How to Import Private Label Products from China to the USA: Customs, Duties, and Shipping

What are the steps to import products from China to the USA?

Importing a private label product follows a predictable sequence. Knowing it in advance lets you plan costs and timing before you pay your supplier. The steps below assume ocean freight, which is the most common choice for private label inventory.

1. Confirm your product and its classification. Identify the tariff code and any agency requirements.
2. Set up as the importer of record. Obtain an importer number and a customs bond.
3. Agree delivery terms with the supplier. Choose the Incoterm that defines who pays for what.
4. Hire a freight forwarder and customs broker. They book transport and prepare filings.
5. File the Importer Security Filing. This is due before the cargo is loaded.
6. Ship and track the cargo. The supplier delivers goods to the port and the carrier moves them.
7. Clear customs. Your broker files the entry, duties are paid and cargo is released.
8. Deliver to Amazon or your warehouse. A trucker collects the container and delivers it to the destination.

These steps follow the supplier selection process in our private label sourcing guide. Verify your supplier first using our supplier verification checklist, because customs filings rely on accurate supplier information.

What do you need to become the importer of record?

The importer of record is the party legally responsible for the shipment's customs declaration, duties and compliance. For a private label seller, this is usually your business. To act as the importer you generally need a business tax identification number, an importer number issued through customs, and a customs bond. A bond is a financial guarantee that you will pay duties and follow the rules. Importers choose either a single-entry bond for one shipment or a continuous bond that covers many shipments over a year, and a continuous bond commonly costs a few hundred dollars per year. Requirements around bonds and importers of record have been tightening, so ask a licensed customs broker what applies to you before your first shipment.

Be careful with quotes that promise to handle everything. A supplier or forwarder offering duty paid delivery may still need you to be the importer of record, and the legal responsibility does not simply move because the quote says duty paid.

How are duties determined?

Every imported product is classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which assigns a code and a duty rate. Duty is generally the rate multiplied by the customs value of the goods, plus additional duties that depend on the country of origin and the product. Classification matters because small differences in how a product is described can change the rate, so confirm it before you order rather than after the cargo arrives.

China-origin goods currently face layered duties. As of October 2026, they can face the standard rate for the product code, plus Section 301 duties that vary by product, plus an additional Section 301 duty of 12.5 percent that has applied to most Chinese goods since July 24, 2026. The emergency tariffs imposed under another law were struck down by the Supreme Court on February 20, 2026, and trade policy is still changing. Because of this, model low, base and high duty scenarios in your profit math, as shown in our profitability guide, and confirm current rates with a broker. Some sellers also compare other sourcing countries, which our sourcing guide discusses.

Which Incoterm should you choose?

Incoterms are standard delivery terms that define who pays for each part of the journey and where risk transfers. Agree on one in writing before you order.

Many private label sellers prefer FOB because they control freight and customs while the supplier handles the origin side. DDP is simple but usually costs more and can hide charges, so compare it with the total of your own freight and clearance costs.

How should you ship: sea, air or express?

Ocean freight commonly takes several weeks port to port, followed by customs clearance and delivery, so plan your reorder timing carefully. Our logistics and shipping service can coordinate freight and delivery for Amazon and Walmart sellers.

What is the Importer Security Filing and when is it due?

The Importer Security Filing, commonly called ISF or 10 plus 2, applies to ocean cargo bound for the United States. It must be submitted electronically at least 24 hours before the cargo is loaded onto the vessel at the foreign port. The filing includes details such as the manufacturer and seller, the ship-to party, country of origin and the tariff code. Late, incomplete or inaccurate filings can be penalized, with penalties reaching thousands of dollars per violation, so give your broker accurate supplier details early. Ask your supplier for the exact manufacturer name and address as soon as you place the order.

What documents do you need?

Make sure the commercial invoice matches your purchase agreement and describes the product accurately. Vague or undervalued descriptions can lead to delays and penalties.

Which agencies might regulate your product?

Customs is only one checkpoint. Depending on the product, other agencies set rules that you must meet before or after import:

• Consumer Product Safety Commission. Children's products need testing and certification, and many consumer goods have safety standards.
• Food and Drug Administration. Food, cosmetics and medical products have registration, labeling and notification rules.
• Federal Communications Commission. Electronics that emit radio frequency energy need equipment authorization.
• Department of Agriculture. Wood packaging and certain plant or animal materials have treatment and inspection rules.

Confirm these requirements during product research, as described in our product research guide, because discovering them after you have paid for stock is expensive.

How do goods get from the port to Amazon?

When the vessel approaches the destination port, your broker receives the arrival notice and files the customs entry. Duties and fees are paid, customs releases the cargo, and a trucker collects the container, a process called drayage. The container is delivered to a warehouse or directly to Amazon, depending on your plan. Create your inbound shipment plan in Seller Central before cartons are packed so labels and destinations are ready, and make sure labeling follows our FBA packaging and labeling guide. Delays at ports can create storage charges, so schedule pickup promptly after release.

What does importing cost?

Import costs go well beyond the supplier's price. Budget for each of these items:

• Origin charges, such as factory pickup, export clearance and terminal fees.
• Ocean or air freight.
• Importer Security Filing and broker fees, plus the customs entry itself.
• Customs bond.
• Duties, plus the merchandise processing fee and harbor maintenance fee.
• Drayage, delivery and any warehouse or prep handling.
• Possible port storage, detention or demurrage if pickup is delayed.
• Insurance for the cargo.

Add these to your factory price to get landed cost, and use that figure in every margin calculation. Our private label launch case study shows a full landed cost build-up.

What does a typical import timeline look like?

What are the most common importing mistakes?

• Waiting until the cargo ships to confirm classification and duty rates.
• Skipping the customs bond or importer setup until the last minute.
• Filing the Importer Security Filing late or with incorrect supplier details.
• Assuming a duty paid quote removes your responsibilities.
• Undervaluing goods on the commercial invoice.
• Forgetting agency requirements for children's products, electronics or food contact items.
• Ignoring port storage and detention charges after arrival.
• Leaving duties out of the profit model.

Rules, bonds and tariffs change often, so confirm the current requirements with a licensed customs broker before each order. If you would like support with freight, clearance coordination and delivery to Amazon, HighRise Wholesale offers logistics and shipping and product sourcing services for Amazon FBA and Walmart WFS sellers.