Yes, you can use your own freight forwarder on any China lighting order. The product price includes delivery to your designated China port — that delivery point is the handover to your forwarder. From there, your forwarder books the vessel, arranges insurance, clears customs and delivers to your warehouse. You keep your negotiated freight rates, your own customs broker and your own insurance terms. The supplier’s responsibility ends at the port gate, and the buyer’s forwarder takes over from there. This page explains the handover, the documents your forwarder will need from us, and the cases where using your own forwarder is — and is not — the better choice.
What “own forwarder” means in a Chinese lighting purchase
In a Chinese lighting purchase, “using your own forwarder” means the buyer — not the supplier — selects the party that organises the ocean or air freight, the customs entry at the destination and the last-mile delivery. The supplier’s role ends at the China port, with the cargo packed, inspected and ready to be loaded. Everything from that point onwards is the buyer’s logistics decision, not the supplier’s.
This is the default structure of a China port delivery quotation. It is not an extra service, and it does not change the product price. The product cost is the same whether you use your own forwarder, the supplier’s nominated forwarder, or a one-off freight quote you sourced yourself.
What the product price covers is the work the supplier controls: the fixture, factory quality control and pre-shipment inspection, export-grade packing, and domestic delivery to the China port you have nominated. Everything else is a separate decision, with a separate quote, on a separate invoice.
The handover at the China port
The handover at the China port
Once the container or the cartons are ready at the port, the supplier’s role is to make the cargo easy to take over. In a typical Staylighting order, the handover pack includes:
- The export packing list with carton numbers, dimensions, gross weight and net weight.
- The commercial invoice in the format your customs broker can use to file the entry.
- The bill of lading instructions — the consignee, the notify party, the port of discharge, the marks and numbers.
- Photographs of the loaded container or the palletised cartons before sealing.
- The certificate of origin and any fumigation or heat-treatment certificate if the destination requires it for the wood packaging.
- Where applicable, the factory inspection report and the pre-shipment test record.
Your forwarder takes that pack and books the vessel, issues the house bill of lading if needed, arranges the cargo insurance on the terms you have agreed and starts the customs entry at the destination. From the supplier’s side, there is no further paperwork obligation until a replacement part or a warranty claim triggers one. The two sides run in parallel for a few days and then the buyer’s side owns the timeline.
What your forwarder takes over
Once the cargo has been handed over at the China port, your forwarder is responsible for the full international leg, the destination customs and the inland delivery. The list below is the standard scope. Anything outside this list — for example a special crane at the project site, or a Saturday delivery — should be agreed in advance.
- Booking the vessel or the flight. Carrier, routing, transit time and the cut-off dates at the origin port. The forwarder chooses the sailing that fits your project schedule.
- Cargo insurance. All-risks cover, typically at 110% of the commercial invoice value, with the deductible and the special clauses you have agreed.
- Origin export formalities. Export declaration in China, terminal handling at the port, the ISPS security fee and the documentation fee.
- Ocean freight and surcharges. Base rate, BAF or fuel surcharge, peak season surcharge if applicable, and any transit or routing surcharge.
- Destination customs clearance. Filing the entry, paying the duty and tax, responding to any customs exam, and releasing the cargo.
- Destination port handling and on-carriage. Terminal handling at the destination port, de-vanning if the container needs to be broken down, and the inland delivery to your warehouse or your project site.
For fragile cargo like chandeliers, the insurance and the handling at both ends are the parts where a good forwarder earns the fee. A warehouse that has handled glass lighting before, a destination broker who is familiar with the HS codes for lighting fixtures, and an insurance policy that does not exclude breakage are all part of what you are paying for.
When using your own forwarder is the right call
There are five situations in which using your own forwarder is the better choice almost every time.
You already have a relationship with a forwarder. Negotiated rates, a known customs broker and a trusted destination warehouse are assets that are not transferable. Switching to the supplier’s nominated forwarder usually means leaving those benefits on the table.
You are consolidating multiple suppliers into one shipment. LCL consolidation only works when your forwarder collects from each supplier’s nominated port. The supplier’s nominated forwarder cannot consolidate with anyone else’s cargo.
You have a multi-leg destination route. If the final destination is a landlocked country, a remote island or a project site that needs a special crane, the routing logic is your forwarder’s job, not the supplier’s.
You have a single project manager handling all of your imports. The freight, customs and duty data all live in your project manager’s system. Adding the supplier’s nominated forwarder creates a parallel paper trail that has to be reconciled at the end.
You have strict internal compliance. Some buyers are required to use approved forwarders only, or to keep the customs broker independent of the supplier. The China port delivery model is built for that case.
When a nominated forwarder is simpler
There are three cases in which the supplier’s nominated forwarder — or a door-to-door quote from the supplier — is the simpler option, even if it is not the cheapest.
