Shipping branded goods from China to the USA: the branded channel, prices and customs

What a branded channel is

Freight forwarders in China sort cargo into lines by what is in the box. Plain goods with no brand ride the general line (普货). Goods with a brand name or logo ride a separate branded line (品牌渠道), and goods with batteries or electronics inside ride a sensitive line (敏感货). The split is industry practice, not a US law: nothing in US customs rules creates a "branded channel".

The reason the split exists is that many standard express and freight lines will not carry goods with a well-known brand on them at all. A branded line is run by people who have agreed to carry those goods, book clearance capacity for them on the US side, and expect a higher share of boxes to be opened and checked. That extra handling and risk is what the higher per-kg rate pays for.

For you, the practical difference is small. You tell us the goods carry a brand when you ask for a price, the offer comes back on the branded rate, and the shipment moves the same way any other does: your suppliers send to our warehouse in China, we weigh it, you pay, and it travels to your door with US customs and duty handled.

Branded vs plain goods: what the difference costs

These are our own prices for air, door to door, to a US home address, from the same engine that prices every quote (2026-10-30). The branded column is what the same weight costs when the goods carry a brand.

Two things move the number more than the brand does. The first is weight: the per-kg price falls as the shipment grows, so one 10 kg carton costs less per kg than two 5 kg parcels sent a week apart. The second is box size: air is billed on the larger of actual weight and volumetric weight, so a pair of sneakers in its retail box can bill at more than it weighs. Shipping shoes without the outer retail box, where your buyers accept that, is often the cheapest saving available.

Keep branded and plain goods in separate cartons when one order mixes both. Only the branded carton then pays the branded rate.

Is it legal to import branded goods into the USA?

Importing genuine branded goods for resale is legal, and there is no brand certificate you must file at entry. US trademark import rules (19 CFR Part 133) restrict three kinds of goods instead:

• Counterfeits: goods with a mark identical to, or substantially indistinguishable from, a registered trademark. These are seized and forfeited.
• Copying or simulating marks: a logo close enough to a recorded mark that buyers would connect the two. These are denied entry.
• Restricted gray market goods: genuine goods with a mark recorded by a US owner, brought in without that owner's authorization, in the cases the rules list. These can be detained even though they are real.

A brand can record its trademark with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and recorded marks are what officers check against. You can look a brand up in CBP's public database, IPRS, at iprs.cbp.gov, before you buy stock. A recorded mark does not stop you importing genuine goods; it tells you that brand is actively watched at the border, so your paperwork matters more.

Since May 2025 there has been no duty-free $800 exemption for parcels from China. A CBP rule keeps it suspended, and a 2025 law repeals it from July 1, 2027. Every parcel is entered and its duty is paid. On our door-to-door service that entry and duty are part of the price you see.

What customs can ask for, and how long you get

Most branded shipments clear without anyone asking for anything. When CBP does stop one, the timeline is set out in the regulations, and it is short:

• If CBP suspects a mark is counterfeit, it notifies the importer in writing within 5 business days of deciding to detain the goods.
• The importer then has 7 business days to show the mark is genuine. Without an answer, CBP may share photos and samples with the brand owner.
• A detention runs up to 30 days. For gray market questions CBP can extend it for good cause while the importer shows an exception applies, such as the brand owner's consent.

Seven business days is not long enough to start collecting proof. The importer who answers in time is the one who already has it in a folder. Keep these for every branded shipment:

• The supplier's commercial invoice, with the real product description, quantity and price paid. See our commercial invoice guide.
• Proof of where the goods came from: the brand's own store or factory outlet order, or an authorized distributor's invoice, and the payment record.
• Any authorization or distribution letter you hold. It is not required at entry, but it is the strongest answer to a detention notice.
• Product photos showing the marks, labels and packaging as shipped.

US rules require entry records to be kept for 5 years, so this folder is not just for the first month. Describe the goods specifically on the invoice: sneakers as sneakers with the brand named, not "shoes" or "gifts". Vague descriptions on branded goods invite questions rather than avoiding them, and an undervalued invoice exposes the importer to penalties under 19 USC 1592.

Duty on branded goods

There is no extra duty for a brand. US duty follows the product's tariff classification (its HTS code) and its customs value. Branding can raise the value, because a royalty or license fee the buyer must pay as a condition of the sale is part of the customs value, but the rate itself is the same for a branded and an unbranded version of the same product.

Goods from China now carry up to three layers: the normal duty rate, a Section 301 rate that depends on which list the HTS line is on, and a 12.5% Section 301 rate on products of China that applies from July 24, 2026, with listed exemptions. Approximate totals for common branded categories, before any exemption:

Exact rates depend on the precise HTS line and on exemptions that change, so treat the table as a guide to the order of magnitude, not a ruling. On our air door-to-door service the duty is already inside the price in the table above; you do not pay it again at delivery. Footwear and bags carry some of the highest rates, which is one more reason a duty-included price is easier to plan around than a freight-only one.

How to send a branded shipment with us

• Ask for a price and say the goods carry a brand. The instant offer on our home page prices branded goods on the spot, on the branded rate.
• Give your suppliers our warehouse address and carton mark, which we send when you book. Ask them to keep branded and plain goods in separate cartons.
• We weigh the goods in China and invoice the final price. Nothing is payable before the weigh-in.
• After payment the shipment leaves, and you get a tracking link that follows it to your door.
• Keep the invoice and proof-of-source folder described above for 5 years.

Your own private-label logo is not a brand in this sense. Bags or apparel printed with your own logo ride the general rate, as long as the logo does not copy or resemble a well-known mark. Product pages with category prices: bags, shoes and sneakers, clothes, jewelry, watches and sunglasses and electronics. Selling on live-stream marketplaces? The Whatnot shipping guide covers trading cards and collectibles.