Turnkey shipping from China to Ukraine means a single provider handles the entire import chain: buying or consolidating your goods at a warehouse in China, international freight, customs clearance with duty and VAT paid, and delivery to your warehouse or a Nova Poshta branch — with paperwork your accountant can actually book. AgilFreight works this way for commercial shipments from 100 kg and offers two "white import" schemes (the Ukrainian term for fully documented, above-board imports): under the contract of your own sole proprietorship (FOP) or LLC, or under our foreign trade contract, in which case you need neither your own customs accreditation nor any foreign currency transactions.
This guide explains how the two schemes differ from "grey" cargo, what exactly is included in the price of door-to-door shipping from China to Ukraine with customs clearance and what is billed separately, and what the full landed cost looks like on a 400 kg example shipment.
What turnkey shipping from China includes
Turnkey means you don't have to find a carrier, a customs broker and a domestic courier separately. With AgilFreight, a turnkey import from China covers:
- supplier sourcing and purchasing on 1688, Taobao or Alibaba — if you haven't bought the goods yourself;
- receiving at our warehouses in Guangzhou, Yiwu or Shenzhen: quantity check, photo report, repacking and consolidation of goods from several suppliers;
- international freight by the mode of your choice: air in 7–12 days (from $5.9/kg), road in 15–22 days (from $3.4/kg), rail in 20–30 days (from $3.1/kg), sea in 35–50 days (from $235/m³ in a consolidated container);
- cargo insurance for the full value — from 1%;
- customs clearance: HS code classification, document review, certification where required, the customs declaration and payment of duties;
- delivery to your warehouse or a Nova Poshta branch;
- a set of accounting documents, depending on the scheme you choose.
All transit times are door to door, including consolidation in China and customs clearance in Ukraine.
In Incoterms language, this is essentially DDP shipping from China to Ukraine: the goods arrive already cleared, with all payments made. Strictly speaking, DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) means the buyer is not the one paying import duties — which is exactly how importing under our contract works. If your company is the importer of record, you are legally the party paying duty and VAT, and we organize everything else. Our guide to Incoterms for importers explains how costs and risks are split between the parties, and you can check the delivery terms in a supplier's price list with our interactive Incoterms reference.
Who it's for, and why 100 kg is the minimum
Customs-cleared delivery from China is designed for businesses that need legitimate goods with documented origin:
- sellers on Rozetka, Prom and other marketplaces;
- wholesalers and retailers restocking on a regular basis;
- sole proprietors and LLCs buying equipment, components or consumables for their own production;
- companies new to importing that don't have their own foreign trade contract.
We accept commercial shipments from 100 kg. The reason is simple: a customs declaration costs from $100 per shipment, which adds at least $1 per kilogram on a 100 kg shipment — and $5 per kilogram on 20 kg. Below that, the paperwork eats your margin.
If your order is still smaller than that, there's no need to ship it right away. Goods from one or several suppliers accumulate at our warehouse in China, the first 30 days of storage are free, and we ship as soon as the batch reaches 100 kg. See how consolidation works on our consolidated cargo page, and find rates for every volume — from 100 kg to a full container — in our guide to wholesale shipping from China.
Two schemes for white import from China
A white import means the goods are properly cleared through customs and backed by documents: you can put them on your books, sell them officially and prove their origin whenever a marketplace asks. AgilFreight offers two schemes for this, both described on our customs clearance page.
Scheme 1: under your contract — you are the importer
Your sole proprietorship or LLC signs a foreign trade contract with the supplier, pays for the goods and appears as the importer on the customs declaration. To do that, the company must be accredited with customs. If it isn't yet, we'll register your company or sole proprietorship remotely within 1–2 days, from $50. Our licensed broker then files the declaration in your name, and your company is the party liable for duty and VAT.
You receive the full package: the customs declaration, the invoice and the CMR consignment note. These are the documents you book the goods against, and the VAT paid at customs becomes input VAT credit if you are VAT-registered.
Best for: regular importers, VAT-registered businesses and sellers moving onto Rozetka, where the "contract — invoice — customs declaration" package is considered the gold standard.
Scheme 2: under our contract — no foreign trade setup of your own
We import the cargo under our foreign trade contract: our company is the importer of record and pays all customs charges. You receive goods that are already cleared, together with a delivery note (vydatkova nakladna) and a certificate of completed work from a Ukrainian legal entity. You operate without your own customs accreditation and without foreign currency transactions. The fee for importing under our contract is 2–4% of the goods value; freight, duty and VAT are calculated the same way as in Scheme 1.
Best for: businesses just starting to import, buying irregularly, or not wanting to run foreign trade in-house — contracts, currency control, declarations in their own name.
One VAT nuance: the input VAT credit from the customs declaration belongs to the importer, which in this scheme is us, not you. For businesses that aren't VAT-registered this changes nothing; VAT-registered businesses should compare both schemes with their accountant, since only Scheme 1 gives you the full document package in your company's name.
