China has gradually become the global market for shoes worldwide because of its low manufacturing costs and standard shoe factories.
As a result, many importers constantly look for cost-effective ways to buy and ship shoes from China to their country. If you're one of such importers, you're in the right place.
DFH has compiled this article as a comprehensive guide that answers every question about importing shoes from China. From the best China shoe suppliers to the documents required and payment forms, we have covered every aspect of shoe shipping from China.
Let's get into the article quickly.
Why import shoes from China?
When buying shoe wholesale, China is the first market that comes to most importers' minds. This is because there are huge benefits and attractive labor costs when goods are produced in China. Here are the major reasons importers love to import shoes from China:
Bulk Production
China is home to numerous factories with high-skilled workers and machinery. They can produce a huge quantity of shoes within a short turnaround time. This is why many shoe retailers seek to buy their goods in wholesale bulk from China.
Cheap Prices
It is common knowledge that China has one of the world's lowest labor and production costs. It is very affordable to manufacture wholesale standard shoes in China compared to most other countries. Even when quality assurance, import taxes, and shipping costs are considered, you can save between 30% and 100% compared to manufacturers from other countries.
China is your best bet for low prices, whatever the quality or size range.
Low-Labor costs
Although labor costs have significantly increased, China's wholesale shoe manufacturers continue to dominate the shoe industry. The reliability of Chinese shoe manufacturers is enhanced by their low labor costs, well-developed infrastructure, easy access to raw materials, and extremely skilled + diligent workforce.
Variety of fashion types and styles
Chinese companies produce a variety of shoes with stylish designs. Because of their distinctiveness, the shoes are in high demand in the global market. Choosing China as your shoe market exposes you to thousands of designs and qualities for kids, adults, and sporting shoes. Whatever type of shoe you're interested in, you'll find the exact manufacturer you need in China.
Flexible MOQ
Chinese shoe manufacturers support small businesses by providing flexible MOQs and a margin to negotiate prices for larger orders. Additionally, they don't need to import anything because they can access high-end shoe materials like exotic leather for men's footwear and more. The Chinese shoe industry is capable of producing shoes in large quantities.
Custom-made shoes
One of the best advantages of manufacturing shoes in China is that you can customize your shoe and give it your personal and unique branding. These special features include logos, names, and designs.
While this service is mostly available to retailers making bulk orders, it's a good option for businesses looking to develop their personal brands in the global shoe market.
Quality Shoes
Many retailers think that products from China are of lower quality. This is false! Most Chinese factories can produce the best quality shoes to meet your customers' needs. You only need to select the right manufacturer and perform routine quality inspections.
Chinese manufacturers can produce whatever quality of shoes is desired. It all depends on the specifications and budget.
Things to consider before importing shoes from China
Before importing shoes from China, there are many things to consider: Here are some of them:
- Know your niche and the type of shoes you want to sell.
- Search through Chinese marketplaces for a suitable manufacturer or supplier.
- Ensure your supplier understands your shoe specifications before proceeding. Also, confirm that they have the requisite license and experience producing the type of shoes you plan to buy.
- Negotiate the MOQs. Most high-end Chinese shoe manufacturers have a MOQ requirement of 1000–2000 pairs. However, some shoe suppliers support small businesses by requiring a minimum order quantity of 20 to 50 pairs of shoes. Always know how many shoes you need and negotiate with suppliers accordingly.
- Know the import duties and taxes to import shoes from China to your country.
- Hire a reliable freight forwarder to handle your logistics processes.
- Make sure you are allowed to import shoes from China or not. If you need the import license or not? If there is any problem with importing and shipping, you can let your freight forwarder like DFH handle all shipping to avoid all the problems cause you don't have the import license.
What is the shoe-importing process?
1. Choose Your Niche
The first step in importing footwear from the domestic Chinese market is deciding what kind of product you want to import and learning about your options for sourcing.
Choose your online store's niche and the categories of goods you want to sell. There are many different types of shoes, including sneakers, boots, protective footwear, high heels, loafers, oxfords, etc., and they are all different in terms of the materials they are made of and how they are designed.
In China, different shoe manufacturers have specialized in various shoe types. You can more easily focus your supplier search if you are clear on the kind of product you need.
2. Find a reputable supplier
Once you identify the type of shoes you want to import, it's time to search Chinese marketplaces like Alibaba to find a suitable supplier. Try to get multiple suppliers, so you can screen them to select the best one based on their reviews, experience, and rating.
3. Choose Your Sourcing And Design Method
There are two possible options when importing shoes. The importer can choose products from a manufacturer's catalog of already manufactured designs. The importer can design a custom-made product from scratch and then send it to a manufacturer to be made to their exact specifications. These are called ODM and OEM, respectively.
