Freight & Customs

We move it out of Asia and clear it into the US

The stretch that usually falls between your supplier and your warehouse, and where most of the cost, delay, and unpleasant surprises live. We arrange the transportation, consolidate multi-supplier orders at origin, and work directly with licensed customs brokers at every major US port of entry.

The freight leg in section: the gantry crane loading the box, the vessel and the aircraft that carry it, the customs gate it clears, and the chassis truck that takes it inland.
What's included

Freight, customs, and the last mile into your inventory

01

Ocean freight: FCL

A full container, dedicated to your cargo. The right call once your volume fills one, and almost always the cheaper per-unit option.

02

Ocean freight: LCL

Less than container load: you share space and pay for the volume you use. How most first orders and most crowdfunding runs move.

03

Air freight

Days instead of weeks, at several times the cost. Worth it for samples, for launch-critical stock, and for the part of an order you cannot be late on.

04

Consolidation at origin

Four suppliers, one container. We collect and consolidate multi-supplier orders in Asia before they ship, which is normally the single biggest freight saving available to a product company.

05

Customs clearance

Handled by licensed customs brokers we work with directly at every major US port of entry. Entry filed ahead of arrival so the container moves the day it lands.

06

ISF filing

The Importer Security Filing, known as "10+2," has to be filed before your cargo is loaded in Asia. Miss it or get it wrong and you are looking at a do-not-load order or an exam hold.

07

Customs bonds

Continuous or single-entry surety, arranged through our broker partners. Required to import, and a common thing first-time importers discover too late.

08

Duty & classification guidance

HTS classification and landed-cost review before you commit to a purchase order, so a tariff line does not quietly delete your margin after the goods are already made.

09

Drayage & final leg

Port to warehouse, straight into one of our own facilities. No third-party handoff and no container sitting on the dock while somebody books a truck.

Coverage

Where we load, and where we clear

Origin: Asia

Where your freight leaves from. Mainland China is our primary lane; we also move cargo out of Mexico, Europe, and Canada.

Mainland China

  • Shanghai
  • Ningbo-Zhoushan
  • Shenzhen / Yantian
  • Guangzhou / Nansha
  • Qingdao
  • Xiamen
  • Tianjin

Wider Asia

  • Hong Kong
  • Busan, South Korea
  • Singapore
  • Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Destination: US ports of entry

Where it clears, and which of our warehouses it feeds. We work with licensed customs brokers at every major US port of entry.

West Coast

  • Los Angeles / Long Beach
  • Oakland
  • Seattle / Tacoma

Gulf

  • Houston
  • New Orleans
  • Mobile

East Coast

  • New York / New Jersey
  • Savannah
  • Charleston
  • Miami
  • Norfolk
  • Baltimore
What actually goes wrong

And how we stop it

Four things cost importers real money on the freight leg. None of them are bad luck. They are all preventable with preparation.

Demurrage & detention

A per-day meter starts the moment your container sits too long at the port or the box is not returned. We file the customs entry before arrival and pre-book the drayage, so the container moves on day one instead of accruing charges while somebody arranges a truck.

Customs holds

Most holds are documentation problems, not suspicion. ISF filed on time, correct classification, consistent paperwork across the commercial invoice, packing list, and bill of lading. That is what keeps cargo moving.

Tariff surprises

A duty rate you did not check can wipe out the margin you negotiated so carefully at the factory. We review classification and landed cost before the purchase order, not after the goods are sitting on a vessel.

Missing your launch date

The one nobody else builds around. If a crowdfunding campaign promised backers a delivery month, freight is usually what breaks that promise. We plan the freight leg backward from your committed date, not forward from the factory's.

How the chain is put together

Who is licensed for what

We run

  • Your ocean and air freight, booked and managed end to end
  • Multi-supplier consolidation at origin, into one container
  • The relationship with licensed customs brokers at every major US port
  • ISF filing, bonds and entry, coordinated through those brokers
  • Port to warehouse drayage, into buildings we operate ourselves

Licensed specialists run

  • The customs entry itself, filed by a licensed customs broker under their license.
  • The bill of lading, issued by the forwarder or NVOCC of record.
  • HTS classification and the binding duty call, which is licensed work.
  • Anything else the law reserves to a credential. We hold the ones we hold and hire the rest.

Freight only goes wrong at the handoffs. Knowing which desk owns each step, and having one company answerable for the whole chain, is the difference between a clearance and a phone call you cannot get answered.

The process

From the production line to your warehouse shelf

Step 1
Booking & termsWe agree on the Incoterm (EXW, FOB, or delivered) so it is clear from the start who owns the cargo, and the cost, at each leg.
Step 2
Cargo readyGoods finish production and pass pre-shipment inspection. Nothing ships that has not been checked.
Step 3
Origin consolidationMultiple suppliers combined into one shipment where it saves money, and export documentation prepared.
Step 4
ISF & pre-filingImporter Security Filing submitted before loading, and the customs entry prepared ahead of arrival rather than after it.
Step 5
Ocean or airBooked, loaded, and tracked. You get the vessel, the ETA, and an honest update when it moves.
Step 6
Customs clearanceOur licensed broker partner at the port of entry files the entry and releases the cargo.
Step 7
Drayage & receivingTrucked from port into one of our warehouses, devanned, counted, checked, and put away, ready to ship.
Questions

Frequently asked

Do you handle the shipping, or just the sourcing?

Both. We arrange the freight out of Asia, coordinate customs clearance through licensed broker partners, and truck the cargo into our own warehouses. It is one continuous chain rather than three vendors. If you are weighing the two modes, our air versus ocean guide explains how chargeable weight is calculated, which decides it more often than the rate does.

Which Incoterms do you work with?

Most China suppliers quote FOB, which means they deliver and clear the goods for export at the origin port and you own the freight from there. We also work EXW, where we collect from the supplier's door. We will tell you which is genuinely cheaper for your shipment rather than defaulting to one.

Are you a licensed customs broker?

No. We work directly with licensed customs brokers at every major US port of entry. That distinction matters legally, and we would rather be precise about it than blur it.

Can you consolidate orders from several suppliers?

Yes, and it is often the biggest single saving available to you. Four suppliers' cargo combined into one container at origin usually beats four separate LCL shipments comfortably.

What about duties and tariffs?

We review HTS classification and landed cost before you place the order, so the duty rate is a number you planned for rather than a surprise on arrival.

Can you ship somewhere other than your own warehouses?

Yes: to your warehouse, a third-party 3PL, or into Amazon FBA.

Get started

Tell us what needs moving

Origin, destination, cargo, and your must-hit date. We will come back with routing, timing, and a real number.

  • No obligation. A quote is a quote.
  • Straight answers about whether we're the right fit.
  • One point of contact across every service you use.

Tell us what's moving

Origin port, carton dimensions and the date it has to land. We'll come back with routing and a number.

We reply to every inquiry. Nothing you send here is shared with third parties.

One partner, end to end

The leg where it usually goes wrong

Freight and customs handled by the same team that sourced the product and will ship it to your customer.

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