Comparison: your contract, our contract or grey cargo
| Criterion | Scheme 1: your contract | Scheme 2: our contract | Grey cargo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Importer of record | Your sole proprietorship or LLC | Our company | Not backed by documents |
| Documents you get | Customs declaration, invoice, CMR | Delivery note, certificate of completed work | No documents proving legal import |
| What you need | Customs accreditation (1–2 days, from $50), a foreign trade contract, a currency payment to the supplier | Just a contract with us | Nothing — and that's the trap |
| Input VAT credit | Yes, if VAT-registered | Not from the customs declaration — it's in our name | No |
| Marketplaces | Full package, the gold standard for Rozetka | An easy start; sellers moving onto Rozetka usually switch to Scheme 1 | Sometimes passes for tests on Prom; you can't scale on Rozetka |
| Risks | Minimal with the right HS code and the real value declared | The importer answers to customs — that's us | Goods can't be booked, marketplace blocks, risk of confiscation |
| Cost logic | Freight + duty and VAT + declaration from $100 | The same + 2–4% of the goods value | One per-kg rate that may look lower, but no documents |
| Best for | Regular imports, VAT-registered businesses | Getting started, irregular purchases, no foreign trade setup | Not recommended for a business |
A word on grey cargo — no drama, just the facts. What makes cargo grey isn't the per-kilogram rate; it's the missing paperwork. If, after delivery, you have neither a customs declaration in your company's name nor a delivery note from a Ukrainian supplier, the goods formally have no origin. You can't book them, you won't get onto Rozetka with them, and attempts to bypass proper clearance — undervaluing the invoice or importing without mandatory documents — carry fines, delays and, in extreme cases, confiscation. On a test batch that risk is easy to underestimate; for a business with regular shipments, it isn't.
What the price includes and what's billed separately
The final price of shipping from China with documents is made up of several items. Some services are free; others depend on the product:
| Item | How it's charged | AgilFreight guide price |
|---|---|---|
| Freight China — Ukraine | By weight or by volume, depending on cargo density | Air from $5.9/kg, road from $3.4/kg, rail from $3.1/kg, sea from $1.6/kg or $235/m³ |
| Import duty | On the customs value, rate set by HS code | 0–12% depending on category |
| VAT | On customs value + duty | 20% |
| Customs declaration (broker) | Per shipment | From $100 |
| Customs accreditation | One-off, Scheme 1 | From $50 |
| Import under our contract | Scheme 2 | 2–4% of the goods value |
| Certification | Per item, if the product is regulated | From $150, 5–15 business days |
| Insurance | On the declared value | From 1% |
| Product buyout | If we purchase the goods | 3–8% depending on the amount |
| Supplier sourcing | If you don't have a factory yet | From $150 for a shortlist of 3–5 factories |
| Repacking | If needed | From $2 per package |
| Receiving, consolidation, photo report, storage up to 30 days | — | Free |
| HS code classification | For clients | Free |
Freight rates are for dense cargo of 250 kg/m³ and above. Lighter cargo pays a higher per-kg rate, and below 100 kg/m³ it is charged per cubic metre.
Duty and VAT are calculated not on the goods price but on the customs value: goods + shipping to the border + insurance. We cover rates by category, the formula and common mistakes in our guide to customs clearance for goods from China. Toys, electronics, cosmetics, children's products and personal protective equipment require conformity assessment — our guide to certification of goods from China explains what your product needs. If the goods still have to be bought, our product buyout service, with payment to the supplier in yuan, costs 8% for orders under $1,000, 5% for $1,000–5,000 and 3% for larger orders from $5,000.
Sample calculation: 400 kg of goods by rail
This is a hypothetical example, not a real client case: it shows how the landed cost adds up. Inputs: 2,000 units of sporting goods at $2.50 each, so $5,000 worth of goods; gross weight 400 kg, volume 1.5 m³. Density is 400 / 1.5 ≈ 267 kg/m³, so the cargo is charged per kilogram at the base rate. Shipping by rail, 10% duty on sporting goods, importing under your own contract (Scheme 1), no customs accreditation yet, and you pay the supplier yourself.
Customs payments first. Customs value: 5,000 + 1,240 (freight) + 50 (insurance) = $6,290. Duty at 10%: $629. VAT: (6,290 + 629) × 20% = $1,383.80. Total customs payments: $2,012.80, or about 40% of the goods price. For simplicity, we — like our customs calculator — include the full freight cost in the base. In reality, only shipping up to the Ukrainian border counts toward customs value, so actual payments will be slightly lower.
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Goods | 2,000 × $2.50 | $5,000.00 |
| Rail freight | 400 kg × $3.1 | $1,240.00 |
| Insurance | 1% of $5,000 | $50.00 |
| Duty 10% | 6,290 × 10% | $629.00 |
| VAT 20% | 6,919 × 20% | $1,383.80 |
| Customs declaration | AgilFreight broker | $100.00 |
| Customs accreditation | One-off | $50.00 |
| Total | $8,452.80 | |
| Per unit | 8,452.80 / 2,000 | ≈ $4.23 |
How other scenarios change the result:
- You are VAT-registered. The $1,383.80 of VAT goes to input credit, bringing the net landed cost to $7,069.00, or ≈ $3.53 per unit.
