Questions about importing from China to NZ

Yes. The estimate, the cost per unit and the firm quote from a broker are all free, with no obligation. You only pay if you choose to book your freight.

ClearLane is run by Tom Rowley in Canterbury, New Zealand. We make the cost of importing from China easy to see, and we pass your quote request to freight forwarding and customs broker partners who price and carry out the shipment.

It uses current sea freight, port and customs levy rates for China to New Zealand, delivery priced by distance from the port to your town, and GST at 15%. Lyttelton is our best-priced lane, and the other ports and long delivery runs are shown as indicative. The estimate flags anything that could move it, like cargo size, proof of origin or your delivery address. A broker’s firm quote replaces it.

A broker checks your details, confirms anything the estimate flagged, and emails you a firm price you can book against, usually within one business day. You’ll get a reference number when you send the request.

No. You can add your goods by hand, with a description, quantity and unit price for each product. If you do have an invoice, upload it (PDF, JPG or PNG, up to 8 MB) and we read the items, prices, Incoterm and cargo details into the form for you. You can edit anything before you send it.

The product price, international freight, New Zealand port and delivery charges, the Customs and MPI goods levy, duty, insurance if you add it, and GST (unless you tell us you’re GST-registered). Shared costs are split across your products by value.

Yes. Paste the listing link into the Alibaba calculator and it shows the landed cost per unit at each price tier, plus your margin if you enter a selling price. Alibaba sometimes blocks automated reading of its pages, so if a link doesn’t work you can paste the listing text, upload a screenshot, or use the “Send to ClearLane” bookmarklet on the page.

Yes. ClearLane runs as a free MCP server, so assistants such as Claude can run the same freight, landed-cost and insurance calculations for you. The setup takes one paste: see Use with your AI.

Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington and Lyttelton (Christchurch). Leave the port on “best port for my delivery” and we choose the one with the cheapest delivery leg to your town. Lyttelton is our best-priced lane, so the other ports are marked indicative until a broker confirms them.

Ningbo, Shanghai, Shenzhen (Yantian), Guangzhou (Nansha), Xiamen, Qingdao, Tianjin (Xingang) and Dalian are priced directly. Hong Kong and other ports in Asia, such as Taiwan, Vietnam and Korea, are also accepted, but their estimates are wider until a broker confirms the rate.

Part-container (LCL) sailings leave weekly, and the ocean leg is typically about four weeks. Add time for packing and consolidation at origin, customs clearance and delivery in New Zealand. Your broker confirms the sailing and arrival date in the firm quote.

LCL (less than container load) means your goods share a container with other importers’ cargo and you pay for the space you use. FCL (full container load) means you rent the whole container. LCL usually suits smaller shipments, and FCL suits larger ones. Full containers are quoted by a broker: choose “Full container” on the quote form. See our guide to LCL vs FCL.

On whichever is larger: cubic metres or tonnes. Your supplier’s packing list shows both. A minimum chargeable amount applies to small consignments, and the estimate assumes one cubic metre or tonne until a broker confirms it. If you don’t know your volume, the form can estimate it from your products, with a wider price range to match.

Not yet. ClearLane covers sea freight only.

The last leg is priced by distance from the NZ port to your town, with a flat rate for metro runs and a per-kilometre rate beyond that. If your goods cross Cook Strait, the ferry is included. If you’d rather collect from the port yourself, choose “I’ll collect from the port” and delivery is left out. A carrier confirms the final price for your address, access and unloading.

Yes, tick “Pickup from the supplier needed” on the form and give the address. Pickup isn’t priced in the instant estimate, so the broker adds it to your firm quote. Under Ex Works (EXW) terms, pickup and export clearance in China are yours to arrange, so the estimate allows extra for them.

Some, but they need handling that ordinary cargo doesn’t. Batteries, liquids, aerosols and similar goods count as dangerous goods for shipping. Tell us on the form, and the broker will confirm whether the goods can travel, how they need to be packed and declared, and what it adds to the price.

Qualifying Chinese-made goods enter New Zealand duty-free under the NZ–China free trade agreement. You need to be able to show the goods originate in China if Customs asks, using a certificate, a declaration of origin or other evidence. Without that, duty applies at the general rate for the product, between 0% and about 10% for most goods.

