Custom Drinkware, Delivered to Your Door — One DDP Price, Zero Import Hassle

The split is by construction, not material: 9617.00 covers vacuum flasks and other vacuum vessels (our double-wall vacuum bottles, travel mugs, tumblers, food jars and lunch boxes), while 7323.93 covers stainless steel household articles that are not vacuum insulated (single-wall bottles, non-vacuum cups and shakers). It matters because your duty rate follows the code, and because a mixed order of vacuum and single-wall items is two classifications on the declaration rather than one — they can carry different rates in your market. Plastic, glass and bamboo items classify elsewhere again. We state the code we believe applies on the pro forma and packing list and stay consistent across orders, but your broker in the destination country has the final say — classification is decided where the goods land. If you are modelling landed cost, confirm the rate with your broker against these codes rather than a general tariff lookup: preferential rates under a trade agreement are something your broker knows about and a website does not.

All four, including EXW — and we will tell you which one is cheaper for you rather than which is easier for us. If you already have a forwarder and a customs broker, FOB Ningbo or FOB Shanghai almost always lands cheaper, because you are buying freight at your own negotiated rates instead of ours. If you have never imported, or you want one number in the budget with nothing to reconcile afterwards, ask for DDP to your door. Tell us your destination port or postcode and we will quote both side by side so the comparison is real rather than theoretical.

A DDP quote is the landed cost — product, decoration, tooling, cartons, freight, insurance, duties, taxes, clearance and local delivery, in one number. That is the whole point of asking for DDP rather than FOB. What we cannot do is publish a table of duty rates by country: they change, they differ by HS classification, and a figure that is wrong by two points turns your margin calculation into fiction. Send us the destination and the quantity and we quote the real number, which we then stand behind — that is what DDP means.

Yes to all of those, routinely. Africa is selected countries only — South Africa is served routinely, elsewhere we quote case by case. Remote islands are generally not DDP: where we cannot control the final leg, we quote to the nearest major port and you use a local agent who knows it. We would rather draw that line clearly than promise a delivery we cannot control, because a shipment stuck somewhere you cannot reach is worse for you than a CIF quote you planned around.

30% deposit, 70% before shipment is our standard, and the deposit is what starts the 30-day production clock — along with sample approval. We accept T/T; L/C is possible on larger orders but adds bank time at both ends, so factor that into the schedule rather than the price. For a first order with a new buyer we are happy for you to inspect before the balance, either yourself or through a third-party inspector you appoint.

Place the order in the autumn if the goods must land in Q1. Factories across China close for roughly two weeks, the date moves each year between late January and mid-February, and the weeks either side are the problem as much as the holiday itself — capacity fills up before it and staffing ramps back slowly after. Ask us for the current year’s shutdown dates when you plan, not when you order. If your date is not achievable we will say so; a missed in-hands date costs you far more than a rescheduled one.

As standard with every shipment: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading (or air waybill), and the certificate of origin — Form A or a CO through CCPIT depending on your destination. On request we add the fumigation certificate for wooden pallets, insurance certificate, and the test reports your broker keeps on file. Tell us the destination before we prepare documents, not after. A CO issued for the wrong country, or a commercial invoice whose description does not match the HS code, is the most common reason a container sits at port — and re-issuing takes days, not hours.

Yes, and we recommend it on a first order. You appoint the inspector, they come to our factory, and we schedule it before the balance payment so the result actually protects you. We work regularly with SGS, Intertek, TUV and Bureau Veritas, plus buyers’ own QC staff. What we ask is that the AQL level and defect classification are agreed in writing before production, not argued after the report — “minor colour variation” means different things to different inspectors. Our own check is 8% of every batch, separate from and additional to yours.

30% deposit, 70% before shipment by T/T is our standard. For a first order with a supplier you have not met, ranked by your own protection: L/C at sight gives the most but adds bank time at both ends and costs more — worth it on large orders, overkill on 500 pieces. T/T with third-party inspection before the balance is what most of our buyers use and is the practical middle ground. Alibaba Trade Assurance works if you prefer to transact on the platform. We do not take PayPal for bulk orders — the fees come out of somebody’s margin and its buyer protection is not built for container-scale trade. Whatever you choose, the deposit plus sample approval is what starts the 30-day production clock.

Yes, and the breaks follow where costs actually change. At 500, stock colours and a single-colour print at the standard rate. At 1,000, a matched Pantone body colour becomes available — that is where a dedicated spray run starts to make sense. At 5,000 and above, tooling amortisation and container efficiency move the unit price meaningfully, and custom shapes become worth discussing. We quote the tiers side by side so you can see where the step is. Ask for carton dimensions with the quote — on drinkware, freight per piece often moves more between tiers than the unit price does. New to importing? EXW, FOB or DDP — the three ways buyers import from us, and which most experienced importers choose.

For retail packaging, generally yes — Canadian rules require most mandatory information in both English and French, and Quebec applies its own requirements on top. This catches importers who reuse US artwork for a Canadian launch. Practically, the product identity, net quantity and any care or safety wording need both languages on the pack, which affects artwork area and sometimes box size. We print the packaging, so send the French copy alongside the English at artwork stage rather than after the box is tooled. Your Canadian broker or a label consultant confirms exact wording — we set the artwork, they own the legal call.

We prepare the export side; your broker files the import side. For Brazil the Siscomex declaration is filed by your despachante, not by us — but the data comes from our documents, so accuracy at our end saves days at theirs. One point worth correcting: goods of Chinese origin do not qualify for intra-MERCOSUR preferential rates, so anyone promising you preference on Chinese-origin drinkware is misinformed. Ask your broker instead whether an ex-tarifario or a specific-regime reduction applies to your classification. We supply the certificate of origin and consistent HS classification; tariff strategy is your broker’s territory.

Rough guide from Ningbo or Shanghai: 30–35 days to North Europe, 25–30 to the US west coast, 35–45 to Brazil and the east coast of South America, 30–40 to the west coast (Chile, Peru). Add destination clearance, where Latin America differs most — heavier paperwork, less predictable timing. These are indicative and move with carrier schedules; the number your forwarder quotes on the day beats any figure on a website, including ours. Plan the total, not the leg: production is about 30 days after sample approval, so a Brazilian buyer needing goods for a fixed date should order roughly three months ahead, further if Chinese New Year falls in between.