Key takeaways
- Pick the mode by weight, value, and deadline: sea for volume, air for speed, express for small urgent loads.
- Your Incoterm decides who books freight and who pays duty. Agree it before you place the order.
- For ocean cargo the ISF must be filed 24 hours before the goods are loaded in China.
- Every commercial shipment from China now pays duty, however small. Plan it into your landed cost.
Step 1: Choose how the goods will travel
There are three realistic ways to ship from China to the USA, and the right one depends on how much you are moving, what it is worth, and when you need it.
- Sea freight, full container (FCL): the lowest cost per unit once you fill most of a 20 or 40 foot container.
- Sea freight, shared container (LCL): you pay for the cubic meters you use. Good for a few pallets.
- Air freight: usually 5 to 8 days door to door into George Bush Intercontinental (IAH). Worth it for launches, restocks, and high-value goods.
- Express courier: 3 to 6 days for samples and small urgent cartons.
Step 2: Agree the Incoterm with your supplier
The Incoterm on your purchase order decides where the supplier's job ends and yours begins. EXW means you collect from the factory door. FOB means the supplier delivers to the port in China and you pay from there. DDP means the goods arrive at your door with duty already paid.
Many first-time importers accept a supplier's "shipping included" quote without checking what it covers. Often it stops at a US port, and the importer then gets a bill for clearance, duty, and delivery. Read our DDU vs DDP shipping guide before you sign.
Step 3: Get the paperwork right before it ships
Customs clearance runs on documents. Missing or inconsistent paperwork is the most common reason a shipment is held.
- Commercial invoice with a clear product description, value, and country of origin
- Packing list with carton counts, weights, and dimensions
- Bill of lading for sea freight or air waybill for air
- ISF (10+2) for ocean cargo, filed at least 24 hours before loading
- Any permits or certificates your product needs (FDA, CPSC, EPA, FCC, and others)
Step 4: Clear US customs
When your cargo reaches Port Houston, a licensed customs broker files the entry, classifies the goods under the right HTS code, and pays the duty on your behalf. You need an importer of record number, usually your EIN, and a customs bond for formal entries.
Most goods from China carry Section 301 tariffs on top of the normal duty rate, and the duty-free de minimis exemption no longer applies to Chinese goods. Get the classification checked before you order so the landed cost is not a surprise.
Step 5: Final delivery
After release, the goods are trucked to your warehouse, a 3PL, a retail distribution center, or an Amazon fulfillment center. Book the delivery before the goods arrive. Ports and terminals charge daily once free time runs out.
What changes when the goods are going to Houston
Houston importers choose between two ocean routings. All-water through the Panama Canal lands at Port Houston's Barbours Cut or Bayport terminals and is often cheaper. Landing on the West Coast and moving by rail to Houston is usually one to two weeks faster. The customs entry can be filed at either the port of arrival or inland, so the choice changes the paperwork plan as well as the transit time.
Or hand the whole move to one team
You can manage each step with a different company, or use a door-to-door freight forwarder from China to the USA that runs pickup, freight, customs, and delivery as one job. See how it works, or compare sea freight and air freight and express.