Importing from China for Etsy and eBay sellers
A $300 order of craft supplies only works if it lands at a predictable cost. We quote one all-in price with duties and customs inside, sized for exactly the small restocking orders big forwarders will not pick up the phone for.
5 kg $111.8920 kg $422.69 by air, duty included, 6 to 12 working days
Sea from about 10 kg: $5 to $6 per kg with duty included, 28 to 32 days, confirmed for your product before you book.
Air prices up to 22 kg include the carriers' Black Friday peak surcharge (about 13 to 26%) until the peak ends.
Your supplier sends the cartons to our China warehouse. Nothing is due until they are weighed.
We know what a small-lot import needs
No lot too small
From 100 g up, a 5 kg box of fabric or beads is a normal shipment here: $111.89 door to door by air, quoted on screen in seconds.
Margins survive the duty line
Duty depends on the category: the normal rate for the HTS code plus Section 301 where the code is listed, and apparel is among the most expensive categories. We put your category's real rate into the quote before you order, so the margin math happens before the money leaves, not after.
One price, not five invoices
Freight, US clearance, broker fees, duties, and door delivery in one DDP number. The $200 shipment that arrives with a $150 broker bill is the exact failure mode this service was built against.
Paperwork handled like it matters
Commercial invoice and packing list reviewed before anything moves, honest declared values (under-declaring is fraud and we will say so), and the HS code confirmed so your goods do not sit at the border.
How a small-lot import works with us
Tell us about the lot
What it is, rough weight, supplier city, your zip. The instant offer shows the all-in price immediately.
We check your category's duty rate
Craft supplies, ceramics, apparel, and jewelry all carry different rates. Yours goes into the quote at the real number.
You approve one number
You approve the quote and nothing is due then. Your cartons are weighed and measured at our China warehouse, then we send a real invoice from a registered US business, paid by ACH. If the measured weight is within 5% of the quote, the quoted price stands. No blind wire, no deposits.
The box shows up, that's it
Delivered to your door with duties and clearance already settled. Restock listed, margin intact.
What Etsy and eBay sellers should know before ordering
Duty rates differ sharply across the categories small shops import. Craft supplies, ceramics, home decor, books and paper goods, and apparel sit in different HTS chapters with different normal rates, and Section 301 applies on top where the code is listed (see the US import rules timeline). Books, prints, and paper goods are often the cheapest to import; apparel is usually the expensive surprise. We look up your product's 10-digit HTS code at the quote stage so the rate in your price is the real one.
For order sizes typical on Etsy and eBay, air door to door is usually the only method that makes sense: up to about 20 kg, 6 to 12 working days, $21 to $22 per kg with customs and duty inside the price. Air consolidation starts paying off from about 35 kg, and sea becomes cost-effective from about 10 kg, volume most individual shops rarely reach. Add your supplier's production time on top when planning around a busy season.
Two paperwork rules protect your margin. First, declare the real transaction value: CBP cross-references declared values against market prices, and a caught under-declaration can mean seized goods and penalties for you as importer of record. Second, make sure your supplier can produce a proper commercial invoice and packing list before you place the first order; a supplier who cannot will cost you more in customs delays than the goods are worth.
What it costs
Typical prices from our pricing engine for Etsy and eBay restocks; most orders under 30 kg ride air express.
Air, door to door
$21 to $22 / kg, duty included
6 to 12 working days
Samples and restocks up to about 20 kg (20 kg is $422.69 all-in)
Air consolidation
$4 to $14 / kg, plus import duty
10 to 14 days
35 to 500 kg; the more weight, the lower the rate per kg
Sea, door to door
about $5 to $6 / kg, duty included
28 to 32 days
Heavier, non-urgent restocks from about 10 kg; indicative until we confirm
Plain Freight is a small US company with a real, reachable founder. Offers are instant on screen, and when your shipment needs a judgment call, a person makes it. Who we are ›
Common questions
Is a 3 to 5 kg order of craft supplies worth shipping properly?
Yes, and it is our normal order size. A 5 kg lot of craft supplies is $111.89 door to door ($22.38 per kg) with customs and duties already handled. What is not worth it is shipping it informally and eating a surprise broker bill.
How much duty will my products pay?
It depends on the category and the HTS code: the normal rate plus Section 301 where the code is listed. We confirm your product's HTS code and put the real rate into the quote before you commit to the supplier order.
My supplier offered to declare a lower value. Should I accept?
No. Under-declaring is customs fraud; CBP cross-checks declared values against market prices, and a caught misdeclaration can mean seized goods and penalties for you as the importer of record. We only ship honestly declared values, and our pricing works with the real number.
How long does a restock take?
Door to door air is 6 to 12 working days from the day your shipment leaves our China warehouse, air consolidation 10 to 14 days. Add your supplier's production time and the courier leg to our warehouse when planning around a shop's busy season.
Do I need to find a customs broker myself?
No. Since the de-minimis exemption ended, every commercial import from China needs a formal customs entry, and our all-in price includes a licensed US broker handling yours. One quote, one contact, one delivery.