Importing from China isn’t complicated — it’s just badly explained. In this guide we’ll walk you through every stage: choosing a product, vetting the factory, and receiving the goods in a Polish warehouse. All with concrete numbers and examples from our own practice.
Why importing from China is worth considering
Polish importers usually buy from wholesalers who themselves bought from a European distributor, who bought from the manufacturer. In practice that means 2–4 layers of middleman margin in the price. Direct importing shortens that chain to one link: factory → you.
The average saving on an order from PLN 5,000 net is 35–60% against wholesale prices in Poland. For orders from PLN 20,000 net the difference can reach 70%.
The three biggest myths about importing
- “That’s for big companies.” Not true. You can run a first import from as little as PLN 5,000 net — less than an average order at a Polish wholesaler.
- “It’s all Chinese junk.” Factories produce in quality classes — from A to D. We work exclusively with class A and B (the same ones European brands use).
- “Duty and VAT eat up the savings.” Duty on most products is 0–6.5%, VAT 23%. Together with shipping that’s a ~30% uplift — with savings of 50%+ it is still worth it.
The most common trap on a first import isn’t quality, it’s logistics. A six-week sea crossing can wreck your sales plan if you don’t account for it.
Marek, logistics coordinator
The process step by step
We’ve been through this hundreds of times. Every import is different, but the skeleton is the same — six stages, 4–8 weeks in total from enquiry to goods in your warehouse.
Stage 1 — choosing the product
All you need to know is what and how much. Documentation, certificates, packaging — we’ll negotiate all of that with the factory. Products work best when you know the target selling price and the volume.
What to have ready before the first call
- a technical specification (or reference photos, if you’re copying an existing product)
- your planned volume — units or containers
- the date by which the goods must be in Poland
- a budget range, so we know which class of factory to look for
Stage 2 — vetting the factory
Once we have candidates (usually 3–5 factories) we audit them: we check the register, certificates (ISO, BSCI, CE), complaint history with other clients and financial health. We’ve described the detailed process here.
Table: what not to skip during an audit
| Audit item | Red flag | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Registration in the Chinese Business Registry | Company < 2 years old | Insist on a 30% deposit, the balance after inspection |
| Product certificates | No CE / RoHS / FCC | Another supplier |
| A mention in the Customs Bulletin | EU customs complaints | Another supplier |
| Production test | No sample within 14 days | Withdraw the deposit |
Bonus: the questions a factory must answer within 48 h
No reply within two business days to questions about MOQ, production time and payment terms is a sign you are not a priority for them. Better to walk away now than mid-production.
A pre-shipment inspection costs USD 280. On average it saves 8% of the order value.
Data from our last 200 containers
Costs — the full calculation
The most common beginner mistake: counting only the FOB price from the factory. The real delivered cost in Poland is 25–40% higher. Here’s an example calculation for an order of PLN 10,000 net FOB:
FOB (ex-works price, Shenzhen) PLN 10,000
Sea freight (LCL, 0.8 m³) + PLN 720
Cargo insurance (0.3%) + PLN 30
THC + port paperwork, Gdynia + PLN 240
Duty (3.7% average) + PLN 370
Customs agency + PLN 180
Domestic delivery (to warehouse) + PLN 220
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DELIVERED COST (excl. VAT) PLN 11,760
VAT 23% (reclaimable) + PLN 2,705
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TOTAL PAYABLE PLN 14,465An example calculation for a home-appliance product. Duty and freight rates vary depending on the CN code and route. We prepare an exact quote free of charge after a call.
Summary of additional costs
Total: FOB × 1.176 to your door net, FOB × 1.447 gross. These multipliers apply to LCL shipments up to 1 m³ — for FCL (a full 20’/40′ container) the uplift is lower, around 8–15%.
What next
If you’ve read this far, you already have 80% of the knowledge you need to start. The rest is detail that varies by product and industry — and that’s what we handle.
The fastest route is a phone call — in 5 minutes you’ll know whether we have a factory for your product and what it will cost. Call +48 698 485 783 or write to biuro@importdlafirm.pl.