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Multi-Supplier Consolidation Service in China
Buying from several Chinese suppliers usually means several parcels, several delivery dates and several export problems. We take the cartons in at one warehouse in Guangzhou, combine them into a single consignment, and ship them out on one booking to your port, airport or door.
What consolidation covers
- Receiving cartons from each of your Chinese suppliers, free of charge, at our Guangzhou warehouse
- Combining them into one consignment under one shipping mark and one set of export documents
- Sea freight LCL and FCL, international air freight, and express through DHL, FedEx, UPS and EMS
- Export declaration in China, and port-to-port or door-to-door delivery at destination
How a multi-supplier shipment runs in China
Each supplier delivers to our consolidation warehouse in Nansha District, Guangzhou, at their own cost. We send you the full warehouse address, the contact person and the shipping mark, and your suppliers put the same mark on every carton. Nothing is loaded until the whole order is together.
If you are combining goods from only a few suppliers, the shipment can also leave from Shanghai or Ningbo instead. Ask us when you book and we will tell you which gateway fits your suppliers best.
The one document rule that decides whether the shipment moves: every supplier has to issue a packing list and a commercial invoice before the goods are dispatched. Without both, the export documents cannot be produced in China, and the same paperwork is what customs at your end works from.
Multi-supplier consolidation: questions buyers ask
These are the questions that come up most often on a first consolidated order, answered the way we answer them on the phone.
Can you receive goods from several different Chinese suppliers and send them to me as one shipment?
Yes. Your suppliers deliver their cartons to our consolidation warehouse in Guangzhou and we combine them into a single consignment on one booking. If you are only combining goods from a few suppliers, the shipment can also leave from Shanghai or Ningbo.
Do my suppliers have to pay to deliver to your warehouse, and is receiving free?
Your suppliers deliver to our warehouse in China at their own cost, which is what online sellers normally do. Receiving your purchases at our China warehouses is free of charge.
Which warehouse should my suppliers send to, and how do they label the cartons?
The consolidation warehouse is in Nansha District, Guangzhou. When your booking is confirmed we send you the full warehouse address, the contact person and the shipping mark, so every supplier labels their cartons the same way.
What documents must each supplier give me?
A packing list and a commercial invoice, issued before the goods leave the supplier. These two documents are what the whole shipment is built on: the export documents cannot be produced without them, and the same paperwork is what customs at the destination country works from. Ask every supplier for both, for every order.
My suppliers do not issue invoices. What value is declared at customs?
The declared value is the value shown on the commercial invoice, and it is declared to the customs of the destination country. For the export side in China we do not depend on it. Even so, ask each supplier for a commercial invoice and a packing list before dispatch, because those two documents are what make the shipment declarable at both ends.
What if a supplier cannot provide the export documents?
Tell us before the goods are dispatched. Small online sellers often cannot issue export documents themselves; we look at your shipment and confirm the options available to us before anything is sent. That is why we ask to be told early, not after the cartons have left the supplier.
Should my suppliers contact you before sending the goods?
Yes. Ask each supplier to get in touch with us before they deliver, so the cartons are identified and received against your booking instead of arriving as unclaimed freight.
What shipping options are there once the goods are consolidated?
Ocean freight LCL and FCL, international air freight, and express through DHL, FedEx, UPS and EMS. Warehousing and LCL services are handled in house. For a small consolidated consignment, sea LCL is the lower-cost option and express is the faster one.
Can a consolidated shipment be booked port-to-port?
Yes. Sea LCL can be booked port-to-port, for example from Shenzhen or Guangzhou to the destination port, where you collect the goods yourself or through your own broker. Port-to-port keeps the destination side of the shipment in your hands.
Can you deliver door-to-door instead of port-to-port?
For small shipments, door-to-door is available through international express: DHL, FedEx, UPS or EMS clear the goods and deliver to the address. Sea LCL is quoted port-to-port as standard. If you want the shipment delivered to your door, tell us the delivery address and we will confirm what can be arranged at destination.
Is anything screened before you accept the cargo?
Two questions: whether any item contains batteries, liquids or powders, and whether any item carries a third-party brand. Solid wax, textiles, silk and stainless steel tumblers are ordinary cargo and ship without special handling. Batteries, liquids and powders need their own handling and documentation, so tell us before you book.
Who clears the goods at destination, and what are the destination charges?
Destination charges depend on the cargo and on the service you choose, and we set them out in the quotation together with the agent who handles the port of entry. Where the destination is an EU outermost region such as Réunion, the island is inside the EU customs territory but outside the EU VAT area, so import is handled under European customs rules with local TVA and dock dues instead of mainland French rates.The local position is set out in more detail on our Réunion shipping page.
What do you need from me in order to quote?
The supplier list and the city each one ships from, the number of cartons, the dimensions of each carton (length, width and height), the gross weight, the goods description and the delivery address. Carton dimensions matter because sea freight is charged on volume, while air and express charge on the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight.
Is there a minimum volume for consolidation?
There is no minimum to receive and consolidate your goods, and a first multi-supplier shipment of a few hundred kilograms is a normal consignment rather than a small one. Sea LCL carries a minimum billable volume set by the carrier, and we confirm it in the quotation so you can compare it against air or express.
More on consolidation and shipping from China
Ready to Consolidate?
Send us your supplier list, carton dimensions and weights, and we will come back with a consolidated quotation.
