From DDP Shipping to a Formal Import Process

One of our Indian customers had previously imported goods from China mainly through DDP shipping services. He would purchase the products himself, hand them over to a freight forwarder, and simply wait for the goods to arrive in India.

This approach worked reasonably well for small shipments. However, he had very little visibility into what happened between pickup in China and final delivery, including export declaration, shipping procedures, customs documentation, and import clearance. As his business grew and his shipment volumes increased, he wanted to move toward a more transparent and compliant import process.

He was introduced to us by another long-term Indian customer, who is also his cousin.

A Different Kind of Sourcing Requirement

His requirements were very specific.

He did not need us to source products or negotiate with suppliers. He preferred to continue selecting suppliers, negotiating prices, and placing orders himself.

What he needed was a reliable partner in China who could support the other parts of the supply chain, including:

• Receiving and coordinating payments
• Paying his Chinese suppliers
• Receiving and storing goods from multiple suppliers
• Consolidating shipments
• Arranging delivery to the designated port or warehouse
• Handling formal export customs declarations in China
• Coordinating the documentation required for customs clearance at destination

At first, he was slightly concerned because supplier sourcing and price negotiation are normally important parts of a sourcing agent’s business.

We made our position clear:

You don’t have to use our full sourcing service. We can support only the parts of the supply chain where you need us. If one day you would like us to help with sourcing as well, that decision is entirely yours.

For us, a sourcing service should be flexible enough to fit the customer’s actual business model rather than forcing the customer into a fixed service package.

A Customized Service Model

After reviewing his product categories, average shipment volume, shipment frequency, warehousing requirements, and export procedures, we developed a customized service plan.

Instead of charging a traditional sourcing commission based on the value of the goods, we agreed on a transparent service fee of:

USD 12 per cubic meter

This pricing model was more appropriate because the customer managed his own suppliers while we handled the operational and logistics side of the business.

Supporting His First Independent Import

Because this was his first time managing a formal import process himself, there was naturally some uncertainty.

Our team explained the complete export process step by step, including how the goods would be consolidated in China, how the export declaration would be handled, what shipping documents would be issued, and what documents, product certificates, and information he might need when arranging customs clearance at the destination.

The objective was not simply to ship the goods, but to help him understand the process so that future shipments would become easier and more predictable.

His first shipment under this new model was completed successfully.

After experiencing the process firsthand, he decided to continue using our warehousing, consolidation, export, and shipping coordination services for future shipments.

Flexible Sourcing Services Built Around the Customer

This cooperation reflects an important principle behind JanetSourcing:

Customers don’t have to outsource everything to us.

Some customers need complete sourcing support, from supplier search and negotiation to inspection and shipping. Others already have their own suppliers and only need help with warehousing, payments, consolidation, export procedures, or logistics.

We can work with both.

Our role is to fill the gaps in the customer’s China supply chain and provide the services they actually need — while allowing them to keep control of the parts they prefer to manage themselves.