Guide · for buyers in any country
How buying furniture direct from China works
You pick the pieces. A factory in China makes them, they cross the sea in a container, clear customs in your country and arrive by truck. Here is each step, what you pay for, and what tends to go wrong.
What goes into the price at your door
- Factory price From the factory's own quote, which you see.
- Packing and trucking to the port in China Export cartons or wooden crates.
- Ocean freight A shared container for a few rooms, your own container for a house.
- Import duty and taxes Set by your country and the code of each item.
- Customs broker and port fees Charged per shipment, not per piece.
- Delivery to your door Priced to your address.
Check a DDP furniture shipping quote for packed volume, taxes, unloading and exception fees before you book.
Plan for furniture shipping damage: packing and insurance records before payment, photos and written notice at delivery.
We quote all of it as one number before you commit. The per-shipment lines are why a room's worth of furniture usually makes more sense than one piece.
Step by step
From your list to furniture at your door
- 1
Send your list
Photos or links, sizes, quantities, and your country and postcode or ZIP. A floor plan helps for kitchens and built-in wardrobes.
What goes wrong: Sizes in inches on one side and centimetres on the other. Bed and mattress sizes also differ by country, so we confirm them in centimetres.
- 2
We find and check the factory
We check the business license, walk the floor on a video call, and confirm the seller makes the piece rather than reselling it.
What goes wrong: A trading company that presents itself as the factory, then swaps in a cheaper workshop.
- 3
One price at your door
Factory price, freight, the import duty of your country, customs fees and delivery, in one number, before you commit.
What goes wrong: A low quote that leaves out duty, port fees or the truck to your house.
- 4
Samples and a written spec
Fabric and finish swatches, or a full sample piece. Then a spec sheet: materials, sizes, hardware, finish and packing, signed off by you.
What goes wrong: "Same as the sample" with nothing in writing, so a cheaper foam or board shows up in production.
- 5
Production and inspection
The factory starts after your deposit, with the production date in writing. We inspect before it ships, and you pay the balance after you see the report.
What goes wrong: Paying the balance before anyone has checked the goods. Many factories also stop around Chinese New Year (next on February 6, 2027), which pushes winter orders back.
- 6
Shipping and customs in your country
We book the ship and send the documents your customs needs. The test reports and labels your country requires are checked before the goods leave the factory.
What goes wrong: Goods that arrive without the fire test, formaldehyde report or safety mark your country asks for.
- 7
Delivery to your door
The container lands at the port nearest you and the order goes by truck to your address.
What goes wrong: Signing for damaged crates without a note. Count the pieces, write any damage on the delivery receipt and take photos.
Rules and duty by category
Safety rules and duty for what you are buying
Each category page lists the safety and labeling rules by country, with the official source, and the import duty we have checked for the US and UK.
US For buyers in the United States
The US adds its own layers of duty on furniture from China
On top of the base rate, the US charges Section 301 and Section 232 duty on many furniture types from China, and antidumping duty on wooden kitchen cabinets, wooden bedroom furniture and mattresses. The rates, their sources and the steps to import it yourself are on the US pages.
Questions buyers ask first
Is there a minimum order?
It depends on the factory and the item, so we quote it per order. The customs broker, port fees and the truck to your door are charged per shipment, so a shipment for a whole room makes more sense than a single chair.
Does the import duty depend on where I live?
Yes. Each country sets its own duty by the code of the item, and some add anti-dumping duty on certain furniture from China. A wood-frame sofa from China pays 0% UK customs duty (UK Trade Tariff, checked October 18, 2026) and 50% in US duty (rates of November 9, 2026). Your quote uses the rates of your country.
Does buying in person at a furniture market change the duty?
No. Duty follows the item code and the country where it was made, not where or how you paid. A piece bought at a showroom pays the same duty as one ordered online.
What if the furniture does not meet the rules in my country?
That is why we check before ordering. Each category page lists the safety and labeling rules for the US, UK, EU, Canada and Australia that we have sourced, and we ask the factory for the reports and labels your country needs before you pay the deposit.