Sourcing packaging with our team in China
Printed packaging is rarely bought ready-made at the market. In Yiwu, buyers look at samples in the trading companies' shops, and a factory then prints to order. These are goods with clear specifications, so we handle the sourcing remotely: our agents collect offers from factories against the same requirements and establish whether the supplier is a factory or a trading company. Read more on the page sourcing agents in China and in the guide how to verify a Chinese supplier.
Shops, restaurants, bakeries, producers and distributors in the region mostly order printed carrier bags and paper bags, gift and mailer boxes, labels, takeaway containers, cups and lids, stretch film, tape and bubble wrap, as well as plastic furniture. Household plastics, such as storage boxes, buckets, baskets and hangers, are stock items in the Yiwu market, with smaller minimum quantities: daily necessities in District 4, kitchen and bath in District 2. For a wide range of those goods you choose in person, on a Yiwu buying trip, where our agent goes through the market with you and translates.
MOQ, printing and samples
We handle the coordination with the factory:
- Minimum quantity. The MOQ applies to each design, size and colour: five bag sizes mean five minimum quantities.
- Logo and colour. We work with the logo in vector format and a Pantone number for each colour, because the colour on a screen can differ from the printed one.
- Print sample. First a digital proof, then a printed sample. A stock sample shows the material; only the pre-production sample shows the print.
- Approval. Mass printing starts after your written approval of the sample, with which we compare the production run.
What we check on packaging
- Thickness. The bag must not be thinner than the sample. The thickness in microns and the weight per piece are written into the order.
- Material. LDPE, HDPE, PP or PET, as agreed. Recycled plastic in place of virgin material shows in the smell and the colour.
- Print. Deviation from the Pantone colour, a shifted or blurred logo, print that rubs off.
- Dimensions. If the box is only 5 mm too small, the product will not fit.
- Count. A pack marked 100 bags sometimes holds fewer. We count the cartons and weigh a sample carton against the stated number of pieces.
- Crushing. Cups and thin boxes are crushed if the carton is soft.
We check the production run before loading: in our warehouse, when the packaging is consolidated with your other goods, or at the factory, anywhere in China, when a full container is loaded. In both cases you receive a photo and video report. Read more on the page quality control in China.
Food contact
Cups, lids, food containers, cutlery and film are food-contact materials, which are subject to specific rules. The supplier provides a declaration for the material, and we ask for it before the deposit is paid. Check also whether restrictions on plastic bags apply in your country. Confirm the requirements for your product and market before importing.
Packing and volume
Packaging is light but bulky, and freight is charged by the space it takes. So we agree the packing with the factory when the order is placed:
- Nesting. Cups and buckets nested inside one another take up far less space.
- Flat packing. Boxes are shipped flat.
- Pieces per carton. If one supplier packs 500 paper bags in a carton of 0.08 CBM and another packs the same 500 bags in 0.05 CBM, a 40' HQ (about 70 CBM) carries about 437,500 bags from the first and about 700,000 from the second: about 60% more, with about 37.5% less freight per bag.
Example: a container of packaging
The dimensions are taken from the packing lists.
← Scroll to see all columns →
| Item | Carton or bale (cm) | CBM | Number | Total CBM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Printed bags | 50 × 40 × 30 | 0.06 | 200 | 12 |
| Cups and food containers | 60 × 40 × 50 | 0.12 | 300 | 36 |
| Cardboard boxes, flat | 80 × 60 × 40 | 0.192 | 50 | 9.6 |
| Total | 550 | 57.6 |
The order fits in a 40' HQ (about 70 CBM in practice, 76 m³ internal), with room for about 12.4 CBM more. The cups take up 63% of the volume: if the factory nests them more tightly, more cups go into the same container. You can work out your own list in the CBM calculator and the costs in the landed cost calculator.
Lead times
Packaging is ordered all year. The time to mass printing depends on the approval of the sample. Production depends on the factory and is often the longest step. Once the goods are ready in China, allow 60 to 75 days via Suez or 70 to 90 days around Africa for delivery to your warehouse. Transit times are approximate. We confirm the exact time and route for each shipment, based on the current situation on the sea lanes.
Packaging for seasonal peaks, such as Christmas gift boxes, follows the calendar of the goods it packs. For goods in your warehouse by early October, assuming 45 days of production, the order is confirmed by early June via Suez or by mid-May around Africa. Factories and the market close for a long period around Chinese New Year, and 1 to 8 October is China's National Day holiday (Golden Week). We plan production and shipping around both holidays.
Tariff number and customs
Plastic packaging (bags, boxes, bottles, caps) is usually in chapter 39, heading 3923. Plastic tableware and household articles are in 3924, plastic film and sheets in 3920, paper and cardboard boxes and bags in 4819 (chapter 48), labels in 4821 and plastic furniture in 9403 70. The forwarder confirms the exact code.
We do not carry out customs clearance. A forwarder handles clearance, duty and VAT, your own or one we recommend. We deliver the goods to the customs warehouse and hand over the documents. Read more in the guide customs duty and VAT on goods from China.
How we work together
Four agents employed by Transcont work for you in China. Our strongest operational presence is in Yiwu. In our own warehouses in Yiwu and Ningbo we consolidate packaging with your other orders, and we issue our own bills of lading. The method of payment is agreed for each order. Buyers in Albania and Kosovo usually ship via Durres.
Send us the specifications: material, dimensions, print and quantity per variant, and the destination.
