“Cargo” from China to Russia by road

In brief

• ✓Transit time: 17 days by road, from the consolidation warehouse in China to release in Russia.
• ✓Rate: $2–3 per kilogram. Where a shipment falls in the range depends on cargo density, lot size and product category.
• ✓Minimum service fee €200; cargo insurance 0.3% of the declared value.
• ✓Payment to the supplier in China can be made through our supplier payment service; the commission is 5% of the order value.
• ✓Cargo gives the buyer no import declaration in its own name, no closing documents with VAT and no certificates — Wildberries and Ozon sellers need declared import.

What we carry — under any scheme

Only lawful commercial goods that are not subject to sanctions, after screening of HS codes and parties. We do not accept weapons or ammunition, narcotic or psychotropic substances, goods banned from import into Russia or personal effects. Goods that need documents for resale belong in declared import, which we also handle.

How cargo from China works

The cargo’s journey starts at a consolidation warehouse in China. The supplier — a factory, a 1688 seller or a market stall — delivers the goods there; we receive them, count the packages and check them against the order. If the buyer purchases from several suppliers, the lots are combined into one shipment and the total weight is charged rather than each parcel separately.

The goods then travel by road together with other customers’ consignments and are released in Russia. The carrier takes care of the customs part of the journey, so the buyer needs no foreign trade contract, currency control or customs representative. That is the main convenience of cargo — and at the same time its main limitation, described below.

The 17 days are counted from the warehouse in China. Production time and delivery from the factory to the warehouse are not included: if the factory ships two weeks after payment, add those two weeks. Before Chinese New Year factories stop for several weeks, and orders placed in January often leave only in March — worth taking into account when planning.

What it costs on real weights

The rate is $2–3 per kilogram. To give the order of magnitude: 100 kg costs $200–300, 500 kg $1,000–1,500, two tonnes $4,000–6,000. Insurance at 0.3% of the declared value of the goods is added, and, if we pay the supplier on the buyer’s behalf, a commission of 5% of the order value.

The minimum service fee is €200. For very small shipments of a few dozen kilograms the minimum applies rather than the weight, so it makes sense to send samples together with the first order.

Three things decide where a shipment falls within the range: cargo density, lot size and product category. Light, bulky goods — textiles, plastic items, packed furniture — take a lot of space for little weight and are priced differently from dense cargo such as metal parts, tools and fasteners. Send the weight, package dimensions and description and we will give the exact rate — together with the cost of declared import for the same goods.

Where in China we collect and what comes from there

We work with all the main sourcing centres. Guangzhou and neighbouring Foshan supply furniture, clothing, fabrics, footwear, lighting and sanitary ware. Yiwu is the world’s largest small-wholesale market: consumer goods, haberdashery, toys, household goods and seasonal lines gathered from dozens of stalls. Shenzhen — electronics, components, LEDs, batteries. Ningbo — tools, fasteners, electrical goods, household appliances and automotive products.

Consolidation is especially useful for purchases in Yiwu: the range is built up in small lots from many sellers, and without consolidation each lot would become a separate, expensive shipment. At the warehouse everything is combined into one, and the total weight is charged.

A note on electronics from Shenzhen: lithium batteries and battery-powered devices must be declared at the quotation stage. They are a separate category with special transport conditions, and if batteries are discovered only at the warehouse, the consignment may be held until the matter is resolved.

What typically travels as cargo

Most often: spare parts for trucks and special machinery, electronics and components, equipment and tools, and consumer goods — clothing, footwear, homeware and household lines. Personal effects of private individuals are not carried; we work only with commercial consignments.

Payment to the supplier in China — 5%

Some buyers prefer not to settle with Chinese suppliers directly, and some sellers accept only yuan or local payment systems. Our supplier payment service pays the factory or the seller on 1688, Alibaba or Taobao, receives the goods at the warehouse and checks the quantity against the order. The commission is 5% of the order value, and the goods leave with the same consignment without extra handovers between contractors.

Cargo or declared import: how to decide

Cargo does not provide three things: a goods declaration in the buyer’s company name, closing documents with VAT shown separately, and certificates for the goods. The customs burden is built into the per-kilogram rate, so it does not exist for the buyer’s accounts and the VAT cannot be deducted.

That is why cargo does not suit Wildberries and Ozon sellers or anyone whose goods may be inspected: the marketplace or an authority will ask for the declaration and certificates, and there will be nothing to show. For labelled categories, goods without Chestny Znak codes cannot be sold at all.

Cargo is only justified where no documents are needed for the goods: parts and components for the buyer’s own use, samples and trial lots, small purchases not sold via marketplaces. If in doubt, we calculate both options per unit. The difference is often smaller than it looks once VAT deduction and the risk of blocked listings are taken into account.

Cargo rates from China

Prices are indicative; an exact quote is available on request.

Frequently asked questions

Popular destinations and services

See also

More in this section

Request a quote

Reply within 2 business hours