Ask your supplier for a certificate of origin or an origin declaration under the free trade agreement, and keep it with your shipping records. Goods shipped from China aren’t automatically Chinese-made, so “Not sure yet” is a fair answer on the form, and the estimate allows for duty in that case. Our guide to the China–NZ free trade agreement explains the evidence Customs accepts.

Customs does not collect duty or GST on goods valued at NZ$1,000 or less, unless they are part of a larger consignment. A small low-value goods levy applies instead, and the calculator takes this into account.

GST is 15%. On goods over NZ$1,000 it applies to the customs value, including freight and insurance to New Zealand, plus any duty, and Customs collects it when your goods are cleared. New Zealand services such as port charges and delivery carry GST as well. See NZ import duty, GST and levies explained.

Tick “I’m GST-registered” on the form. The estimate then shows your costs without the GST you can claim back, and lists the claimable amount separately, so your cost per unit reflects what the goods really cost your business.

Fees that Customs and the Ministry for Primary Industries charge on imported goods. For sea freight from 1 April 2026, it’s NZ$118.44 for goods over NZ$1,000 (per entry), or NZ$2.09 for goods at or under NZ$1,000 (per consignment), plus GST. The calculator includes the right one automatically.

They are indicative general rates by product category, not a ruling on your exact product. Duty depends on the tariff code your goods fall under, so the broker confirms the code and the rate for your firm quote. If your goods qualify for the free trade agreement, the duty is zero whatever the category.

Everything arriving in New Zealand needs a customs entry, and a licensed customs broker usually lodges it. By default ClearLane’s broker partner does this for you. If you already have your own broker, choose “No, I have my own broker” on the form and clearance is left out of the quote.

Yes. Some goods are restricted or need approval before they arrive, and biosecurity rules apply to things like food, plants, timber and animal products. If your goods might be affected, mention it in the comments and the broker will flag what’s needed. The Ministry for Primary Industries and Customs websites list the rules.

No. Transport insurance is optional and shown as a separate line so you can see its effect on your per-unit cost. Prices shown are examples while we finalise an insurer.

They are the Institute Cargo Clauses. Clause C covers major casualties such as fire, sinking, collision or a container lost overboard. Clause B adds heavy weather, water entering the cargo and earthquake. Clause A is “all risks” and adds theft, pilferage, handling damage and short delivery. See our guide to cargo insurance for importers.

A shipping line’s legal liability for lost or damaged cargo is capped by weight or package under the international carriage rules, often far below what your goods cost, so without insurance you carry most of the risk yourself. How much cover to buy depends on the value of your goods and how much loss you could absorb. The estimate sets the sum insured at your goods plus freight plus 10%.

An Incoterm says which costs and risks your supplier covers and which are yours. FOB (Free on Board) is the common one for sea freight: your supplier delivers to the port in China and loads the ship, and you pay for everything after that. The invoice states the term, and the form fills it in if you upload an invoice. Read Incoterms explained for importers.

Under CFR and CIF, your supplier’s price already includes sea freight (and insurance under CIF), so the estimate leaves those out and prices only the New Zealand side. Under DAP, your supplier arranges freight and delivery, so only customs clearance is quoted, and under DDP your supplier covers freight, duty and GST, so there is nothing to quote. With CFR and CIF, the invoice total includes freight, which Customs counts differently, so the duty shown can be slightly high.

The calculator works in NZD, USD, AUD, EUR, GBP and CNY (RMB). Amounts are converted to New Zealand dollars at the exchange rate used in the estimate, and the price range allows for exchange rate movement.

We use them to price your shipment and pass them to the freight forwarder and customs broker who quote and clear your goods. Quote requests and attached documents are kept only as long as we need them and we aim to delete them within two years afterwards. Read the privacy policy for the detail, including how to ask us to see, correct or delete your information.

No. We only contact you about the quote you asked for. You tick a box to agree to that before you send the request.

Email hello@clearlane.co.nz. For a price on a specific shipment, the quote form is quickest, because it gives the broker everything they need.