehouses in China — the main one in Foshan (Guangdong), plus Guangzhou, Yiwu and Khorgos — where cargo is received, checked and combined into one shipment.
Payment and exchange rate
Chinese suppliers take payment in yuan via Alipay, WeChat Pay or bank transfer. Converting tenge or rubles, bank fees and the exchange-rate spread also end up in the cost of the goods, though the listing never shows them. Through an agent you make one transfer and the agent pays the supplier — see how to pay a supplier in China.
The sourcing agent's fee
A sourcing agent — also called a buying agent, intermediary or buyer — does the part of the job that is hard to do from abroad: finding a factory, negotiating in Chinese, paying in yuan, receiving and checking the goods before dispatch. The fee is usually a percentage of the order value or a fixed amount per service.
What ChinaGoGlobal's work usually includes:
- Finding a supplier or factory, comparing offers and negotiating price and MOQ.
- Buying the goods on 1688, Taobao, Pinduoduo, Alibaba or from a factory — no Alipay or Chinese correspondence on your side. See buying service.
- Receiving at the warehouse in China: counting, weighing, measuring, photo and video report.
- Quality inspection against your checklist — quality control before dispatch, so defects stay in China rather than reaching Almaty.
- Consolidation and repacking of orders from different sellers into one shipment.
ChinaGoGlobal's fee is quoted on request: a manager looks at the task — how many suppliers, what order value, which extra services you need — and names the terms. There is no single percentage for everyone: one large factory order and fifteen Taobao items are very different amounts of work. Going without an agent works if you can pay Chinese sellers, read Chinese and handle defects yourself. For first orders and batches where a mistake is expensive it usually pays for itself: an agent on the ground often gets a better price and screens out bad suppliers before any money is paid.
Shipping: actual vs. volumetric weight
International freight is the most variable item. It is charged by weight, and the gap between actual and volumetric weight is where first-time calculations most often go wrong.
What volumetric weight is
A carrier sells space, not just load capacity, so light but bulky cargo — pillows, plastic containers, toys — is charged by volumetric weight: length × width × height in centimeters divided by a factor. Air freight usually uses 6,000 (1 m³ ≈ 167 kg); road and rail carriers have their own factors, and dense cargo is often charged by actual weight. You pay for whichever is greater.
Volumetric weight example
A 60 × 40 × 40 cm box weighs 8 kg. Its volume is 96,000 cm³; divided by 6,000 that is 16 kg, and the carrier charges for 16 kg, not 8. Denser packing makes shipping cheaper; ask your agent to repack at the warehouse if the factory ships half-empty boxes.
Shipping methods and transit times
| Method | Transit from the China warehouse | Minimum | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air | 2–3 days | from 2 kg | Urgent, light, valuable cargo: electronics, samples, clothing |
| Road | 7–10 days | from 10 kg | Main option for Kazakhstan and the CIS: price vs. speed |
| Truck | 10–14 days | from 10 kg | Large batches and oversized cargo |
| Rail | 20–30 days | from 1 t | Heavy batches where timing is not critical |
| Sea | on request | — | Container volumes |
Besides weight, the price depends on the category (fragile goods, batteries and liquids have special rules), the season (rates usually rise before New Year and Chinese holidays) and the destination city. Estimate in advance with the shipping calculator; the exact cost is confirmed after weighing at the warehouse. More options: shipping from China.
Cargo insurance
Insurance is optional but useful: it costs 2% of the goods' value. If insured cargo is damaged, ChinaGoGlobal pays the full value of the goods or reorders the same goods at its own expense. People sometimes skip it for cheap, sturdy products; for electronics, glass, cosmetics and anything due at a marketplace by a set date, 2% is usually cheaper than losing the batch.
Customs: duty, VAT and documents
Customs payments are the part people most often forget and are then surprised by. When a commercial batch enters Kazakhstan, Russia or another EAEU country, you usually pay:
- Customs duty — a percentage of the customs value (product price plus shipping to the border); the rate depends on the HS code.
- VAT — on the customs value plus duty, at the destination country's rate.
- Customs fees for processing the declaration.
- Broker services, if you do not file the declaration yourself.
- Certification. Children's goods, electronics, cosmetics, tableware and some other categories need an EAEU certificate or declaration of conformity; without it customs will not release the goods and marketplaces reject the listing.
We give no exact rates on purpose: they depend on the product code and country, and they change. Ask a broker or a manager — ChinaGoGlobal helps with customs clearance and documents and will say which certificate your category needs.
Grey imports
'No documents' schemes look cheaper on paper, but for a seller on Kaspi, Wildberries or Ozon they are a dead end: without a declaration, invoice and certificate the goods cannot legally go on the books, and the marketplace can ask for documents at any time. Count the cost with customs from the start.
Importer status: company, sole proprietor or individual
Individuals get duty-free limits and simplified rules, but such goods cannot be sold on a marketplace. A sole proprietor (IP) or company (TOO in Kazakhstan, OOO in Russia) clears goods as a commercial batch — with duty and VAT, but with full documents. Decide this before ordering: it affects the calculation and the documents to request from the factory.
How to request a quote
For a manager to calculate the full cost rather than just freight, send on WhatsApp:
- Product links, or a description with photos if the supplier is still to be found; quality and packaging requirements.
- Quantities per item and a target price, if any.
- Delivery city and urgency — they determine the method.
- Importer status — sole proprietor, company or individual — and whether you need marketplace documents.
- Product specifics — batteries, liquids, fragile or oversized items.
You get back an itemized quote: supplier price, domestic shipping, fee, freight by estimated weight and volume, insurance; customs is calculated separately by product code. Compare it with Kaspi or Wildberries prices before paying the factory and see whether the margin holds.
What people forget to count, and how to cut the cost
Hidden items
- Volumetric weight — light goods in big boxes can cost more to ship than the goods themselves.
- Domestic shipping from several suppliers — each parcel reaches the warehouse separately.
- Defects — even a few percent is money; checking before dispatch beats a return from Kazakhstan.
- Certification — for a small batch it can cost more than the duty.
- Exchange rate and transfer fees — leave a margin for yuan swings between quote and payment.
More typical slip-ups in mistakes when buying in China.
How to save
- Consolidate. Ship orders from different sellers from one ChinaGoGlobal warehouse in China as one batch — cheaper per kilogram, fewer minimum charges.
- Optimize packaging. Ask the factory to drop extra boxes or pack more densely; the agent can repack at the warehouse.
- Match the method to the goods. Heavy goods with no rush go by road or rail; air pays off for light, high-value items.
- Inspect before dispatch. A photo and video report costs less than shipping defects there and back.
- Compare delivered prices. Judge factories by unit cost with shipping and customs, not by the listing price.
To have someone calculate all this and take on the buying, inspection, warehouse and delivery, message a ChinaGoGlobal manager on WhatsApp — quotes are prepared on request. To choose a platform to buy on, read 1688, Alibaba or Taobao.