We collect from your supplier anywhere in China, coordinate export and Canadian customs clearance, and arrange delivery to your warehouse, store or fulfilment centre. Choose air when stock is needed in days, or ocean to keep costs down on larger orders.
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Both start at your supplier’s door and end at yours. The difference is how fast you need the goods and how much they weigh and measure.
Cargo flies from Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou or Hong Kong to Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal or Calgary, then goes straight to your door. Best when stock is late, margins are high or the shipment is small.
Containers sail to Vancouver or Prince Rupert and continue by rail to Central Canada, or reach Montreal and Halifax on all-water services. Share a container (LCL) for smaller orders or book your own (FCL) from about 13 cubic metres.
Enter your cartons, destination and deadline to see volume, chargeable weight and arrival dates for air, express, LCL and FCL.
Enter carton size and weight to compare options.
Planning estimates only. Transit times are typical ranges, and cost comparisons are relative, not quotes. Your quote confirms rates and schedules.
We route each shipment through the gateway that gets it to your door soonest for the price.
Canada’s largest port, with container terminals at Centerm, Vanterm, Deltaport and Fraser Surrey Docks. Most cargo from China lands here, then moves inland on CN and CPKC rail or by truck.
The closest North American port to Asia, with fast sailings from Ningbo, Shanghai and Qingdao and a direct CN rail line inland. Containers reach Toronto and Montreal without passing through the busy Lower Mainland terminals.
Eastern Canada’s main container port. Most China cargo reaches Montreal by rail from the West Coast, which is usually faster than all-water routings through the Suez or Panama canals.
Atlantic Canada’s deep-water port, served by all-water services from Asia and by rail to Montreal and Toronto.
Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Vancouver (YVR) handle most air cargo from China, on direct freighter and passenger flights. Montreal (YUL) and Calgary (YYC) cover Quebec and the Prairies.
Typical door-to-door days from East China (Shanghai and Ningbo). From South China, add one to two days for ocean.
| Destination | Main gateway | Ocean FCL | Ocean LCL | Air freight | Air express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver, BC | Port of Vancouver / YVR | 19–26 days | 26–35 days | 4–7 days | 2–5 days |
| Calgary, AB | Vancouver + rail / YYC | 24–32 days | 31–40 days | 5–8 days | 3–5 days |
| Edmonton, AB | Prince Rupert or Vancouver + rail / YEG | 25–33 days | 32–41 days | 5–8 days | 3–6 days |
| Winnipeg, MB | Vancouver + rail / YWG | 26–34 days | 33–42 days | 5–9 days | 3–6 days |
| Toronto / GTA, ON | Vancouver or Prince Rupert + rail / YYZ | 26–35 days | 33–43 days | 4–7 days | 2–5 days |
| Montreal, QC | Vancouver + rail or all-water / YUL | 28–37 days | 35–45 days | 5–8 days | 3–5 days |
| Halifax, NS | Port of Halifax / YHZ | 30–40 days | 37–48 days | 5–9 days | 3–6 days |
See what an order really costs once freight, duty, GST and brokerage are added. Change any number to update the estimate.
The Incoterm on your supplier’s quote decides which costs are already included and where the risk becomes yours. Pick a term to see the split.
Your supplier makes the goods available at their factory. You arrange and pay for everything from there, including Chinese export clearance.
Best for: Buyers whose forwarder collects from the factory and can handle export formalities.
Watch out: Chinese export declarations are filed under an exporter with export rights. Under EXW that is technically your job, so confirm your supplier will still provide the export documents.
The supplier clears the goods for export and hands them to your carrier at an agreed place: their dock, a consolidation warehouse in China, or the terminal.
Best for: Container and air shipments. The ICC recommends FCA instead of FOB for containerised cargo.
Watch out: Name the exact handover place in the contract. Who pays for loading depends on whether that place is the supplier's premises or somewhere else.
The supplier delivers the goods on board the vessel at the Chinese port, cleared for export. You control the ocean freight, insurance and everything after.
Best for: Most importers buying from China. You choose the carrier and forwarder, so destination charges hold no surprises.
Watch out: FOB is for sea freight only. For air shipments, use FCA instead.
The supplier pays the ocean freight to the destination port, but the risk passes to you as soon as the goods are on board in China.
Best for: Buyers who want one price to the port and accept less control over routing.
Watch out: Low CFR freight often comes with high destination charges on arrival, which you pay. Get them in writing before you agree.
Like CFR, plus the supplier buys cargo insurance in your favour, but only minimum cover (Institute Cargo Clauses C).
Best for: Letters of credit, and buyers who want insurance arranged at origin.
Watch out: Clauses C cover far less than all-risk insurance. For valuable goods, raise the cover or insure the cargo yourself.
The supplier delivers to the place you name, ready for unloading. You handle import customs clearance, duties and taxes.
Best for: Buyers who want door delivery but prefer to control customs and duty payments.
Watch out: If the supplier's forwarder is slow, your stock is late. Agree on transit times and what happens when shipments are delayed.
The supplier handles everything, including import clearance, duties and taxes. You receive the goods.