You are importing for the first time. A first shipment has many unknowns: HS code, duty rate, the destination customs broker, the warehouse near the port, the carrier routing. Letting the supplier arrange the first one gives you a real shipment to learn from, and you can switch to your own forwarder from the second order onwards.
The order is small and infrequent. A 30-carton LCL shipment does not justify building a freight relationship. The freight cost on a small order is roughly the same whether you use your own forwarder or the supplier’s, but the administrative time is much lower if the supplier’s forwarder handles it.
The destination is a country you do not currently import from. Finding a new broker, a new warehouse and a new insurance arrangement in a new country is a project. Letting the supplier’s nominated forwarder handle the first order lets you test the route before you commit to building a permanent setup.
How to brief your forwarder on a China lighting order
The most common cause of “my forwarder was slow” or “my forwarder was expensive” is a thin brief. The five items below are the minimum to put in front of your forwarder before they quote.
- The supplier’s quotation, including the China port nominated for the handover.
- The order volume and weight — in pieces, in m³ and in kg, including the packing.
- The destination port or airport, the final inland address, and the date the cargo must be on site.
- The Incoterm you are working to (most commonly FOB or FCA on a China port delivery).
- Any special handling flag: fragile, glass, high-value, insured value, and any destination import requirements you already know about (ISF for the US, ENS for the EU, fumigation for the wood packaging).
If you do not yet have a HS code or a destination duty rate, ask your forwarder to provide them. The HS code drives the duty; the duty drives the cash flow on clearance. Both are visible to a forwarder before the cargo is even loaded.
Cost and timing visibility
The product price is fixed at the time the order is confirmed. Everything from the China port onwards is variable, and that is a feature, not a bug. It means you can shop the freight leg independently, push your forwarder to sharpen their number, and decide between ocean and air on the day rather than the day you confirmed the order.
It also means you can plan the cash flow accurately. The supplier’s invoice covers the product cost and the China port delivery; your forwarder’s invoice covers the freight, the insurance, the customs duty and the last mile. The two invoices arrive at different times, and the duty is due at clearance, not at the supplier’s payment. Knowing that in advance is half the work of importing.
For a concrete example of how the product price and the freight cost appear separately, see this custom crystal chandelier for a hotel project product page. The discounted order price and the China port delivery basis are visible on the page; the freight cost is what your forwarder quotes on top. The transparent pricing page sets out the boundary in full, and the Buying Guide covers the wider order workflow. Certification documentation is arranged per order and destination market, and is independent of the freight choice.
Your forwarder will ask for the same three numbers on every line: packed volume, gross weight and handover point. The custom crystal chandelier, the starry-sky cross-frame chandelier and the three-tier alabaster drum chandelier each publish a single configuration and delivery basis, which is what makes a forwarder’s quote comparable with ours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my own freight forwarder if the product price already includes China port delivery?
Yes. The China port leg is part of the price because it is the work the supplier controls, not because it locks you into a particular carrier. Your forwarder collects at the port, books the vessel, insures the cargo, clears customs and delivers. You can also ask us for a reference freight and customs quote to compare against your own forwarder’s rate.
What does the supplier hand over to my forwarder at the China port?
The export packing list, the commercial invoice, the bill of lading instructions, the container or carton photographs, the certificate of origin, any fumigation or heat-treatment certificate, and where applicable the factory inspection report. With that pack, your forwarder can issue the house bill of lading, arrange the insurance and start the destination customs entry.
Who pays the import duty and taxes if I use my own forwarder?
You do, via your customs broker at the destination. With China port delivery and your own forwarder, the supplier does not touch the duty or tax. The two invoices — supplier and forwarder — arrive at different times, and the duty is due at clearance. Knowing that in advance is half the work of importing.
Do I lose any control by using my own forwarder?
No, you gain it. You choose the carrier, the routing, the insurance terms, the customs broker and the inland delivery. The supplier’s role is the product and the China port delivery; the forwarder’s role is everything afterwards. The two contracts are with different parties, and you can change the forwarder on the next order without changing the supplier.
Can I use my own forwarder on a sample order?
Yes. Sample orders are usually shipped by air, and the same handover structure applies. The supplier delivers the sample carton to the air cargo terminal at the origin (typically Shenzhen, Guangzhou or Hong Kong), and your forwarder books the flight, clears the entry and delivers the sample to your studio. For samples, the freight cost is small enough that the comparison between your forwarder and the supplier’s nominated forwarder is rarely worth the time.
To put a real number against the freight leg of your order, send the product list, the destination country and the order volume to our contact page. We will return a reference freight and customs quote on the same basis as the product price, so you can put it next to your own forwarder’s number and decide.