Questions, answered without the sales pitch.

Yes, for everything the quote lists: freight, the China export declaration, EU import clearance, duty, import VAT and delivery to your address. Storage beyond the free days, examination fees and remote-area surcharges sit outside it, and the quote names them so they cannot appear later as a surprise.

Because a published rate card is either out of date or padded to stay safe, and both cost you money. Air rates move with fuel and capacity; road rates move with the trailer fill. A number printed in October is a guess by November.

Seven days from issue unless the quote says otherwise. Airline surcharges and fuel indices are reset weekly, so a longer window would mean quoting you a number we might not be able to hold.

We do, on a DDP shipment. The import entry is filed in our name as importer of record and the duty is settled before delivery, so nothing is collected from you at the door.

Only if the entry is in your name. Under our standard setup the VAT is settled under our VAT position, so there is nothing for your accountant to reclaim. Tell us before we quote if you need it the other way round.

The destination standard rate: 19% in Germany, 20% in France, 21% in the Netherlands and Spain, 22% in Italy, 23% in Poland. Reduced rates exist for some product categories and we check the applicable one when quoting.

No, not to business-to-business imports, and not to consignments above €150. IOSS is the scheme for business-to-consumer parcels sold to private individuals; a B2B import uses an ordinary entry.

Because the flight is direct from Shanghai to Amsterdam and the figure counts clearance and delivery, not just the flight. A direct service removes the hub connection that usually adds two or three days.

No. Transit figures are planning numbers built from the booked service, the clearance queue and your delivery address. What we do commit to is telling you the same day when something moves.

The trailer leaves China at Khorgos into Kazakhstan, then runs west. The EU entry point depends on the routing of that week’s load, and it is where the cargo changes to an EU-registered carrier and the import entry is filed.

Yes, for eligible goods, including FNSKU labelling, the carton and pallet specification and the delivery appointment. FBA receiving times are controlled by the facility, not by us, so we quote to the appointment rather than to the shelves.

Yes, in the normal case. The inventory is yours, so the import entry should be in your name to keep the stock record and the VAT reclaim aligned — which means your own EU VAT number and EORI.

Yes — single pieces beyond standard parcel limits, including machinery, long goods and furniture. They are quoted per case with the handling method written down: tail-lift, two-person delivery, or a booked appointment. Send dimensions and weight and we will tell you before quoting whether it can go on a parcel or needs its own truck.

UPS or FedEx for parcels and cartons, a truck for pallets and full loads, and specialist handling for oversized pieces. The quote names which applies, because the three are priced differently and a residential address cannot take the same vehicle as a warehouse dock.

Batteries, liquids, aerosols, powders and magnets until we have checked the specification, because air eligibility depends on chemistry, watt-hours and packaging rather than on the product category.

The seller. Those are product obligations placed on the economic operator placing goods on the EU market, not transport formalities — and a forwarder who tells you otherwise is guessing.