- Repeat shipments. You're already accredited, so the total is $8,402.80, or ≈ $4.20 per unit.
- Scheme 2, under our contract. No accreditation needed (minus $50), but you add the 2–4% fee on the goods value — $100–200. Total $8,502.80–8,602.80, or ≈ $4.25–4.30 per unit. In this scheme you get no input VAT credit from the customs declaration.
- A different shipping mode. Freight is the biggest variable: air for the same shipment would cost $2,360 instead of $1,240; sea from $640, but 35–50 days in transit. The customs value changes too, and duty and VAT with it.
Plug in your own numbers with our customs clearance calculator and shipping cost calculator. If the product is regulated, add certification — from $150 per item.
How turnkey import works with AgilFreight
- Request. Send us a product description, approximate weight and volume, or a product link — via the form on our contacts page or on Telegram.
- Quote in 30 minutes. Your manager confirms the rate, transit time and shipping plan, and recommends a scheme — your contract or ours. The broker determines the HS code, the duty rate and whether any permits are required.
- Goods at our warehouse in China. You get our warehouse address with your unique client code, and your suppliers ship there. No factory yet? We'll shortlist 3–5 vetted suppliers in 5–7 days. At the warehouse we check quantities and packaging, send you a photo report and repack if needed. Batches under 100 kg can wait up to 30 days free of charge while the rest arrives.
- Documents before departure. We cross-check the invoice and packing list and start certification if it's needed — before the cargo arrives, not once it's sitting at the terminal.
- Shipping. You pay for delivery based on actual weight or volume after weighing at the warehouse, before dispatch. You get a tracking number and access to your client dashboard with status updates at every stage.
- Customs clearance in 1 day. Our licensed broker files the declaration in your company's name or ours, and with documents in order the cargo is released into free circulation within 1 day.
- Delivery to your door, plus documents. We deliver to your warehouse or a Nova Poshta branch and hand over the document set for your chosen scheme.
One personal manager handles the whole journey and answers your messages within 15 minutes during business hours.
Which documents you receive and why they matter
| Scheme | Documents | What they prove |
|---|---|---|
| Your contract | Customs declaration, invoice, CMR | Legal import by your company, the customs value and the payments made |
| Our contract | Delivery note, certificate of completed work | Purchase of goods and services from a Ukrainian legal entity |
Why this matters for a business:
- Input VAT credit. For a VAT-registered business, VAT paid at customs becomes input credit — effectively refunded by reducing your VAT liability. The basis is a customs declaration in your company's name. In the example above, that's $1,383.80 on a single shipment.
- Marketplaces. Rozetka works only with registered businesses, and for most categories you need documents proving the goods' legal origin — an invoice and a customs declaration. Toys, electronics and cosmetics also need a declaration of conformity, and major platforms, from Rozetka to Epicentr, increasingly ask for documents at the listing stage. More in our guide to shipping from China for marketplace sellers.
- Accounting. Goods are booked on the basis of documents: the customs declaration in Scheme 1, or the delivery note and certificate in Scheme 2. Without them your cost of goods is unsupported and your stock exists off the books.
- Bank and currency control. If you pay the supplier directly from your sole proprietorship or LLC, the customs declaration proves that the goods you paid for were actually imported. Prepayments are subject to a 180-day delivery deadline, after which the bank notifies the tax authority. In Scheme 2 there are no currency transactions on your side.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum shipment for turnkey shipping from China?
100 kg. Smaller orders can be accumulated at our warehouse in China: the first 30 days of storage are free, then $0.50 per m³ per day. We combine goods from several suppliers, or several consecutive purchases, into one shipment of 100 kg or more.
Can I import without my own sole proprietorship or foreign trade contract?
Without a foreign trade contract and accreditation — yes: under our contract, our company is the importer and you receive the goods with a delivery note and a certificate of completed work. Without a sole proprietorship or LLC we can still import a commercial shipment under our contract, but to sell officially, including on marketplaces, you will need FOP or LLC status anyway.
How long does customs clearance take?
1 day, provided the documents are ready and the HS code is correctly determined. Delays come from undervaluation, document errors, a missing certificate or a cargo examination triggered by a risk profile. That's why we check the documents before the cargo arrives.
Are duty and VAT included in the per-kilogram rate?
No, they are separate items. The per-kilogram or per-cubic-metre rate is freight; duty and VAT depend on your product's HS code and customs value. That's why turnkey offers should be compared on full landed cost per unit, not on the rate per kilogram.
Which scheme should a VAT-registered business choose?
Usually Scheme 1, under your contract: the customs declaration is issued in your company's name, and the VAT paid at customs goes to input credit. Scheme 2 is more convenient when you're starting out or buying irregularly. Make the final call together with your accountant.