China to Australia — commercial freight
China to Australia Freight Forwarding for Australian Importers
Commercial freight from your Chinese supplier to your Australian warehouse — full container loads, origin coordination, customs and delivery, managed end to end by one coordinator.
Home › Freight Forwarding › China to Australia Freight Forwarding
In short
Moving Solutions International is an Australian freight forwarder. We move commercial cargo from Chinese suppliers into Australian businesses — mostly full container loads, mostly for importers who ship more than once. We coordinate the origin leg in China, the ocean freight, customs and biosecurity on arrival, and delivery to your door, with one coordinator across all of it.
New to importing from China? The importing from China guide covers the process, duty, documents and ChAFTA in detail. This page is for businesses that already have cargo to move and need someone to move it.
Who this is for
Who we move containers for
Australian businesses buying commercial goods from Chinese suppliers, at container scale:
- Importers and wholesalers bringing in stock for resale
- Distributors running regular replenishment
- Retailers and e-commerce businesses ordering by the container
- Manufacturers importing components, materials or finished goods
- Commercial buyers placing their first container order and wanting it handled properly
If you are moving household goods or personal effects rather than commercial cargo, that is a different service and it sits on our personal effects shipping page.
Scope
What we take on — and what stays with you
Freight goes wrong in the gaps between parties. So it is worth being plain about where the line sits.
What we take on
- Booking, carrier selection and the space itself
- Appointing and briefing the origin service provider in China
- Checking documents before departure rather than after arrival
- Tracking and updates while the cargo is in transit
- Customs and biosecurity coordination on arrival in Australia
- Wharf release, transport and delivery to your address
- One point of contact across all of it
What stays with you or your supplier
- Commercial terms and payment with your supplier
- Accuracy of the commercial invoice and packing list
- Product compliance, and any permits or approvals your goods require
- Having the cargo genuinely ready on the date you have given us
We will tell you when something looks likely to cause a problem at the border. What we will not do is make a compliance decision on your behalf and hope it holds — we will say so, and point you at the right advice.
Containers
Full container loads: 20ft, 40ft and 40HQ
A 20ft suits dense, heavy cargo that reaches its weight limit before it fills the box. A 40ft doubles the floor area for much the same handling. A 40HQ adds height, which matters for cargo that cubes out before it weighs out — furniture, packaging, anything light and bulky.
On whether you should be in a full container at all: there is a point where LCL charges, handling and deconsolidation stop being cheaper than simply taking a 20ft. Where that point sits moves with rates and with your commodity, so we work it out on your actual numbers rather than quoting you a rule of thumb.
More detail on the equipment sits on our FCL shipping page and in the container sizes and types reference.
Origin
How the China origin leg is handled
We coordinate the China leg through appointed local service providers, engaged shipment by shipment for the origin and load port your cargo actually moves through. Depending on your Incoterm and what your supplier has already agreed to handle, that can include collection from the supplier, origin handling, export-side coordination, delivery into the nominated load port, and dealing directly with your supplier on cargo readiness and what we need from them.
You do not need a forwarder with its own office in China for the origin leg to be managed properly. You need someone who has appointed the right provider for that origin, briefed them on your shipment, and stays accountable for the result. That last part is the part we keep.
One thing worth knowing if this is an early shipment: your supplier’s city is often not the port your cargo sails from. Factories inland from Shenzhen, or in the industrial belt around Ningbo, commonly feed several load ports, and the right one depends on the sailing schedule, the carrier and where the cargo consolidates. We nominate the load port as part of the booking rather than defaulting to the nearest one on a map.
We handle cargo out of the major Chinese container ports — Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and the wider South China cluster, Qingdao and Xiamen among them. If your supplier is somewhere that does not obviously map to one of those, tell us where they are and we will work out the sensible route.
Destination
Where it lands in Australia
Cargo arrives into the main Australian container ports, and we arrange delivery from there to your address anywhere in the country, including regional destinations. The Australian leg is where a lot of the real cost and most of the delay risk sits, so we quote it properly rather than leaving it as an estimate to be settled later. Customs clearance and biosecurity are coordinated as part of the same job.
Quoting
What we need to price your container
Most freight quotes are slow because the first three emails are the forwarder asking for things nobody told you to send. Here is the whole list, up front.
- Supplier location and origin city — tells us which load port to nominate, and whether collection from the supplier is part of the job.
