1. Finalise the deal with your supplier (or ask us to find one) and get a proforma invoice.
2. Pay the supplier yourself, or let IFC pay them in RMB on your behalf.
3. We receive the goods at our Guangzhou or Yiwu warehouse, inspect them and share photos.
4. We ship by sea or air, as you prefer, and clear Indian customs with duty paid.
5. We deliver to your door anywhere in India after you pay our freight, duty and clearance charges.

Not with our door-to-door (DDP) service. IFC imports the goods on its own IEC, pays the duty and IGST, and sells them to you in India on a local GST invoice. If you prefer to import on your own IEC, we can work that way too.

Many buyers ask this. On our IEC: (1) your bank does not chase you for Bills of Entry against foreign remittances, because the import and payment are ours; (2) small LCL shipments cost less, because one consolidated clearance shares the Bill of Entry, CHA, DO and port charges; (3) customs queries on HS code or value come to us, and we already hold the documents; (4) clearance is faster, so storage charges stay low. Your own IEC is better for regular full containers, licences that must be in your name, or import records you need for tenders or bank limits. Many buyers use both. Read IEC vs import agent.

Step 1: research what sells. Check which product ads sellers have been running on Meta for the last few months; if a seller keeps paying for ads, the product is usually selling. Step 2: find the same product on 1688.com or Alibaba.com and note the buying price. Step 3: work out your landed cost in India with our free landed cost calculator. Step 4: compare your landed cost with what other sellers charge. If the margin works, start with a small order.

Yiwu is the hub for small commodities (toys, stationery, household, festive goods, accessories) and many shops accept small mixed orders. Guangzhou is stronger for garments, leather goods, lighting, electronics accessories and beauty packaging. A visit lets you touch products and compare many suppliers in a day. For a small first order, many buyers start online (1688, Alibaba, supplier video calls) with samples and an inspection, and visit once they have repeat orders. IFC has its own offices in Guangzhou and Yiwu and can support either route.

Samples and small trial orders usually go by air, because sea LCL often has a minimum charge (commonly 1 CBM) plus fixed port and clearance costs. Once a shipment reaches a few hundred kilograms, sea is normally much cheaper per kg. Run both options through our calculator before you decide.

Almost any product. Over 20+ years we have worked with nearly every industry. Share the product link or specifications, quantity and delivery city, and we check suppliers and import requirements for it.

IFC has no fixed minimum. Supplier MOQs vary by product and factory. Small orders are consolidated with other cargo, so you still get container-level rates.

Get a proforma invoice from the seller and send us a copy. We give you a landed cost estimate up to your door, then handle the supplier payment, inspection, shipping, customs clearance and delivery.

Yes. With our DDP service we act as the importer and logistics partner and deliver the goods to you as a local purchase within India, much like buying from an Indian e-commerce site.

Yes. Lecong in Foshan has one of the largest wholesale furniture markets, for home, villa, office and hotel furniture. We have partners in Foshan and can help you source, inspect and ship furniture to your door in India.

We are flexible. Choose our full service, from sourcing to door delivery, or use us only for shipping and customs if you already handle sourcing yourself.

Start with a product list, specifications, budget, target quantities and travel dates. Our Guangzhou and Yiwu teams can help with market and factory visits, interpretation and logistics. Read our Yiwu market guide.

Your landed cost includes the product value, China inland transport, freight, insurance, customs duty and IGST, clearance and delivery in India. By sea, the total on top of the product value is often around 25% to 45%, depending on the duty rate and freight. Get an estimate for your exact product with our free landed cost calculator.

Worked example (assumed 10% Basic Customs Duty): goods Rs 10,00,000 + sea freight and insurance Rs 1,10,000 = assessable value Rs 11,10,000. BCD 10% = Rs 1,11,000. Social Welfare Surcharge (10% of BCD) = Rs 11,100. IGST 18% on (assessable value + BCD + SWS) = 18% of Rs 12,32,100 = Rs 2,21,778. Total duty about Rs 3,43,878, or about 34% of the invoice, before CHA, port and transport charges. Duty rates vary by HS code; check yours on our HS code duty pages.

Yes. IGST is charged on the assessable (CIF) value plus customs duty. Example from our calculator: LED lights (HS 94054900), invoice USD 10,000 (Rs 10,00,000 at Rs 100 per USD), 1,000 kg by sea. CIF value about Rs 10,37,250; duty at 25% (BCD 20% + AIDC 5%) about Rs 2,59,313; IGST 18% on Rs 12,96,563 about Rs 2,33,381. Total payable about Rs 15.3 lakh, about 53% on top of the supplier payment, including GST that a GST-registered buyer can usually claim as input credit. These are estimates; confirm the HS code with your CHA.

Indicative IFC rates (October 2026, door-to-door DDP): Rs 750 per kg for general cargo of 50 kg or more with value under Rs 2,000 per kg, and Rs 1,350 per kg for batteries, liquids, cosmetics, magnets, rare-earth or higher-value goods. Rates change with the market; send your packing list for a confirmed quote.

Sea freight is roughly half the air price for the same cargo. For large shipments over 5,000 kg, sea rates are typically Rs 50 to 150 per kg depending on the product. Send your packing list, product and delivery city for a confirmed door-to-door quote.

LCL is usually charged on W/M (weight or measure): 1 CBM is treated as 1,000 kg and you pay on whichever is higher. Light, bulky goods are billed on CBM; dense goods such as metal parts or tiles may be billed on weight. CBM per carton = length x width x height in metres (a 60 x 40 x 50 cm carton is 0.12 CBM). Many consolidators also apply a 1 CBM minimum. For air, chargeable weight is the higher of actual weight and volumetric weight (L x W x H in cm / 6,000).

