If you are a wholesaler, brand owner, or individual looking to import products to Mexico from China but are confused about questions like how much it will cost, customs duties fees, delivery time, air or sea shipping routes, documentation required, and so on, do not worry.

In this FAQ guide, we, Winsky Freight, will answer all your questions based on our decades of experience with thousands of happy customers.

Yes, importing from China to Mexico is possible. In fact, every year, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of items are imported into Mexico.

Mexican Customs has imposed laws for the importing of certain items into the country, and no shipping company will be able to do so legally unless there is a special permit from the government. The restricted imported items are;

• Live fish
• Narcotics
• Predators of any size
• Arms and ammunition
• Firearms and ammunition
• Used clothes that are not part of your personal luggage
• Images representing children in a degrading or ridiculous way
• Electronic cigarettes (as of February 2020)

You can also see the detailed list here.

Yes, you can import furniture to Mexico. But, you will need a special “Household Goods Permit” from Mexican customs to do so, no matter whether you are importing furniture for your home or for sale.

In Household Good Certificate, you can import not only furniture but also other items like Artwork, Clothes, Linen, Books, etc.

Yes, you can ship bags & suitcases of any size to Mexico with any items in them ( except restricted items ).

We, Winsky Freight, a reliable freight forwarder company, can give you door delivery of your luggage in Mexico and take care of the customs.

You can see the list below to get a detailed idea about Mexican biggest imports;

Mexican Customs have Prohibited the import of Chocolates & Cakes in any form because;

• They are likely to melt due to hot weather conditions in Mexico.
• Many International shipping depots in Mexico are not air-conditioned, which makes the situation even worse.

That’s why you will not be able to send chocolates to Mexico, no matter whether you are sending them as a gift to someone, for yourself, or for commercial purposes.

Yes, Items Made in China can be imported to Mexico. In fact, every year, a big part of Mexican imports consists of Chinese Products.

In 2021, China consisted of 19.9% of total Mexican Imports. And it will rise to 21% or more in 2022.

Mexico Imports many products from China every year, which includes almost everything, such as household items, electrical products, textile materials, automobile industry, nuclear parts, pharmaceuticals, optical, raw materials, etc.

Every Country has duties on the imported product so does Mexico. And If Mexican Customs state charges on your imported items, then there is no way you can avoid them.

However, there are certain items without custom charges within a specific quantity limit. In that case, you do not need to pay any fees to customs.

If you don’t pay customs within the given time limit ( which is normally 30 days ), then 3-scenarios may happen;

• Parcel will return back to the sender
• Abandoned somewhere in customs storehouses
• Destroyed, but this only happens in certain cases

You lose ownership of your parcel, and your country customs may even resale the items after a certain time.

The Traffic Rates vary from product to product and the shipment quantity. If you need to know the exact duties on your shipment, you need to calculate it yourself by reading the Govt. website.

However, the General Duties on most products in Mexico fall between 0% ~ 35%.

Please beware that duties on some items can go up to 160%, like beverages, cigarettes, cigars, energy drinks, soda, junk food, fuels, etc.

Any parcel whose value is determined below $50 is exempt from taxes & duties in Mexico. This limit was $300 in 2018, but now it is only $50.

However, this criteria does not follow some items such as pharmaceuticals, beverages, etc. In that case, you will have to give duties and taxes even if the product value is below $50.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the whole shipping industry stayed on hold, and after that, everybody needed shipment, which gave rise to an extra surcharge on each container.

Shipping companies increased their prices based on increased demand not only in China but worldwide. However, this situation is worse in China because it is the world’s manufacturing hub, with millions of monthly shipments.

There are mainly 3-reasons why your package is held in Chinese Customs;

• The Duty is not paid yet
• The Documentation is incomplete
• The item is not permitted to export

The Chinese custom will contact you with the relevant reasons, and you can complete whatever is missing to release your parcel.

Yes, it does not matter if you import from Alibaba, Amazon, Aliexpress, Ubuy, or any other platforms; you will have to pay Duties & taxes if your country’s customs deem so.

Maybe, maybe not.

Usually, packages are passed through a scanner or X-ray machines to determine the contents within them. But, if the customs officers inspect something wrong, they have every right to open the package, and they will do so.

Let’s say you imported an item the first time ( without shipping agent help ), and you are not sure if you have to give duties or not, do not worry. Because your country’s customs or standard shipping department will inform you by call, email, or SMS.

If your order is small, like 1 or 2 items, then it’s okay to import them without any customs knowledge.

But, if you have a bulk order, then knowing beforehand about custom duties is essential because it may affect your budget. In that case, always work with some freight forward company because they keep on updating themself on every country’s customs rates.

Yes, you have to pay duties & taxes when you import from China to Mexico, as you would do when importing from any other country.

The thumb rule if you want to process your goods quickly through customs in any country, including Mexico, is;

“Ready all Documents, Pay fees quickly, and Contact an insider person.” 

Almost everybody these days has documentation and pays duties & taxes. But not everybody knows an insider person at customs.

We are not suggesting anything illegal here; we are just suggesting legal agents of shipping companies that are present at every port and help get your shipment process faster.

You could track your package with the Tracking Number if your shipment provider gave it to you. You can put this number on the relevant website and know the details.

