Importing from China - What are your options?

Chinese New Year is on the 12th February, and the country always shuts down for up to ten days for its annual holiday. Add to this the problems with a global container shortage and the congestion at British ports, and you end up with very high rates for importing your goods from China.

The run up to Chinese New Year is always busy as the country shuts down for ten days for its annual holiday so many sellers in china try to export their goods before the holiday.

What are your options for transporting goods from China?

Import only the bare minimum to get you through

Some of our customers are choosing to import by LCL (less than container load) so they get a little of what they need for the next month, and pay the higher price for it. This will tide them over until after Chinese New Year, when some of the problems with supply at ports should have been solved or hopefully the rates start to come down.

Pay the higher rates

It is still possible to import goods at the moment, but rates are considerably higher. If your product is critical, we can still help you ship it. As space is limited, you will need to apply to an agent for space/availability. This will be limited and subject to haulage availability. Again, please get in touch! Airfreight is an alternative to shipping, although it will see a rise in demand due to the problems with shipping, it can still be done. 

Plan your shipment for after Chinese New Year

If your goods can wait until after the holiday, rates are usually lower due to decreased demand at this time of year. This will also give time for the global container shortage and congestion at UK ports to ease.