Example from our calculator: LED lights, invoice USD 3,000, 300 kg. By sea, freight, clearance and delivery is about Rs 24,375 and the total landed cost about Rs 4.83 lakh. By air, those charges are about Rs 1,72,500 and the total about Rs 7.02 lakh, because duty and GST also rise with freight. Sea is far cheaper per kg but takes several weeks door to door. Air usually takes about a week or two and suits samples, urgent stock and light, high-value goods. Our rule of thumb: samples and urgent top-ups by air, regular stock by sea.

Savings vary by product, order size, exchange rate, freight, duty and compliance. Compare the full landed cost with an equivalent Indian product rather than assuming a fixed saving.

Air shipments usually take about one to two weeks door to door. Sea shipments take several weeks, plus a buffer for port congestion and festival rush. Supplier production time, inspection, booking and customs examination add to this, so ask us for a dated estimate for your shipment.

FCL (Full Container Load) means a whole container for your cargo. LCL (Less than Container Load) means your cargo shares a container with other shipments. Small and medium buyers usually ship LCL; larger regular volumes move to FCL. Compare FCL vs LCL or read our LCL shipping guide.

Yes. We collect from multiple suppliers, consolidate at our Guangzhou and Yiwu warehouses and ship everything together, which saves freight.

We load mixed containers and air cargo regularly. Ask our team for the next departure and the warehouse cut-off date for your cargo.

All of India, door to door. Our head office is in Kirti Nagar, New Delhi, with service points in many cities. See delivery cities and offices.

No. IFC handles imports from China to India only; we do not offer India-to-China export shipping.

We recommend discussing insurance before dispatch, including the insured value, cover, exclusions and claim documents. Carrier liability is not the same as cargo insurance.

Yes, we have warehouse facilities in both China (Guangzhou and Yiwu) and India.

In our 20+ years of importing from China, RMB wins almost every time. Factories pay their own costs in RMB, so an RMB price is their real cost plus margin. A USD quote often adds a currency cushion (around 3% to 4% in our experience) and port charges. Ask for an ex-works (EXW) price in RMB, a price without the VAT invoice (fapiao), and delivery to your forwarder’s China warehouse as a separate line. USD still makes sense for Alibaba Trade Assurance orders, sellers with only offshore USD accounts, or your own FCL bookings. Full guide: RMB or USD.

You can pay the supplier yourself, or IFC can pay them in RMB on your behalf as part of our DDP service. Always confirm bank details directly with the supplier before paying, and keep the order and payment records.

Alibaba Trade Assurance protects eligible orders paid through the covered payment route, subject to its terms and dispute deadlines. It does not remove every risk, so keep written specifications, delivery dates and inspection terms. See our Alibaba order checklist.

Verify the supplier’s business identity, invoice and bank details through a trusted channel before paying, and use a traceable, agreed payment route. IFC can make the RMB payment for you as part of our import service.

You pay the Chinese supplier as per their terms. Our charges for freight, duty and customs clearance are payable after the goods arrive at our India warehouse and before we dispatch them to you.

Yes. Our pre-shipment check covers: matching the approved sample (colour, size, material, finish); carton count, units per carton and marks against the packing list; random cartons from different parts of the lot; a function test; Indian labelling and any BIS or other compliance mark; a carton drop test; and photos and video shared before you release the balance payment.

Shortlist three suppliers with a real factory. Get a remote audit of each (a live video call showing the production line, office and business licence). Order samples from all three and use them for 20 to 30 days. When bulk production is ready, check samples from the finished batch before final shipment. It takes time and a little money, but it is worth it, especially if you are building a brand.

IFC’s remote factory audit costs Rs 1,500 per audit. A physical inspection or factory visit by an IFC agent costs Rs 15,000 to 25,000 per visit. See factory audit in China.

No, that is a misconception. China makes goods at every quality level, and many products meet international standards. Quality depends on the supplier you choose and the checks you put in place.

Some goods are restricted or prohibited, and others need approvals, testing or specific labels. Share the exact product, material and use before you pay the supplier, and we check the HS code and current import policy.

Yes. We check what your product needs before you buy and guide you through the approvals, so you can focus on placing the order.

Share the exact model, functions, power source and any wireless features before ordering. Electronics often need BIS registration and, for wireless products, WPC approval, plus correct labelling. Batteries also affect air freight rates.

We confirm the duty estimate and clearance scope in writing with your quotation. Because IFC holds the documents and answers customs queries directly, issues are resolved quickly, which keeps storage charges low.

IFC (Imports From China) has been importing from China to India since 2004 and has served 5000+ businesses. We have our own offices in Guangzhou and Yiwu and a head office in Kirti Nagar, New Delhi, which you are welcome to visit. Read our customer reviews.

Look for an agent with long experience, its own team in China, door-to-door (DDP) service with duty paid, written quotations and genuine reviews. IFC has done China-to-India imports since 2004 and is listed on IndiaMART as Pulhant Marketing Pvt. Ltd.

Compare the full scope, not just the sourcing fee: who verifies the supplier, inspects the goods, handles export documents, Indian customs, compliance and delivery, and who is responsible if something goes wrong. IFC covers the whole chain with one team.

Yes. Ask our team how your enquiry and shipment information is used before you share sensitive documents.