Whether the tracking is available or not depends upon the Shipment method you choose.

And even if tracking is available, its detailed level will vary. For example, most shipping companies provide point-to-point shipment, while some only tell you when your parcel is a day away from your delivery destination.

If you choose us, Winsky Freight, we assure you that we will give you every little detail about shipment no matter the shipment method you select.

For example, we will inform you when it is sent from the seller, when it reaches & leaves the seller’s country customs, when it reaches your country, and all other dates until it reaches your doorstep.

It is impossible to say 100% if the shipping services prices will fall or not in 2023. But it is estimated that ocean freight rates will fall in the first few months of 2023, then in the mid, they will rise again due to peak season.

Peak season means when the import rises again due before the onset of the new season.

You can significantly decrease the shipping rates if you follow the below tips;

i) Do Compact Packing: Shipping costs depend on 2 factors, size & weight. We can not control the weight of the products, but we can control the packing size and greatly decrease costs. For example, in a 40 feet container, if 30 assembled chairs can fit in, then situation unpack, then in the same container load, you can put at least 50 ~ 70 boxes of unassembled packed chairs, and the shipping cost of the container will remain the same.

ii) Choose lightweight Packing: Always try to choose lightweight packing, which will help you decrease packing size & weight and saves shipping costs, especially in air freight service & express shipping, where weight matters a lot in addition to package volume.

iii) Plan Ahead: It is recommended to contact a shipping company 3 ~ 6 months before your order your products. In this way, you can avoid peak seasons when shipping rates are very high & deliveries are late. So, if you want your summer products in February, ship them out in December so they can take their normal 30 ~ 60 days and reach you on time.

iv) Find a Best Freight Forwarder: Not Freight forwarders are alike; some provide cheaper shipment options while others do not. The best way to get the right prices is to send quotes to many and choose the lowest rates. Then try a sample shipment. The important point to see here is that we said the right prices, not the cheapest ones, because if someone gives you too low, they will cause delays and other problems.

v) Shipment Method: Sea freight is no doubt the slowest, but it is way cheaper than air & train ones. Always try to increase your order volumes and book a whole container to save a lot of shipping costs.

Shipping from China to Mexico depends upon many 3-main factors, such as;

i) Shipment Method: Air, Sea, Land, etc.

ii) Season of the Year: Peak Season or normal season

iii) Type of Product: Fragile like LCD or Strong items, etc.

Sea freight is the cheapest way to send any parcel from China to Mexico at just $2 ~ $4 per kilo.

If you have enough orders, then you can buy a separate 40-foot container and fill upto 22,550 kg of weight into it, and in this way, it will cost you less than $1 per kilo ( maybe even $0.5 per kilo if you choose FCL shipping ).

At the same time, air shipment is the costliest and costs around $3 ~ $8 per kilo.

It does not necessarily mean ocean freight is always the best option. The problem with sea freight, it takes about 30 ~ 40 days, which can be bothersome for small parcels. In contrast, air shipment takes about 3 ~ 7 days.

So, if your shipment is below 150 kg, air freight is the best, while shipment above 150 kg is recommended for sea freight.

DHL is one of the world’s fastest shipping companies, and it takes only about 3 ~ 5 days to deliver any package from China to Mexico. But the shipping costs are very, very high.

For example, if a parcel of 0.3 kg costs about $7 ( for standard ocean shipping ), it will cost about $99 or more through DHL, which is 14+ times higher.

Air freight which takes about 3 ~ 7 days, is the fastest shipping way to Mexico. But it is also the costliest one.

There could be many reasons why your shipment from China is taking too long, which are;

• Custom documentations & tariff fees are not complete
• Peak Season; more shipments, fewer containers & ships
• Cheap Freight forwarder, which has delayed your shipment
• Other

Every country’s customs have different time standards to clear packages. It takes less than 24 hours ( 1 day ) to clear customs in China. While in Mexico, the standard time limit is 48 to 72 hours ( 2 ~ 3 days ).

Sometimes, it even takes days, weeks, or months to inspect the shipping goods if any problem occurs. So, always try to find a freight forwarder agent to take care of bothersome custom documentation.

When you ship from China to Mexico, the following 9-documents are required for Customs Clearance;

1) Sales contract

2) Customs Declaration

3) Commercial Invoice

4) USMCA Certificate of Origin ( if needed )

5) Packing List ( Details including contents of the cargo with regard to weight/size, etc. )

6) Bill of lading ( Signed by both Carrier & buyer, including details of the Products sold, Origin Place, and Good Quantity )

You do not have to worry about it as long as we, Winsky Freight, are with you all the way. We will take care of every document down to the last word and deliver your shipment to your doorstep.

After reading this article, you have become a pro in all the details about shipping from China to Mexico, like price, time, documentation, etc. But this must have worried you about tons of paperwork, customs clearances, delivery delays, and higher prices in the market. Do not worry.

We, Winsky Freight, can be a one-stop solution for you. We will take care of everything from packing your products to tricky documents completion for customs to delivering the order to your door in Mexico.

Unlike others, we offer all delivery methods like Air, Sea, Road, & Train and we have the best competitive prices in the market, which you can ask our thousands of happy customers, contact us today for a free shipping quote now!