What Online Sellers Need to Know about Shipping from China to the Philippines
What do you need to know about the shipping details from China to the Philippines?
- Shipping locations in the Philippines
- Products you can ship in the Philippines
- Cost of shipping in the Philippines
- Amount of time it takes to ship
- Customs clearance in China and the Philippines
- Ocean Freight vs air shipping
- Shipping freight options in the Philippines
Many Filipinos are venturing into online business because it helps them earn money consistently as compared to a physical store that will require them to build their office, hire workers, and take care of necessary documents before they can legally begin to operate. Although online businesses are required to be registered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), they know the remaining processes are much easier.
They often purchase goods from China because of the cheaper items and affordable shipping it provides. However, it’s also important to know about the other details of shipping from China to the Philippines to successfully manage an online business. This blog post contains everything you need to know. Read on to learn more.
Shipping Locations in the Philippines
The Philippines, with over 7,600 islands of which more than 2,000 are inhabited, has plenty of seaports making it easier to find the nearest shipping location when getting your imported goods from China. The seaports also outnumber the airports in the amount of cargo they process every year.
In addition, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have their own seaports where you can choose the right shipping location according to your address.
Here are the major seaports in the Philippines:
- Port of Manila/Pantalan ng Maynila
- Port of Cebu/Pantalan ng Cebu
- Port of Cagayan de Oro/Dakbayan sa Cagayan de Oro
- Batangas International Port
Products You Can Ship in the Philippines
We know it’s exciting to expand your business horizons online, but first, you need to know what shipping products are only accepted in the Philippines. Like other countries, the Philippines has a limitation when importing certain goods from China for safety reasons and to protect our domestic economy.
This falls into four categories:
- Free
These imported goods can be immediately accepted without any additional licenses, permits, etc.
- Regulated
These goods require certain clearances, licenses, permits, good declarations, and other specific requirements before they can be accepted, such as plants, animals, aquatic products, motor vehicles, electrical appliances, and tobacco products.
- Restricted
These goods are prohibited except when authorized by our law, such as ammunition and gunpowder, opium, narcotics, marijuana, and gambling paraphernalia.
Cost of Shipping in the Philippines
The shipping cost from China to the Philippines varies. For instance, if you partner with a freight forwarder, they need the information about your shipment to estimate your quote.
These are some of the factors that affect the cost of shipping from China to the Philippines.
- Shipping goods
- Weight
- Size and volume
- Ocean or air shipment
- If ocean shipping, FCL or LCL
- Door-to-door, port-to-port, or port-to-door delivery
At CargoBoss, we offer an affordable rate for the forwarding of your cargo from China to the Philippines. Our rates are P10,000/CBM ALL-IN and are already inclusive of customs taxes and duties, documentation fees, and warehouse storage fees. Learn more about our rates here.
Amount of Time it Takes to Ship
To give you a heads-up, it usually takes between 9 and 31 days to ship a container from China to the Philippines. This is not bad as compared to when you get imported goods from other countries like Australia which takes about 34 days. Not to mention it has an expensive shipping cost.
Our three warehouses in China—Guangzhou, Shishi, and Yiwu—can ship your imported goods between 9 to 31 days, depending on whether it’s FCL or LCL. You may contact our CargoBoss team here to learn more about it.
Customs clearance in China and the Philippines
Customs clearance is a procedure that’s implemented to check if goods can be imported or exported from one country to another. The shipper must provide the necessary documentation to ensure that customs duties are paid and processed.
These are the following documents to prepare:
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Certificate of origin
- Letter of credit and payment terms
- Bill of lading for ocean freight, airway bill for air cargo
Ocean Freight vs Air Shipping
Since China and the Philippines are neighboring countries, choosing ocean freight is more convenient because there are plenty of forwarders in the Philippines including CargoBoss. Our team can arrange your sea cargo from China until it arrives safely in the Philippines.
Air shipping, on the other hand, is expensive, and not all goods are suitable for shipment.
Shipping Freight Options in the Philippines
CargoBoss offers two shipping freight options that are both convenient for imported goods. First, we have the Less than Container Load (LCL) that requires your products to share a container with other goods. This is beneficial if you only have a small consignment to send. Thus, this is more cost-efficient than the next option below.
The Full Container Load (FCL) lets you have exclusive use of a full container for your goods. This is an advantage for those with heavy shipment loads.
Key Takeaway
Knowing the other details about shipping from China to the Philippines lets you be more informed about how the shipment of your imported goods works before you can finally have them right at your doorstep.
Our expert team at CargoBoss hopes you’ve learned something! And, if you’re looking for a reliable sea freight forwarder in the Philippines, look no further than CargoBoss! You can message CargoBoss today and experience our top-notch import services like no other.