Incoterms, payment and shipping
| Term | Name | What it covers | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXW | Ex Works | You collect from our factory gate. Lowest price, maximum buyer responsibility. | Best for buyers with their own freight forwarder. |
| FOB | Free on Board | Default. We handle export clearance and loading at Ningbo or Shanghai. | Most common for first orders and container shipments. |
| CIF | Cost, Insurance & Freight | Includes ocean freight and marine cargo insurance to your destination port. | Useful when you want freight cost inside the single contract price. |
| DDP | Delivered Duty Paid | Includes freight, insurance, duty and import clearance at destination. | Available for markets where we can act as importer of record. |
Payment terms
- 30% deposit by T/T, balance against a copy of the bill of lading
- Irrevocable L/C at sight accepted for first orders
- Trade Assurance escrow available through the platform
- Open account with credit terms for repeat buyers after three settled orders
Shipping methods
| Method | Transit | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean LCL / FCL | 25–35 days | Container and consolidated orders above 2 CBM |
| China–Europe rail | 18–25 days | Faster than sea, cheaper than air for EU destinations |
| Air freight | 5–8 days | Urgent launches, samples, replenishment shipments |
| Express courier | 3–5 days | Samples and small quantity test orders |
Loading ports: Ningbo, Shanghai and Yantian. FOB estimates in the quotation calculator use ocean freight as the default and can be switched to air or express.
Why we quote FOB by default
FOB keeps export clearance and loading on our side of the contract and leaves duty, import compliance and delivery on yours — where your broker, your licences and your duty rates already apply. It is the term least likely to produce a surprise invoice six weeks after the container sails.
If you do not have a forwarder, we can quote CIF or DDP instead. DDP requires us to act as importer of record in your country, which is not possible in every market — we will tell you if it is not possible for yours.
Calculating freight yourself
The quotation estimator uses per-kilogram or per-cubic-metre rates depending on mode, and it always shows you the chargeable weight it used. For air freight and express, chargeable weight is the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight; for ocean freight, we use the greater of gross weight and volume in cubic metres.
Bulkier products — beds, cat trees, crates — are usually cheaper by sea than by air despite the longer transit, because volumetric weight dominates the bill. The estimator will show you both figures.
Related: pet supplies wholesale supplier handled by PetInWholesale. Request a quotation.
Shipping pet products wholesale from China
Freight is the variable that most often turns a workable wholesale margin into an unworkable one. That is why the estimator on this site shows you the chargeable weight it used and the basis it charged on, rather than only a number.
PetInWholesale quotes EXW, FOB, CIF and DDP from Zhejiang, Ningbo, Shenzhen and Yantian. Ocean LCL and FCL, China-Europe rail, air freight and express courier are all available.