shipping from China to the Netherlands

Before you’re ready to export goods from China to the Netherlands, it’s important to factor in the following:

Both countries’ customs regulations
Each country’s Import and export policies and restrictions
Shipping documents
Suitable modes of transportation for the goods being shipped
The appropriate shipping routes used by the chosen mode of transportation

Finding a China-based carrier with good rates and that can effectively handle your shipping project will ensure your needs are met, both with regards to maximizing your company’s profit and maintaining the integrity of your inventory.

How to Get Started for shipping from China to Netherlands:

Handling international shipments is a complicated process. It involves coordinating not only the actual shipments, but getting the items through Chinese and Netherlands customs while making sure your company follows all regulations and doesn’t violate any restrictions. This takes background knowledge, experience, and the ability to stay informed about changes in the industry. That’s why choosing the right freight forwarder for your company is essential.

Even though you won’t be handling this process yourself, it’s important to know a little about how the process works so you can work through logistics and potential pitfalls with your forwarder.

Step 1: Check trade laws in China and the Netherlands

Make sure you’re aware of current regulations and restrictions when exporting from China and importing to the Netherlands. Both countries have different policies which can change often, so it’s important to stay informed. This is also the time in the process to find out what documents you’ll need to have ready for your goods to pass smoothly through customs.

Step 2: Decide what to import

You probably already have an idea of what merchandise your company is well-equipped to offer. From a business standpoint, it’s vital to make sure there will be a demand for your products in the Netherlands. Check what items currently sell well there. Research levels of demand for products so you know how much you should import and roughly how much it will cost you to produce, market, and deliver those goods to your customers. This is a business venture, after all – you want to make sure at the end of the day, you’re still able to turn a profit after factoring in expenses.

The Netherlands already imports a variety of goods from around the world. Reviewing their current top imports is a great starting place when determining what your company can offer.

Top Netherlands Imports:

Petroleum gas

Coal briquettes

Raw aluminum

Broadcasting equipment

Computers

Packaged medicaments

Office machine parts and components

Cars

Knowing what already has an existing market and demand in the Netherlands can give you a good idea of what you might be suited to provide for your prospective customers.

If you’re unsure where to start, check Alibaba.com. Alibaba is a Chinese business-to-business website that helps companies find merchandise to sell in other countries. Here’s just a handful of the types of items you can find on Alibaba.com to import to the Netherlands:

Men’s clothing

All-terrain vehicles (ATVs)

Cell phone cases

Professional gaming headsets

Baby food

Prepackaged snack foods

Leather

Jewelry

Scarves and shawls

Wristwatches

Bus parts and accessories

Luggage and travel bags

Self-defense supplies

CCTV cameras

Water treatment supplies and appliances

Cables for electronics

Batteries

Musical instruments

Souvenirs

Fireproofing materials

Now is also the time to determine whether any items you’re considering importing are prohibited or restricted by the Dutch government. If they are, delve into the current regulations that apply to those specific items. The last thing you want is to realize your cargo isn’t allowed into the country and you have to figure out what to do with a container-load of inventory.

Examples of prohibited or restricted items for import into the Netherlands:

Animals, birds, and other livestock

Animal carcasses or products

Specified agricultural products (check current restrictions for more information)

Counterfeit coins, banknotes, passports, etc.

Child pornography

Animal embryos

Explosives

Counterfeit or pirated goods

Various types of laser pointers and items containing lasers

Fish

Items that infringe on a trademark or copyright

Ozone-depleting substances

Unregistered pharmaceutical products

Soil

Tasers and other items that can paralyze or hurt people using electrical shocks

Waste products

Weapons

All products that contain dimethyl fumarate (DMF)

Tobacco products

Seeds

Thea leaf originated from China

Keep in mind that this list isn’t exhaustive and can change often, so check current regulations every time you decide to ship a new type of item to the Netherlands.

Step 3: Find a supplier

After you’ve decided what you want to offer your customers, an internet search can put you in touch with Chinese suppliers looking to sell just that. By developing a mutually-beneficial relationship with your suppliers, you can provide quality goods for your customers while creating beneficial business for yourself and your supplier.

Where can I find China Suppliers?

As we know, a good supplier is equal to a good client, so it is very important to find the right China supplier before we do business. Here are some methods for your search for the right suppliers from China as your business partners.

