The short answer: budget 1.25x to 1.6x the factory quote
Ask ten importers what it costs and you will get ten numbers, because the answer depends on what you buy, how much of it, and how fast you need it. But there is a useful starting point.
For a small business placing a first order and shipping by sea, the landed cost usually ends up between 125% and 160% of the factory price. A $5,000 order becomes roughly $6,500 to $8,000 by the time it reaches your door in the US. Air freight, a 25% tariff line, or a bulky low-value product can push that past 2x.
So when someone asks how much it costs to import from China to the US for a small business, the honest answer is: about 25 to 60 cents on top of every dollar you pay the factory, plus a few hundred dollars in fixed fees that do not shrink with order size.
The full cost stack, line by line
This example uses a common small-business scenario: 250 kg of general merchandise, 1.5 cubic meters, sea LCL from Shenzhen to a US address in Los Angeles, goods valued at $5,000.
| Cost item | Typical range | On a $5,000 order |
|---|---|---|
| Factory price (FOB China port) | — | $5,000 |
| Sourcing / supplier vetting | $0–$500 | $300 |
| Pre-shipment inspection | $100–$300 | $200 |
| China export clearance & docs | $50–$200 | $120 |
| Ocean freight (LCL) | $80–$180 per CBM | $250 |
| Origin charges (CFS, handling, B/L) | $150–$350 | $220 |
| Cargo insurance | 0.1–0.3% of value | $25 |
| US customs brokerage | $100–$200 | $150 |
| Duties & tariffs | 0–25%+ | $750 |
| Terminal fees & delivery to door | $150–$500 | $350 |
| Payment & currency fees | 1–3% of value | $100 |
| Total landed | ≈$7,465 |
That is 1.49x the factory price. Notice that the goods themselves are two-thirds of the total. Freight and duties are most of the rest.
Goods cost. Unit price times quantity, quoted FOB (free on board). FOB means the supplier gets the goods to the Chinese port and clears export. Everything after that is your side.
Sourcing and vetting. Finding a supplier yourself on Alibaba is free but risky. Having someone check the business license, visit the factory, and confirm they can really make your product runs $200–$500 for a first visit in a major manufacturing region.
Inspection. A third-party pre-shipment inspection before you pay the balance costs $100–$300 per man-day. It is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy. Skipping it to save $200 is how people end up with 3,000 units of the wrong color.
Payment fees. Wire transfers cost $25–$50 each, and you will send at least two per order. Currency conversion adds 0.5–2%. PayPal or credit cards through Chinese suppliers add 3–4.5%, which is why most factories ask for T/T.
Duties and tariffs: the number that changes the most
Your duty rate depends on the HTS code of your product, not on the country as a whole.
- Base MFN rate: most consumer goods from China fall between 0% and 10%.
- Section 301 tariffs: many product categories carry an extra 7.5% to 25% on top of that.
- Newer tariff layers: 2025 added additional tariffs on Chinese goods, and the rates have moved more than once during the year.
Two products worth $10,000 each can have very different duty bills. A plastic household item might pay 5.3%. Steel furniture might pay 25% plus more on top.
What to do about it:
- Ask your supplier for the HTS code before you order, then confirm it with a customs broker. Suppliers often guess.
- Look up the rate yourself with the USITC HTS search tool.
- If the duty hurts, ask whether a similar product with different materials or construction sits in a lower-rate category. This is legal and common.
One more change worth knowing: the old $800 de minimis exemption for China-origin goods has been restricted, so small parcels no longer arrive duty-free by default. Check the current rules before you build a plan around a low-value shipment.