An importer can provide manufacturers exact specifications and materials to make their custom shoes, i.e., private labeling. If this is what you want, then discuss it with the manufacturer.
4. Manufacturing
The manufacturer can now proceed to produce your shoes. You can request test samples or hire DFH as your freight forwarder to help carry out a quality inspection on your goods during production.
5. Shipping
This is the final stage after production is completed. You need to select a shipping method, calculate the chargeable weight, import duties, and taxes, then hire a China freight forwarder to help handle the entire logistics and shipping procedures.
Contact us to get a shipping quote today.
What types of shoes can import from China?
The Chinese shoe factories produce a wide variety of footwear from various designers. There are many different shoe styles, sizes, and material types.
Whether it's Men's, children's, or women's shoes, you can import whatever shoe type from China. Ensure you know exactly what your customers want, so you get the right type of shoes.
Popular shoes sold by Chinese suppliers include:
- Children shoes
- Sandals
- Official and casual shoes
- Leather shoes
- Boots, Industrial, and safety shoes
- Wedges
- Lace-up and fashionable shoes
- Sports shoes
- Sneakers and Canvas shoes
- Designer Heels and branded shoes.
- Flat shoes
- Hiking shoes
- Wedding shoes
- Others Shoes
Where to find Shoe manufacturers from China?
The best Chinese markets for finding footwear are the production hubs for the footwear industry. The eastern provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu are home to the majority of Chinese shoe and footwear producers.
They have numerous factories that can produce all types of shoes sold globally.
You can search for manufacturers on Alibaba or other Chinese marketplaces like AliExpress, global source, made-in-china, and 1688. These are the most famous online purchase platforms in China. You can get any Chinese footwear supplier from these platforms.
You can also get a manufacturer through referrals or by attending trade fairs in China.
The best shoe trade fairs in China are the China International Footwear Fair (CIFF), China Sourcing Fair: Fashion Accessories, and the Canton Fair.
Top 10 China Shoe manufacturers from China.
Here is a short list of some of the top China footwear suppliers you can check out.
1. Jinjiang Xingbao footwear Shoes based in Jinjiang, Fujian, China, and Jinjiang City
2. Dashu Shoes, based in Guangdong
3. Wangdu Yuxing based in the Hebei province
4. Zhenlong Shoes based in Neikeng, Jinjiang, Quanzhou, and Fujian Province
5. Jinyin footwear based in Henan province
6. Jinqiu Shoes, based in Guangdong
7. Adit Shoes, based in Jiangxi
8. Wenling Torinwee Footwear Co., Ltd based in Zhejiang
9. Quanzhou Suntop, based in Fujian province
10. Henan Huaying Shoes, based in the eastern Henan province
What Challenges may you face during importing from China Shoes Market?
Every business faces difficulties that cannot be avoided, especially when it involves shipping goods from another country. Many shoe retailers get discouraged because of this. Some of these challenges include:
Finding a reliable supplier
You'll find many suppliers on online platforms, but not all of them are suitable for you. Thus, it would be best if you thoroughly researched a potential supplier before buying from them.
Even though most suppliers claim to have the best prices, you might eventually discover that they are deceiving you. Some suppliers might show off the most attractive shoes, but you get lower quality.
However, it would be best if you didn't worry because DFH can assist you in overcoming this problem by carrying out routine quality inspections on your behalf.
Recognizing fake products
This is a problem commonly experienced by many importers. It can be challenging to know if the shoe pictures seen in the manufacturer's catalog are fake or original.
Online marketers place a greater emphasis on luring customers with nice images, but some of them are fake.
To solve this problem, always order test samples before buying in bulk. Also, engage the services of a third-party quality inspector. DFH can handle this for you if you need it.
Increased number of online scammers
Scammers are everywhere, especially in a big market like the Chinese shoe industry. You will likely run into one anytime.
The key to avoiding scammers is proper research before choosing a supplier. Also, you can select suppliers based on referrals from freight forwarders or other importers like yourself. This helps to ensure you'll meet a credible one.
Late Delivery
Importing wholesale shoes requires a lengthy process. From buying shoes from the manufacturers to shipping the cargo, customs clearance, and final delivery, lots of time can be wasted during the whole process.
Delays may arise at any point in the journey, and this is discouraging to any importer.
Using freight forwarders helps simplify the shipping process and avoid unnecessary delays. Experienced freight forwarders can always provide suitable shipping methods to help you avoid delays during shipping. Contact us today to get started best shipping ways for your shoes ordered from China.
Products Running Low in Stock
Quality shoe brands may not always be in stock with a supplier. As a result, you may need to order in advance to get the number of shoes you want. This delay may affect your business and make you lose customers.
