Why I write this essay?
Our company has been engaged in producing and exporting for more than 30 years. The rich experience helped many customers to solve their problem about importing from China.
However, there are new importers who need guidance on import fittings and flanges from China, some of our customers even been scammed by some trading companies.
If you are thinking about importing and selling your products to your place, read this guide to learn more about choose suppliers, import taxes, product regulations, labeling requirements, licenses and permits, and shipping.
1. Know your local market, and confirm your customer groups
In different months, different seasons, market demands, material price and importing cost all can affect the price trends. According to the price trends, you can make your purchase plan in advance.
Generally, if you are a trading company or project company, when your customers need your help to import, confirm all the demands and convey to your supplier accurately.
If you are a distributor, a wholesaler, count your goods in stock and make a purchase list according to the market demands.
2. Importing rights
More and more people are attributed by the excellent quality and reasonable price of Made In China. Importing from China has proven a successful tactic of global sourcing for many businesses. This presents a fantastic opportunity to you as a buyer and re-seller. However, it is not an easy task, especially for the newbies. The importing process can be extremely complex, confusing, and costly. Expected gains can often be erased by long transit times, rising or fluctuating delivery costs, regulatory fees, and unexpected delays. The first element of import is get the importing rights. Go to your government department, submit application documents as required, and wait for the authority.
3. Import Taxes
There are two important parts, customs duty and value-added Tax, according to the HS code, you can get the true rate.
HS code of steel pipe fittings: 73079300
HS code of steel flanges: 73079100
HS code steel pipe: 7304900
Another point is, you need to confirm whether your country has anti-dumping policy on steel pipe fittings and flanges.
4. Find Suppliers
No matter via agents or by yourself, you have two directions to choose your suppliers, one if factories, one is trading companies. Some factories can supply you good price, and some trading companies are good at service.
JS FITTINGS, for example, is a 38-year factories with 12-year exporting experience. Compared with a ordinary factory, we are professional on the issues of exporting to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Poland, Spanish, Romania, France, Middle East, South-east Asia, Turkey, Australia, Africa. Professional pre-sale service, and after-sale service can help you to solve many problems.
Compared with most trading companies, JS FITTINGS are familiar with the production process and technology, can supply you suitable solutions when you make decisions. Also, the price is much better.
5. Collect the quotations and compare the price
Before you ask the suppliers to give you the price list, it’s better for you to have a purchase list, although it’s an old one. The more detailed the inquiry, the more accurate the quotation. For example, you are from Russia, your order may be like this:
| No. | Item | Type | Material | Standard | Size | Thickness/Pressure | Surface Treatment | Quantity/ piece |
| 1 | 90 degree elbow | LR | Steel 20# | GOST17375 | 219 | 8 mm | No treatment | 100 |
| 2 | Pipe reducer | Concentric | Steel 20# | GOST17378 | 219 | 8mm | No treatment | 100 |
| 3 | Flange | WN, RF | Steel 20# | GOST33259-2015 | DN150 | PN16 | Anti-rust oil | 500 |
If you are from Saudi Arabia, your order may be like the bellow:
| No. | Item | Type | Material | Standard | Size | Thickness/Pressure | Surface Treatment | Quantity/ piece |
| 1 | 90 degree elbow | LR | A234wpb | ASME B16.9 | DN300 | Sch40 | Black painted | 100 |
| 2 | Pipe reducer | Concentric | A234wpb | ASME B16.9 | DN300 | STD | Black painted | 100 |
| 3 | Flange | WN, RF | ASTM A105 | ASME B16.5 | DN150 | Class150 | Anti-rust oil | 500 |
If you have special demands on the package, it’s better to tell the supplier earlier, or the price will change.
When Suppliers send you the quotation list, you are no in hurry to reply whether the price is high or low, compare the price and their service one by one.
Price is important for every importer, however, you wouldn’t ignore the service.
It includes the 1) production time, 2) payment terms, 3) package,4) customized service 5) whether they can book stand-on vessel (stand-on vessel are faster than a give-way vessel, and can shorter 7-20 days than transship ), 6) warranty time, 7) how long the supplier can reply you after you ask a question, 8) are you satisfied with the answer, etc.