- Cargo-ready date — sailing schedules decide when your container actually moves, not the calendar. An approximate date is fine.
- The Incoterm you have agreed — this decides where our scope starts. EXW, FOB and CIF each give us a different job and a different cost base.
- Container size and how many — 20ft, 40ft or 40HQ, and whether this is one shipment or the first of a regular run.
- What the goods are — the commodity drives tariff classification, biosecurity risk and whether anything needs treatment before it will be released.
- Gross weight, if you have it — some commodities reach road weight limits well before they fill the box, which changes the delivery plan.
- Delivery address in Australia, with postcode — the wharf-to-door leg is a real line item, not a rounding error.
- Whether you need customs clearance coordinated — or you already have your own broker and want us on the freight only.
- Commercial value of the goods — needed for duty and GST, and for marine cargo insurance if you want it quoted alongside.
If you already have a packing list or a proforma invoice from your supplier, that usually answers most of the above on its own. Send what you have — we will tell you what is missing rather than guess at it.
Terms
Working with the Incoterm you have agreed
The Incoterm is not paperwork — it decides which parts of the journey you have already bought from your supplier and which parts we are quoting.
- EXW — we pick up the whole origin leg from the supplier’s door, including export-side coordination.
- FOB — your supplier delivers to the port and our scope starts there. This is the most common arrangement we see on the China lane.
- CIF — your supplier has already bought the ocean freight, so we handle the Australian side. Worth knowing exactly what has and has not been paid for before you commit.
If you have not agreed one yet, that is a good reason to talk to us early. Our Incoterms explained guide covers the full set.
Ongoing
Running a regular import programme
Most of the value in a freight relationship shows up on the fourth container, not the first. Once we have run a shipment for you, the supplier details, the documentation pattern and your delivery instructions are on file, so the next booking does not start from a blank page.
If you are importing on a regular cycle — monthly replenishment, seasonal runs, a build programme — we can coordinate it as an ongoing arrangement rather than a series of unconnected shipments. That is the shape of work we are set up for. Our commercial imports page covers how a full import programme is run.
Getting started
When to bring us in, and what happens after you ask
Bring us in once you have a supplier and a rough cargo-ready date — usually earlier than people expect. The Incoterm and the load port are much easier to influence before your supplier has quoted you a delivered price, and those two decisions move the landed cost more than the freight rate does.
After you send the quote request, one coordinator picks it up and comes back within one business day with an itemised quote covering freight, origin charges, customs and delivery, with anything we still need clearly listed. No obligation, and a real person on the other end.
FAQ
China freight questions
Should I use FCL or LCL from China?
It depends on your actual volume and commodity, not on a rule of thumb. There is a crossover point where LCL charges, handling and deconsolidation stop being cheaper than a 20ft container, and it moves with rates. Send us the volume and we will work it out both ways.
Can you collect from my supplier in China?
Yes. Collection is arranged through the appointed origin service provider for that region, and whether it falls to us depends on the Incoterm you have agreed with your supplier.
What do you need to quote an FCL shipment?
Supplier location, cargo-ready date, Incoterm, container size and quantity, what the goods are, delivery postcode, and whether you need customs clearance coordinated. A packing list or proforma invoice usually covers most of it.
Can you arrange Australian customs clearance?
Yes — we coordinate customs clearance and biosecurity as part of the shipment, working with licensed customs brokers. If you already have your own broker, we are happy to handle the freight only.
Can you deliver after clearance?
Yes, anywhere in Australia including regional destinations. Delivery is quoted as part of the landed figure rather than added afterwards.
Which Incoterms can you work with?
EXW, FOB and CIF are the ones we see most often on this lane, and we can work with the others. The Incoterm decides where our scope starts, so it is one of the first things we ask about.
Can you handle repeat container shipments?
Yes. Regular import programmes are the work we are built for — same coordinator, same documentation pattern, delivery instructions already on file.
How long does sea freight from China to Australia take?
Transit varies by port pair, service and season. Rather than print a number here, our importing from China guide sets out realistic timings — and we will give you the actual transit for your booking when we quote.
Request a freight quote
Send us the supplier location, your delivery postcode, the container size and what is in it. One coordinator picks it up and comes back within one business day with an itemised quote covering freight, origin charges, customs and delivery. No obligation.