Always verify if the shoes are currently available with the supplier to avoid this form of delay. If unavailable, inform your supplier when you'll need them so they can restock.
Language Barrier
Most Chinese manufacturers do not understand English and other major languages. An importer will always struggle to discuss with Chinese manufacturers and suppliers, as there are bound to be misunderstandings during translation.
Always discuss clearly and concisely so your supplier can quickly understand your needs. This helps to avoid wrong interpretations during negotiation.
How to Negotiate prices with China shoe suppliers?
You need to know how many suppliers are willing to negotiate terms before choosing one with whom to begin negotiations. It would be best if you asked many questions to narrow the number of suppliers to those willing to accept your requirements.
The terms you should negotiate with your suppliers include Shoe prices and manufacturing costs, duration of manufacturing, Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs), test samples, and payment terms.
Here are a few negotiation techniques you can use to get favorable terms with suppliers:
- Know the cost of the shoes before negotiation.
You should talk to many suppliers to get an average cost for the type of shoes you want. This will make you more confident and assured when negotiating because you know what to ask for.
- Be clear and concise about requirements.
To help establish good communication with your supplier, always start on a good and professional note. Maintain good dialogue and be clear about what you want to avoid misinterpretations.
Also, do not be rude to the supplier, even if you disagree at any point.
- Mention Other Suppliers' Prices
If a supplier is proving difficult during negotiation, you can quote other suppliers' prices. This would make them realize you have made research and are well-informed. They would therefore conform to your requirements.
- Give the impression that you're buying large quantities.
Every supplier loves to meet importers who are willing to buy in bulk. Therefore, always negotiate big with your supplier. They might lose interest quickly and stop responding to you if you sound like you only need small quantities.
- Don't show too much interest.
When a supplier knows you're super interested in getting their products, they'll be hard on negotiations because they know you can't walk away. They'll try to convince you when you seem less interested so you don't leave.
Excessive interest from the buyer will come across as desperate and allow the supplier to exploit you.
- Be Firm when negotiating.
Being firm does not mean being harsh, rude, or disrespectful; rather, it indicates that you are taking a stand and are clear on what you want.
Always emphasize that you're in for the long term, and keeping you as a customer is valuable. This will build trust with the supplier, and they'll listen to your requests.
- Be Ready to Walk Away
In the end, if negotiation is unfavorable for you, always be ready to walk away. Once you have this mindset, the supplier will try to win you back because they don't want to lose on good business. This is one way you can quickly get the best deal. Never show the supplier that you're desperate to buy from them.
How to pay for the China Shoe suppliers?
Since the communication with your shoe suppliers is online, payment is also settled online. We recommend you never pay the 100% before receiving goods; always pay a deposit and then balance up later. For example, you can pay 30% after placing the order and the remaining 70% after the order is completed.
If your order is under $2,000, you can make the full payment upfront because your supplier will typically accept payment through Alibaba Trade Assurance, a payment option provided by Alibaba. This payment method gives you a fair amount of confidence that your supplier will deliver your products, but it won't offer you much protection in case of a quality problem.
Most manufacturers and trading companies generally accept payment in US dollars. Here are the most popular payment methods used:
- Cash payments: This is the best payment method if you can physically see the supplier or send someone on your behalf. It is a very safe method, especially for large transactions. However, it is rarely used because most importers hardly meet their suppliers physically.
- Wire Transfer: This is a commonly accepted payment method by Chinese suppliers. It is a very good method for making large payment transfers. The major problem is the high handling fees associated with international transfers. Hence it will cost the importer extra charges for sending money.
- Use Wise: This is an online method of transferring money internationally. Once you sign up on the website, you can pay in your local currency, and the supplier will receive it in their local currency.
- Escrow: You can also agree with your suppliers to use a third-party escrow service. You pay the escrow, and then the supplier delivers your goods. The escrow pays the supplier if you are satisfied with the goods. Alibaba also offers escrow services through the use of Alipay.
- Credit and Debit cards: Some big and technologically advanced suppliers accept credit card payments. Although the risk is small for the buyer, it costs the suppliers more, who may transfer these costs to you. Many fraudsters also use this method to trick suppliers; hence most suppliers don't like this payment method.
- Paypal: This is one of the safest methods of payment for the importer because you can always raise a dispute or request a refund if the goods delivered are not to your satisfaction. However, it costs suppliers extra fees in charges, hence they do not like this method. Paypal is usually used for orders below $5000.
- Western Union: Many suppliers like this payment method, but it is not very safe because fraudsters can easily hijack the transaction. It can be difficult and ineffective to track down a Western Union transaction. You can maintain this method as a choice, but don't rely on it.