Freight: how you ship matters as much as how far
| Method | Best for | Rough cost | Transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express courier (DHL/FedEx/UPS) | Samples, under 50 kg | $8–$20 per kg | 3–7 days |
| Air freight | 50–500 kg, urgent restock | $4–$8 per kg | 5–10 days |
| Sea LCL | 1–15 CBM | $80–$200 per CBM + fees | 30–45 days |
| Sea FCL | 15+ CBM | $2,000–$5,000+ | 25–40 days |
LCL looks cheap per CBM until you add origin charges, destination charges, and per-shipment customs fees. On a small order those fixed fees can add $400–$700 whether you ship 1 CBM or 8. That is why consolidation is the single biggest lever a small importer has.
Air freight runs roughly 5–10x the cost of sea per kilo. Use it when a stockout costs more than the freight.
Costs first-time importers forget
- Compliance testing. Children's products need CPC testing ($200–$1,000+). Electronics may need FCC. Food-contact items may need FDA registration.
- Amazon FBA prep. Poly bagging, labeling, and FNSKU stickers run $0.30–$1.00 per unit if you outsource it.
- Storage. Your garage, a 3PL, or Amazon long-term storage fees on inventory that sits.
- Samples. Usually 2–5x the unit price, plus shipping. Some suppliers credit it back on the first order.
- Tooling. Custom molds run $500–$10,000+ depending on complexity.
- Customs bond. About $50–$150 per shipment for a single-entry bond, or $400–$600 per year for a continuous bond.
- Cash flow. MOQ means buying months of inventory at once, and that money is tied up until it sells.
Two worked examples
Example A: $3,000 order of silicone kitchen tools, 0.8 CBM, 120 kg.
Goods $3,000 + inspection $180 + LCL freight and fees $620 + duty 3.4% ($102) + brokerage $150 + payment fees $70 ≈ $4,122 landed. About 1.37x.
Example B: $12,000 order of metal shelving, 14 CBM, 900 kg.
Goods $12,000 + inspection $250 + LCL freight and fees $1,450 + duty 25% plus 7.5% ($3,900) + brokerage $175 + payment fees $200 ≈ $17,975 landed. About 1.5x, and almost a quarter of it is tariff.
Same ocean, same paperwork, very different math.
How to lower your cost per unit
- Buy more, ship less often. Fixed fees do not scale down.
- Get FOB quotes from three forwarders and compare total landed cost, not just the ocean rate.
- Confirm the HTS code and duty rate before you commit to a product.
- Negotiate 30/70 payment terms instead of 50/50, so you keep leverage until inspection passes.
- Combine suppliers into one consolidated shipment. This alone saves many small importers $300–$600 per order.
- Ship samples through the same channel you will use for production, so you learn the process cheaply.
What it costs to have someone on the ground in China
| Model | Typical price | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of order value | 3–10% | Larger or repeat orders |
| Flat project fee | $300–$1,500 per project | First order, sourcing plus QC |
| Hourly | $30–$80 per hour | Short, specific tasks |
| Monthly retainer | $500–$2,500 per month | Ongoing sourcing across SKUs |
Weigh that against the failure cost. A rejected shipment of $4,000 in goods, plus freight both ways, plus three lost months, usually costs more than a year of having someone check on your behalf.
Quick answers
Do I need a business entity to import? You need an EIN and to act as Importer of Record. Many solo importers use an LLC, but a sole proprietorship with an EIN can work.
Is there a minimum order? Practically, yes. Fixed fees make shipments under $1,500 hard to justify unless you are air-freighting samples.
Can I avoid duties? Only through legal programs like duty drawback or a foreign trade zone. Under-declaring value is fraud, and the penalties are not worth it.
How long does the first order take? Plan on 45–75 days from deposit to your door by sea, plus one or two weeks of sampling and negotiation before that.
The bottom line
Budget 1.3x to 1.5x the factory quote for a normal sea shipment, and more if you are air-freighting or shipping a tariffed product. Build the fixed fees into your unit cost before you set a retail price, and the numbers stop being scary.
If you would rather not manage suppliers, inspections, and freight from another time zone, Globesino handles sourcing, factory checks, QC, and delivery to your US door as your team on the ground in China.