For Example, if you send an inquiry of ASTM A234WPB butt weld fittings to JS FITTINGS, no matter via email: admin@chinajsgj.com, steel@chinajsgj.com, admin@jsfittings.com, enqiry@jsfittings.com, via Whats App: +8618332471207, via WeChat: JSFITTINGSCHINA, or via social media, you will receive our reply within 2 hours and get our quotation list within 24 hours(according to the time difference). JS FITTINGS can deliver 1 container within 15-25 days, and more 10 days deliver one more container (even in purchasing seasons, the production time of 2 containers won’t more than 45 days). The stand-on vessel is the first solution, if don’t have a stand-on vessel, we will choose the fastest delivery way. Time is money, help customers to save money and solve problems is our base service.
6. Choose the best transportation solution
If you really have a purchase plan, but it’s your first time to import, ask the suppliers to give you a CIF offer can be better. Your order will be shipped to your nearest seaport or airport. How to count your total cost or your unit selling price?
Total cost = CIF price + local charge + customs duty and value-added Tax + domestic freight charge + other additional freight.
Unite selling price = [(local charge + customs duty and value-added Tax + domestic freight charge + other additional freight) x (1+Sales margins)] / total weight + CIF unite price
Can’t understand? Contact me now, I’m always online.
7. How to reduce your cost?
- After importing from China for several times, you can negotiate with your supplier, show them your annual purchase plan and past purchase records, sign an annual contract of a lower price.
- Find a forward to help you arrange the delivery, change CIF price to FOB price, some times it can help you to save money, but not always. If your supplier’s forwarder service you better, no need to change. Compare the price and try one time, you will know how to choose.
- Make your purchase plan according to the max weight and volume of a container. For example, A 20-foot container’s unloaded weight is 2,300 kg and can, in theory, be loaded to a maximum weight of 28 tons (25,400kg). However, this would depend in large part on possible restrictions and/or limitations of the shipping line, the nature of the cargo and specific details of the shipment. If you are not sure about the real limits, just contact us.
8. How to make the final decision, when the price lists are uneven?
When you send inquires to different companies, you may find the price are not similar, so make a right decision is important. There are two ways for your options.
Get a sample to test in your local lab. JS FITTINGS supply free sample for customers, you only need to pay for the courier cost. If you are urgent, don’t have enough time to wait, an online meeting and online inspection can save much time.
Find a international inspection third party to inspect their factories or companies.
Search their export data via customs
Visit your supplier before place the order
Confirm the certifications of your supplier, JS FITTINGS has approved by ISO 9001, GOST-R, TUV, CE, SGS, our factory and company credit information documents can be download on Alibaba: https://hbjs.en.alibaba.com/company_profile.html?spm=a2700.icbuShop.88.46.65c33a48Zm43vZ
9. Testing
For some projects of oil, natural gas, petroleum and mineral, end users are cautious on the performance of the fittings and flanges, so, the third-party testing is necessary. JS FITTINGS has supplied the Ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle inspection, Charpy impact test, Tensile testing, and pressure test for our customers.
10. Payment
When all details are confirmed, you can send the PO to your supplier, or wait for the PI/contract from your supplier. According to the PI/contract, you can pay the prepayment through your local bank which can do the International transfer business. Here, I supplied some payment terms for your reference.
30%T/T in advance, the balance paid before loading
30%T/T in advance, the balance 70% against copy of B/L
100% T/T in advance
30% T/T in advance, the balance 70% with irrevocable letter of credit before loading
100% sight L/C
11. Waiting for the production
The service during production is also a good point to judge whether your supplier is good or not. In JS FITTINGS, after the prepayment arrived, our financial department will inform the sales manager in the first time, sales manager has made the production list and marking list in advance, he/she sent the lists to documents department and note each special technological point. Then the lists be sent to the production department, the factory manager will check whether all elements are correct, no problem will arrange the material and wait for production. According to the payment arriving time, orders will be produced one by one. Flanges for example, customers will receive our pictures and videos when the material arrive, start forging, drilling, marking, painting and package.According to your contract, you can arrange the balance payment, finally.
12. Customs Documents
Suppliers will send you customs documents for customs clearance, except these, certificate of origin will help you on reducing tax.
Form A: click here to get the rules of Form A
From E: Export to ASEAN countries including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam can issue a certificate of origin FORME for related products.
Form F: CHILE free trade area preferential CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN OF the People’s Republic OF CHINA referred to as “the FORM F, all known as CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN FORM F FOR CHINA – CHILE FTA. CHILE importer of importing from CHINA, with this card, can enjoy preferential duty treatment.
Form M: for South Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh.
Form P: For Pakistan
Hold all the customs clearance documents carefully, when your goods arrive in, do the clearance with your agents.
