Why there's no single price for transport from China
“How much does a container from China cost?” — the honest answer is “it depends”. Freight rates can change from week to week, and the final cost isn't the freight alone but the whole landed cost. Instead of a price list that would be out of date tomorrow, we show what the cost is made of and what drives it — so you can judge any quote, including someone else's.
What the landed cost is made of
| Item | What it is |
|---|---|
| Goods price (FOB/EXW) | the factory value, depending on the Incoterms rule |
| Main freight | sea (FCL/LCL), rail or air — the biggest variable |
| Local and port charges | THC, documents, handling, in China and at the destination port |
| Customs duty | a percentage of the customs value per the goods' CN code |
| Import VAT | 23% of the sum: customs value + duty + costs to the border |
| Cargo insurance | usually a fraction of a percent of the cargo value |
| Domestic transport | from the port/terminal to your warehouse in Poland |
Only the sum of these items is the real cost of bringing goods to market. Counting the factory price alone is the most common reason a “cheap” offer turns out expensive.
What affects the freight cost most
- Mode of transport — sea is cheapest per unit, air the most expensive; rail sits in between.
- FCL or LCL — above roughly 13–15 m³ a full container usually beats groupage.
- Port of departure and container type — 20', 40', 40'HC; different ports mean different local rates.
- Season — before Chinese New Year and in the autumn peak, rates and times rise.
- Weight and volume — in groupage you pay for the greater of the two: volume or weight.
How to calculate duty and VAT — an example
Say a customs value of 10,000 PLN, 4% duty and 2,000 PLN transport to the border. The duty is 400 PLN. VAT is charged on the sum: customs value + duty + costs to the border, i.e. 10,000 + 400 + 2,000 = 12,400 PLN, and 23% of that is 2,852 PLN. This is a simplified scheme — we set the correct CN code and rate at the quote stage. Active VAT payers can settle import VAT in their return (Art. 33a), without paying it in cash at clearance — a real cash-flow relief.
How to get a reliable quote
For a concrete quote we need a few things: what the goods are (and the CN code, if you know it), weight and volume or the number of cartons, the port/city of departure in China, the Incoterms rule and the delivery address in Poland. With that, within 24 hours we send back an itemised quote: freight, port charges, clearance, duty, VAT, domestic transport — with no hidden items.
Frequently asked questions
Can you give a rough price without the details?
We can give a range, but without weight, volume and port of departure it would be guesswork. We prefer to gather a few facts and give a number you can rely on.
Which is cheaper — rail or sea?
Sea usually wins on cost at large volumes; rail can pay off when you want a shorter time (approx. 18–25 days) at an acceptable price. We'll calculate both options for your load.
Does the quote include all costs?
Yes — we give a breakdown with freight, port charges, clearance, duty, VAT and domestic transport. The point is that there are no “surcharges” at the end that nobody warned you about.
See also: transport modes and transit times, duty, VAT and formalities and importing from China step by step.
Let's cost out your transport
Send a few details about the goods — you'll get a specific, itemised quote within 24 hours.
Request a quote Call: +48 502 406 787