- Letter of Credit: This is the best option when paying large sums of money to Chinese shoe suppliers. A letter of credit is also one of the safest ways to pay because neither you nor the supplier is at risk. You should inform your supplier early if you're open to this payment method.
This option is also available if you want us to pay your suppliers on your behalf. DFH can help you inspect your goods' quality and pay the supplier. That way, you're sure you're getting exactly what you ordered. Contact us today if you need our help with payments.
What Documents are required when importing shoes from China?
Having the right documents is always key when importing shoes from China. It helps to facilitate the smooth clearance of your goods and prevent unnecessary delays. You can also be fined if your documents are not available when shipping.
The following are the main documents that are typically required for importing shoes from China:
- Inspection Certificate
- Packing List
- Insurance
- Commercial Invoice
- Documentation of Origins
- Bill of Lading
- Sales Contract
- Pro Forma Certificates
How do you ship imported shoes from China?
Ship directly by your Chinese suppliers
Importers can ask their Chinese suppliers to handle the shipping logistics and arrangements. This is a typical and simple procedure under the DDP or CIF incoterm.
New importers with little knowledge of international shipping often use this method. However, it is often more expensive because the suppliers would charge extra for assisting in delivering the goods to their clients. Additionally, there are instances where suppliers attempt to lower Alibaba shipping costs by using less effective shipping methods, which results in importers not receiving their goods on time.
Hire your freight forwarder to help to ship.
This is the option that many importers now favor when shipping from China. This process is quick, safe, and effective because the Chinese freight forwarder can easily get in touch with your supplier, assist in monitoring the entire production process, package the products afterward, and ship them to you.
Because Chinese freight forwarders can assist with all facets of quality inspection, logistics, and customs clearance in China, importers feel more secure choosing them. You can contact DFH for assistance with planning your shipping. Please tell us what you need, and we will reply right away.
How long does it take to ship importing shoes from China?
The delivery time when shipping shoes from China varies a lot. It usually depends on the method of shipping used and the distance between your country and China. Usually, you're given an estimated arrival date when shipping, but this time may not be exact.
Express freight can deliver your shoes within 2-3 days. But this method is very costly and cannot ship large goods.
Air freight can be delivered in just 2–6 business days. However, it is also a costly option.
Ocean freight might be the best option for you because it's cheap. It is the best shipping method for bulky goods. The major downside is that delivering your shoes through this method may take three to four weeks.
There is also the Rail freight option if you're shipping to a European country. Rail freight is the perfect compromise between sea and air freight because it's cheaper than air freight and delivers goods faster than sea freight.
Delays may often arise during shipping due to mistakes in documentation, bad weather, public holidays, etc.
What is the best method for shipping bulk shoes from China?
Not all popular shipping methods are suitable for bulk shipping goods. For example, shipping goods > 500kg through air freight is very costly. Hence, it is not advisable.
Sea freight and Rail freight are the best methods to ship bulk shoes from China.
Sea freight: Sea freight is a slow shipping method, but it can carry hundreds of containers of shoes at very affordable prices. Hence, it is the best way to import bulk shoes.
Rail Freight: If you stay in Europe and want your shoes delivered faster, then rail freight is another great way to deliver bulk shoes. It is more costly than sea freight, but it is relatively affordable. However, not all countries can benefit from rail freight from China.
What are the shipping costs for shipping imported shoes from China?
Shipping costs for shoes depend on the following:
- Distance between the destination country and China
- Shipping method used
- Total weight of the shoes.
Generally, the cost of Air freight > Rail freight > Sea freight when importing shoes from China.
If you already know the chargeable weight of your goods, then contact us to get a live shipping quote today.
Do I need to pay the import duties for shoes from China?
Yes, you must pay import taxes on all shoes shipped from China. If you don't know the prevalent import duties costs, then contact your freight forwarder to get it. This will help you to budget ahead.
The good news is that if you choose DFH as your freight forwarder, we will help you to ship door to door no matter express freight, air freight, Ocean freight, Rail freight, or other combined shipping methods. We will help you prepay taxes, do the customs clean, and handle everything for you. You need only wait for help to receive the shipments.
Why do you need a China freight forwarder to ship shoes imported from China?
As discussed earlier, the role of a freight forwarder when shipping your shoes cannot be understated. They can help you:
- Pick up and repack your goods in preparation for shipping
- Handle both import and export customs clearance
- Track and simplify the entire shipping process.
If you choose a big freight forwarding company like DFH, we will also help you carry out quality control inspections, offer you cheap insurance premiums, and warehouse your goods free of charge. Contact us so we get to work immediately.
Final words
Are you ready to start importing shoes from China? Then you're on the right track. We believe this article has simplified the entire shipping process for you. Contact us today if you have more questions about importing or shipping shoes from China. We'll reply within minutes!
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