Famous business to business website from China is a good place for you to choose suppliers.
Famous business to clients website from China is the second place for you to choose China suppliers.
Visiting different kinds Chinese business fairs is a good method for getting in contact with suppliers directly.
Your freight forwarder can help recommend good suppliers for you, as they are Chinese. As a high-quality freight forwarder, they should have many different cooperating suppliers already.

For example, if you choose XCJD as your freight forwarder, we can help you as much as we can to get high quality china manufactures.

A Chinese sourcing company can help you to buy any goods directly from the suppliers if you don’t want to look for suppliers yourself. There are so many Chinese sourcing companies that do this job very well. It may be a better choice than buying directly from China. Click here to check the top 50 China Sourcing company.
You can search for suppliers directly on Google. You’ll find a wide variety of reliable Chinese suppliers for you to choose from.

If you find yourself struggling with price negotiations with your new-found supplier, contact us. We can talk you through the process and help you get the best price for your merchandise. It’s just one more way XCJD Logistics is here for you from beginning to end.

Step 4: Estimate your tax liability of importing goods from China to Netherlands

Dutch customs will apply a 21% value-added tax based on the value of your merchandise. You may also need to pay customs and excise duties.

Other taxes and fees may apply depending on the type of items you’re shipping. It’s vital to stay well-informed about current Chinese and Dutch trade regulations so you know ahead of time what fees and taxes you should expect to pay. This will prevent unhappy and expensive surprises down the road. It will also help prevent you from running into unforeseen problems at Dutch customs.

If you want to import from China but are unable to pay taxes, XCJD Logistics can help you solve this problem. Our door-to-door shipping services include customs clearance and taxes in our price quotes. And no matter what shipping method you choose, we can help you navigate tax information.

Step 5: Define your shipment’s Incoterms

If you’ve never shipped anything internationally before, you might not be familiar with the term “Incoterm.” Incoterms are internationally-recognized rules and terms that distribute responsibilities and liabilities between buyers and sellers when importing and exporting goods. They address who’s responsible for making payments on and monitoring shipments, obtaining insurance, preparing shipping and customs documents, and other shipping-related tasks. They’re industry-standard, so they’re important to be familiar with. Make sure you familiarize yourself with these and define your shipping’s Incoterms before moving forward.

Step 6: Hire a freight forwarder

As you can see, shipping items across the world is a complicated process that can get messy if you don’t know what you’re doing. That’s why it’s so important to hire a reliable and experienced freight forwarder. A good freight forwarder will handle the transportation of your inventory from the time it leaves your factory until it arrives at its final destination. This is the service XCJD Global Logistics has years of experience handling. Don’t hesitate; reach out today so we can get to work helping with your shipment.

Not sure where to start?

If you want to start doing business but still don’t know where to start, send us an inquiry. We can teach you the step-by-step process and help you source products. We’re so confident you’ll love our service, we want to start working with you before you’re even ready to start shipping inventory.

Shipping Methods from China to the Netherlands:

We can provide cost estimates and explain the pros and cons of each shipping method in your specific situation. However, it’s best to have some background knowledge of these methods beforehand as well.

The main options are express shipping by courier service, airfreight, train railway freight, and sea freight. In this section, we’ll provide a quick overview of how each method works as well as their respective strengths and weaknesses.

Express Shipping From China to the Netherlands:

This is the fastest option to ship goods to the Netherlands. With Express shipping, your merchandise can reach its destination in 2-3 business days, or 3-6 calendar days. With Express shipping courier services see your packages from door-to-door – that is, from your supplier factory to the items’ end destination.

A variety of well-known carriers offer these services, such as UPS, TNT, FedEx, and EMS. They all have good reputations for reliability, so you can rest easy knowing your items are quickly making their way to their destination. These carriers use a variety of methods (airfreight, sea freight, and train railway freight, which we’ll go into in greater depth later) to provide a hands-off, worry-free service. They can pick up your inventory at your door (or factory) and see it all the way to a designated address, whether that be the warehouse in the Netherlands or directly to your Dutch customers.

Door-to-door express shipping handles items of all sizes and weights. Light items are generally air-freighted for speed and heavy items are sea-freighted, which involves a longer ship time. But since they come directly to your door, they are the most convenient option.

