Choose your starting point
- No importer or local agent yet: start with destination eligibility and an appointed customs broker. You can discuss products while these arrangements are being checked.
- Importer ready, engine list unclear: collect full codes, identification photos, quantities and required accessories before asking for a firm quote.
- Quote received, unsure what it includes: complete the document and cost checks below before committing funds.
The normal journey is preparation → written order → agreed payment and unit review → packing and final documents → transport → destination clearance → warehouse receiving. Authorities, banks, carriers and your contract determine the exact timing. This workbook teaches those hand-offs; LSVANT’s buying guide explains our order process.
Download the document register · Download the blank landed-cost sheet. Both are editable CSV files; they contain no promised prices or tax rates.
Understand the words before approving a document
| Term | Plain meaning | Your check |
|---|---|---|
| Importer / consignee | The party legally importing / the receiving party named in transport instructions; they may have different roles. | Ask the broker whose identity, registration and tax responsibility will be used. |
| Pro forma invoice (PI) | The supplier’s proposed transaction details. | Approve goods, parties, price, delivery basis and payment milestones. Do not treat a PI as a final shipment record. |
| Commercial invoice | The seller’s invoice describing the actual shipment and value. | Reconcile it with accepted goods and the broker’s declaration instructions. |
| Packing list | The contents, marks, counts and weights of packages. | Ten engines do not necessarily mean ten packages. Record both. |
| Bill of lading / sea waybill | Carrier transport document, with a release method to be agreed. | Confirm consignee, ports, notify party and whether originals or an authorised electronic release are needed. |
| HS classification | Customs classification of the goods. | Have the destination broker check the actual assembly and condition; do not copy a code from another importer. |
| FOB / CIF | Different contractual allocations of transport costs and responsibilities. | Name the port and rule/version. CIF does not mean destination customs-cleared warehouse delivery. ICC rules |
Follow the process through four hand-offs
1. You → destination broker: “Can I receive this shipment?”
Give the broker your business identity, receiving country, proposed port, goods condition and assembly description. Ask which registration, permits, conformity checks and pre-arrival documents apply, who obtains them and which must be ready before dispatch. If using a forwarder’s importing service, identify the legal importer, tax payer and access to documents in writing. A shipping contact is not automatically your customs representative.
2. You → supplier: “Please quote this exact list.”
Use one line for each full code and configuration. Keep 1NZ and 2NZ separate; record unknown suffixes honestly. State engine only or engine with gearbox, wiring, sensors and other required components. Ask for unit identification, condition evidence and the available checks. Reference photos and manual crankshaft rotation do not establish compression or a successful running test.
3. Supplier + broker + forwarder: “Is the file ready to ship?”
Approve the written offer, agreed payment milestones and inspection scope. Reconcile the final invoice, packing list, package identifiers and transport instructions. Arrange required origin or conformity documents with the appropriate issuer. Confirm carrier acceptance, fluid/leak precautions, securing and packaging. For wood packaging, check applicable ISPM 15 requirements with the forwarder; processed wood and solid wood do not have identical treatment. IPPC guidance
4. Broker + carrier + receiving team: “Can we release and collect?”
Send documents in time for local filings; do not wait for the vessel to arrive. Customs release, carrier release and terminal collection are distinct tasks. Allocate assessed payments, appointments, truck, unloading and storage. On receipt, match package marks, unit records and accessories, record damage or shortages immediately and follow the agreed supplier, carrier or insurance claims route.
Build a budget with unknowns left visible
Enter separate rows for goods, packing, export services, freight, insurance, destination taxes/levies, inspection, terminal and shipping-line fees, broker service and inland delivery. Assign each cost to a quote or responsible party. Mark an unquoted item “Pending”, not zero. Budget currency conversion and a contingency suited to your situation.
Teaching example only: a supplier quotes engine price and sea freight, while the buyer has no estimate for port handling or taxes. That is an incomplete budget, even if the supplier offer is valid. Ask the local agent to price the missing scope before comparing profit margins. No universal first-import budget applies across countries, batch sizes and configurations.
Ask about free time, storage, demurrage and detention, and which events start their clocks. For a smaller or shared shipment, confirm availability, consignee arrangement, packing and destination handling fees; consolidation does not remove import formalities. Use the four-country broker brief for Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania or Ghana.
Three situations where you should pause
- “Pay first; we will decide what is included later.” Put the supplied assembly, accessories, substitution approval and acceptance terms into the offer first.
- “CIF means you have nothing else to pay.” Request a scope breakdown and an independent destination budget.
- “Send money to a different account today.” Verify the beneficiary against agreed company documents and confirm any change through an established independent contact.
At LSVANT, first wholesale engine orders can start from 10 units under an agreed offer. The existing 30% deposit / 70% balance-before-dispatch terms belong in that offer; they are not a promise of payment after arrival. Product-specific warranty and claims terms must also be agreed in writing. These commercial terms do not determine whether your country permits the shipment.
Finish with a short import-readiness note
You are ready for a focused supplier conversation when you can state: the legal importer and agent; destination port and final city; full engine codes and quantities; required components; confirmed requirements and outstanding questions; goods and destination cost estimates; and who approves each document.
If something is unknown, send the unknowns instead of abandoning the enquiry. Tell LSVANT “This is my first import” and include your WhatsApp number so the sales team can clarify the supply scope. Yuhuan Guanyu International Trade Co., Ltd. operates LSVANT; destination professionals remain responsible for local import advice and clearance.
Send your first-import requirements · Build an engine list · Review five purchasing controls
Importer questions
Can I import if I do not have a freight forwarder in China?
You can ask the supplier or a forwarder to quote export and freight arrangements. Agree the scope, named port, legal importer and destination clearance separately; do not assume one contact handles everything.
Do I need an import licence for used engines?
There is no worldwide yes-or-no answer. Your destination agent or authority must check the goods, condition and importer eligibility and identify any licence, inspection or registration needed before dispatch.
What documents should I ask the supplier for first?
Start with a clear written offer and goods specification for broker review. Then agree who supplies the final commercial invoice, packing list, transport instructions and any required origin or conformity evidence, including their deadlines.
