Export & logistics.

Shipping is the stage where a well-run production project turns into an expensive lesson. Almost every problem here is a documentation or terms problem, and almost all of them can be settled before the order is placed.

Shipping terms

FOB Guangzhou — we deliver to your forwarder at the airport or port. Standard for buyers with their own logistics arrangements and for larger volumes.

CIF — we arrange and pay freight and insurance to your named port. Simple for a first order, but the insurance cover is usually minimum, and you inherit our forwarder's schedule.

DDP (delivered duty paid) — we handle freight, customs clearance and duties to your door. Increasingly the default for smaller brands, because it removes the risk of a surprise duty bill and a held shipment. Note that DDP requires an accurate HS code and declared value, and the buyer should be satisfied that the valuation reflects the transaction.

Door-to-door express — for sample shipments and small orders, typically 3–7 days to North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia, and 2–4 days within Asia.

Documentation

Standard set for most shipments:

• Commercial invoice and packing list
• Certificate of origin where the destination requires it
• Material declaration (mill certificate) for the steel lot, on request
• Third-party test reports where testing was commissioned for the order

We do not hold standing compliance certificates. Where a test report is needed, it is produced by an accredited laboratory for the specific order — either one we work with or one your retailer nominates — and is quoted separately rather than described as something we already have on file.

For the EU, the responsible economic operator's details must appear on the product or its packaging under GPSR (Regulation (EU) 2023/988). Confirm at the brief stage who that operator will be — your EU importer, or a fulfilment partner. We can print the label from artwork you supply; the operator's identity is a decision for you and your importer, not for the factory.

Duties and what to expect

Stainless steel jewelry is classified under HS heading 7117 (imitation jewelry) when it contains no precious metal. US tariff treatment of Chinese-origin goods has changed repeatedly in recent years, and rates applicable to a given shipment should be verified at the time of ordering rather than assumed from a previous order. We will state the HS code we use and the declared value, and we will not under-declare — the short-term saving is not worth a customs seizure.

EU import duty on 7117 goods is typically modest, with VAT applied at the destination rate.

Consolidation and timing

If your order includes multiple styles, we ship as one consolidated lot unless you ask otherwise. Splitting shipments adds cost and documentation for no benefit at first-order volumes. Production timing, not shipping, is usually the constraint — build the shipping window into your launch plan after the sample is approved, not before.