Best for: Small or one-off orders where simplicity matters more than control.
Watch out: The seller acts as importer of record. Check that values are declared correctly: under-declared DDP shipments can be held at the border.
| Cost | EXW | FCA | FOB | CFR | CIF | DAP | DDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Export packing | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller |
| Loading at the factory | Buyer | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller |
| Export clearance in China | Buyer | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller |
| Delivery to port or airport | Buyer | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller |
| Origin terminal and loading | Buyer | Buyer | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller |
| Main freight by sea or air | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller |
| Cargo insurance | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Seller | Seller | Seller |
| Destination terminal charges | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Seller | Seller |
| Import customs clearance | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Seller |
| Import duties and taxes | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Seller |
| Delivery to your door | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Seller | Seller |
| Risk passes to buyer | At the factory | Handover to your carrier | On board the ship | On board the ship | On board the ship | At your door | At your door |
Chinese factories close for two to four weeks around Lunar New Year, and the weeks before are the busiest of the year for freight to Canada. Work back from these dates.
Canada makes importing straightforward once your accounts are set up. Here’s what a first-time importer needs before the goods leave China.
You need a Business Number from the Canada Revenue Agency with an RM import/export account. Since October 2024, commercial importers also register in the CBSA’s CARM Client Portal, where duties and taxes are assessed and paid. We help you set up both and link your account to the customs broker.
Every product has a tariff classification (HS code) that sets its duty rate. Goods from China pay the Most-Favoured-Nation rate, which is zero for many items and higher for categories like apparel and footwear. GST of 5% applies on top, calculated on the value plus duty. Some Chinese goods, including certain steel and aluminum products, face additional surtaxes.
Food, plants, cosmetics, health products, children’s products, vehicles and radio equipment may need permits or certification from agencies such as the CFIA, Health Canada, Transport Canada or ISED. Wooden pallets and crates must be heat-treated and stamped to the ISPM 15 standard.
FOB and FCA give you control of the freight and usually the lowest total cost. Under CFR or CIF, check the destination charges before you accept the price. The Incoterms explorer shows who pays for what.
The questions importers ask us most, answered.
Send it with the packing list and we’ll tell you the best way to ship it and what it will cost landed.
Get a quoteAir freight takes 4 to 9 days door to door and express courier 2 to 6 days. Ocean freight in a full container (FCL) takes about 19 to 26 days to Vancouver and 26 to 35 days to Toronto, door to door. Shared containers (LCL) add about a week for consolidation in China and unpacking in Canada.
Ocean freight. For smaller orders, LCL lets you pay only for the cubic metres you use, typically from 1 m³. At about 13 to 15 cubic metres, a full 20-foot container is often cheaper than LCL and arrives sooner. Air only wins on cost for small, light shipments, or when the cost of waiting is higher than the freight.
It depends on volume, weight, mode, season and where the cargo starts and ends. Air freight is charged on chargeable weight, the greater of the actual weight and the volume weight at 167 kg per cubic metre. LCL is charged per cubic metre or tonne, and FCL per container. Our quotes include pickup, export, freight, customs and delivery, so you can compare like with like.
Customs duty depends on the product’s HS code. Goods from China pay Most-Favoured-Nation rates, from zero on many electronics and machines to 18% on some apparel and footwear. You also pay 5% GST on the value plus duty, and some products face additional surtaxes. Try the landed cost calculator, and we’ll confirm exact rates before you ship.
Commercial importers need a Business Number with an RM import/export account from the CRA and a CARM Client Portal account with the CBSA. There’s no general import licence, but some goods need permits. We’ll walk you through setup on your first shipment.
For Western Canada, Vancouver usually wins because it has more sailings and local trucking. For Toronto and Montreal, Prince Rupert’s direct rail line can be faster. We compare schedules for each booking and choose the route that delivers soonest for the price.
Under about 13 cubic metres, LCL is usually cheaper. Above that, compare both: a 20-foot container holds about 28 m³ of usable space, a 40-foot about 58 m³ and a 40-foot high cube about 68 m³. FCL is also faster and safer, because your goods aren’t handled alongside anyone else’s.
Yes, from anywhere in mainland China and Hong Kong. We confirm the cargo-ready date with your supplier, collect the goods, handle export customs and load them, whether you buy EXW, FCA or FOB.
Factories close for two to four weeks, and in the month before, everyone rushes to ship, so space tightens and rates rise. Book four to six weeks ahead and have cargo ready at least three weeks before the holiday. See the booking deadlines for the next one.
Yes. Lithium batteries ship as dangerous goods with an MSDS and UN38.3 test summary; loose batteries can only fly on cargo aircraft, so ocean is often simpler. For Amazon, we deliver to Canadian fulfilment centres with booked appointments and the right labels and pallets.
Same team and door-to-door service, with the ISF and US customs handled.
Tell us where the goods are and where they’re going. We’ll send air and ocean options with transit times and an all-in landed price.
Prefer a dedicated quote page? Open the full request form.
We’ve received your request and will reply with options, usually within one business day.
If the freight itself is packaging, these Canadian resources can help with sourcing and specification planning.