LCL through our own warehouse
We have been in China since 2006. Our strongest operational presence is in Yiwu. We have our own warehouses in Yiwu and Ningbo, and four employed agents work for you in China, in English and Chinese. Most freight forwarders first receive LCL cargo at a container freight station near the port. We receive and consolidate it in our own warehouse, so that several small orders travel as one shipment.
Who LCL is for
LCL consolidation, known in the region as zbirni transport, zbirna roba or grupazh, is for companies that buy from China in smaller quantities or from several suppliers at once. For example, a retailer buys 300 cartons of mixed goods from six shops in the Yiwu market, or a distributor tests three new products at a few cubic metres each. A full container would be too large, and separate shipments would be expensive and hard to follow.
As orders grow, we use the same process for full containers. One office supplies chain with more than 30 shops imports more than 10 containers a year through our warehouse and agents.
How we run a consolidated shipment
- Order. You place the orders with your suppliers. For goods with clear specifications and little variety, our agent collects the offers. For a wide assortment of small items, we go with you on a Yiwu buying trip.
- Receipt. We direct the suppliers to our warehouse and give them a shipping mark for the cartons: your company code, the destination city, the item number and the carton number (for example 12/40). We count each delivery by carton, compare it with the packing list, and measure and weigh the cartons.
- Check. We open some of the cartons and establish whether the goods match the order and the sample. You receive a photo and video report. More on the quality control page.
- Consolidation. The goods stay in the warehouse until the deliveries from all suppliers have arrived. We then pack them together and load them. Consolidated shipments leave from Ningbo.
- Transport. The shipment goes by sea to Thessaloniki, Durres or Bar, where we have a direct presence and annual shipping contracts, and then overland to the customs warehouse.
We do not carry out customs clearance. A forwarder handles clearance, duty and VAT, your own or one we recommend, and we hand the documents over to them. After clearance we deliver the goods to your warehouse, if that has been agreed. More on the customs documents and delivery page.
We issue our own bills of lading. With LCL, each buyer receives a house bill of lading (House B/L), so your goods have their own document even when they share a container with other buyers' goods.
The port and the delivery route for each country are on the destination pages: usually via Durres for Kosovo and Albania, and via Thessaloniki for Macedonia.
How LCL is charged
LCL is charged per CBM, with a minimum of 1 CBM. A smaller shipment is charged as 1 CBM. Pricing per kilogram applies to air freight. You can work out the volume of your cartons with the CBM calculator.
What the price consists of
← Scroll to see all columns →
| Charge | What it covers | Charged per |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving and handling in our warehouse | Receipt, counting, measuring, checks and loading | Shipment or CBM |
| Export documents | Export declaration | Shipment |
| Sea freight | From Ningbo to Thessaloniki, Durres or Bar | CBM, minimum 1 CBM |
| Unloading at destination (deconsolidation) | Your cartons are separated from the shared container | CBM |
| Destination documents and terminal | Release of the bill of lading and terminal charges on arrival | Shipment, for each bill of lading |
| Overland transport | Truck or van to the customs warehouse or your warehouse | Shipment and route |
| Clearance, duty and VAT | Handled by your forwarder, outside our quote | Your forwarder |
In the quote we state what is included in the price per cubic metre and whether the charges on arrival are a separate line. Several charges apply per shipment, so one combined shipment from five suppliers costs far less than five small shipments sent separately.
What we watch for in a shared container
- Marks and counts that do not match. Every delivery is logged on arrival, with photos. We raise any difference with the supplier before you pay the balance.
- Damage in handling. Weak cartons are crushed in shared containers. We point out soft or overloaded cartons and can recommend repacking before loading.
- Documents from each supplier. Five suppliers means five invoices. We check the invoices and packing lists against the goods before loading, so that your forwarder receives documents with matching totals. See import documents.
When it is time for a full container
Per cubic metre, LCL costs more than a full container. It pays while the volume is small. As the volume grows, so do the costs of unpacking and of documents per shipment.
There is no fixed CBM switch point. Even at 20 CBM the choice depends on the weight and the type of goods. A 20' container takes about 30 CBM of cartons in practice, a 40' HQ about 70 CBM and a 45' HQ about 75 CBM. We choose the transport together with you.
The two are compared in the guide LCL vs FCL, and the full container service is described on the page container shipping from China.
Request an LCL quote
For a quote we need the list of your suppliers and their locations, a packing list or proforma invoice from each, with the carton dimensions and gross weight, the date the goods will be ready and the destination of the shipment.
Send us these details. We reply with our warehouse address, the shipping marks and a quote, and we tell you whether LCL is the right choice for your goods or whether it is better to wait until they fill a container. If you are still choosing suppliers, read our Yiwu market guide.