Upsides to express shipping: A fast, worry-free experience for you

Downsides to express shipping: More expensive than alternatives

Airfreight From China to the Netherlands:

The biggest advantage of airfreight is its speed. Items leaving China can arrive in the Netherlands within 8 days. This is optimal for high-value items since they spend less time in transit. However, there are a few trade-offs for that speed.

Airfreight is generally more expensive than rail or sea. It’s also better for small items because airlines have weight and volume restrictions. Airfreight also uses more fuel than alternatives, so if carbon footprint is a concern for you and your company ethic, you’ll want to opt for sea or rail freight.

Keep in mind that airfreight normally only involves delivering goods to an airport in the Netherlands, not to the inventory’s ultimate destination. Additional transportation accommodations must be made to get your shipment to its final destination. The exception, of course, is if you’ve arranged for door-to-door transportation. As discussed above, door-to-door delivery allows arrangements to be made to transport the goods from the airport to their end destination, as well as clearance through Dutch customs.

Airfreight is split into two categories: general cargo and special cargo. As the name suggests, most items are considered general cargo.

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Examples of general cargo:

Electronics

Jewelry

Pharmaceuticals

Personal accessories like watches, purses, etc.

Special cargo is subject to different regulations than general cargo, which can involve additional inspections.

Examples of special cargo:

Live animals

Dangerous items, like certain chemicals

Items that need to be temperature-controlled, such as seafood

Remember, some airlines have restrictions that prevent them from handling special cargo. When obtaining an estimate, make sure you mention any items that might fit into this category. The type of items you’re shipping can impact what airlines (and which airport destinations) your items can travel through. This, in turn, can affect the price you end up paying.

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Top International Freight Airlines from China to the Netherlands:

Federal Express

UPS

British Airways

China Airlines

Asiana Airlines

All Nippon Airways

Top Chinese airports for exports to the Netherlands:

Beijing Capital International Airport

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport

Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Xi’an Xianyang International Airport

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport

Kunming Changshui International Airport

Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport
Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport

Dutch international airports for imports:

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Eindhoven Airport

Groningen Eelde Airport

Maastricht Aachen Airport

Rotterdam The Hague Airport

Upsides to airfreight: Fast

Downsides to airfreight: Expensive, high carbon footprint, constraints on what type of items can be shipped via air

Train Railway Freight From China to the Netherlands:

Train railway freight is the happy medium between sea freight and airfreight. Generally, railway freight is about half the price of airfreight, but about 40% faster than sea freight, mitigating the main drawbacks of both. Using a method quicker than sea freight allows you to keep less inventory on hand in the Netherlands, since you can ship smaller batches more frequently. This also allows you to tailor your inventory to your clients’ changing needs by making smaller, quicker, more frequent shipments.

This method is versatile; it can ship pallets, cartons, crates, controlled-temperature items, frozen and fresh food, pharmaceuticals, and other items that require special care and handling. Railway freight can also handle a large variety of products, both small and large.

However, there are limitations to railway freight. High-value and dangerous items can’t be shipped by railway freight, so you’ll need to look into other options if those terms apply to your merchandise.

Train railway freight is split into two types: Full Container Load (FCL) and Less-than-Container Load (LCL).

Full Container Load (FCL): These are shipments where all the items in a container are owned by a single company. This is a good option when you’re shipping enough volume that you can fill an entire container by yourself. This is suitable for bulk items and large-volume products. It’s the most cost-effective option of all, provided you’re filling the entire container.

Less-than-Container Load (LCL): Multiple shippers’ items are packed together into a single container. This is the way to go when you’re shipping in quantities too small to fill an entire container. This allows for smaller, more adaptable inventory.

You may be wondering why anyone would choose LCL if FCL is the cheaper option. With FCL, you pay for the entire container. If your shipment is too small to fill the container, it can be more cost-effective to opt for LCL, where you’re only paying for the space your items take up.

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Railway train freight from China to the Netherlands

We can arrange railway train freight from China to the Netherlands, if you need us to pay the taxes, and help to do the import taxes, then we will have train freight shipping method including taxes and customs clearance for your reference. You need only wait for the cartons to arrive from your China suppliers after you pay the shipping cost. All the steps of handling shipping from China to the Netherlands we will help to do for you. If you want to use your own tax account for railway shipping, we can work with you using that method as well.

Items that can’t be shipped by railway freight:

Electronics (tablets, cell phones)

Liquids

Powders

Knives

Weapons

Other hazardous items

Main railway freight routes that run from China to Europe:

Wuhan-Europe

Chongqing-Europe

Suzhou-Europe

Zhengzhou-Europe

Yiwu-Madrid

Upsides to train railway freight: Faster than sea freight and less expensive than air freight, making it a great middle-ground between the two. Train railway can handle a wide variety of items, both in terms of item type and in size and weight. The FCL and LCL system allows you to choose the option that works best for you.

Downsides to train railway freight: Because some railways end in Germany, additional arrangements may need to be made to transport the items from Germany to their final destination in the Netherlands. There are also limitations regarding what items can be shipped via train railway. Also, since it’s a middle-ground between the speed of airfreight and the low cost of sea freight, if speed or low cost are your highest priority, it’s unlikely railway freight will be the best choice for you.

Sea Freight from China to the Netherlands:

Sea freight is the most common method of shipping items from China to the Netherlands, mainly because of its versatility and reliability. While rail and airfreight have constraints on what items they can carry, practically everything can be shipped by sea, including very large and heavy items (like cars). The main downside to sea freight is its timeline. While other shipping methods deliver cargo in a matter of days, sea freight takes weeks. Items usually take between 20 and 50 days to reach their destination, depending on the type of freight and the specific ports of departure and arrival.

Sea freight operates under the same FCL and LCL container system as train railway freight. Consider container sizes when choosing shipment sizes and when obtaining a price estimate, since prices for FCL and LCL are different.

Top Chinese seaports for exports to the Netherlands:

Shanghai

Shenzhen

Ningbo-Zhoushan

Guangzhou

Qingdao

Tianjing

Main Dutch seaports:

Rotterdam

Amsterdam

Zeeland

Groningen

Upsides to sea freight: Inexpensive, lower carbon footprint than airfreight, can handle all items, FCL and LCL system lets you adapt to your business’s needs

Downsides to sea freight: Slow

Comparing Shipping Methods at a Glance:

Shipping Cost from China to the Netherlands:

Express	High
Airfreight	High
Rail freight	Medium
Sea freight	Low

Shipping costs change frequently due to factors such as:

Capacity

Demand

Fuel prices

The state of China and the Netherlands’ economies

Seasonality

Busy times for Chinese exports are January (Chinese New Year) and the third quarter of the year (July-September). The latter is due to increased demand in anticipation of end-of-the-year holidays.

Keep in mind that quotes for FCL shipping are usually stable for up to 2 weeks, while LCL rates last up to a month. This is why it’s so important to 1) obtain a quote specific to each shipment, and 2) act quickly to place your shipment order after receiving a quote.

Shipping Time from China to the Netherlands:

Express	2-3 business days, or 3-6 calendar days
Airfreight	8 days
Rail freight	28-35 days
Sea freight	20-50 days

How do I know what method is right for me?

This is just a summary to give you an idea of shipment methods. The only way to know what shipping method is the best choice for your specific needs, at the specific time of shipment, is to contact an experienced freight forwarder who can listen to your situation, provide cost estimates, and recommend the option that best fits your needs.

At this point, it’s clear that this process is complicated and involves a lot of factors. That’s why it’s so important to get a quote that’s specific to you.

XCJD Global Logistics has over 10 years of experience handling international shipment logistics, which means we have the know-how and ability to make sure each shipment reaches its destination safely and without complications. If you’re looking for a freight forwarder to coordinate your shipments from China to the Netherlands, contact us for a free quote today.

Documents to prepare when shipping from China to the Netherlands

Single Administrative Document. This is the declaration document that you write to customs.
Bill of lading, also known as an air waybill, sea waybill, or courier waybill. This is required for every shipment and serves as a contract between you and the carrier.
Entry summary declaration
Certificates of Origin
CMR
Packing list
CIM consignment note
Certificate of shipment
Invoice

Not all of these are necessary in every case, and document requirements vary based on the shipping method. Staying well-informed about current regulations and consulting with your freight forwarder will help ensure you always have the proper documentation prepared for your shipment.

If you’re not sure what documents you need or feel lost when preparing your documents, contact us. We offer help preparing commercial invoices as well as import and export customs clearances for each shipment.