What we have written down

22 pieces covering the questions that decide whether an import runs smoothly: how freight is priced, what customs actually costs, which supplier checks are worth doing before you pay, and what to do when something goes wrong.

The full texts are written in Polish. They deal with Polish customs procedure, Polish VAT and Polish delivery addresses, so a literal translation would read as English while answering the wrong reader’s questions. Summaries below are in English; the articles open in Polish. If a specific topic matters to you, write to us and we will answer it in English directly.

Your first import from China: where to start

The order of operations before you place an order: tariff classification, product requirements, the full landed cost, EORI and customs representation, and what not to do on a first shipment.

Full text in Polish

Import strategy

How long does freight from China to Poland take

Realistic transit times by sea, rail, air and courier, what the quoted term actually covers, and the five to fifteen days most importers forget to add.

Full text in Polish

Customs clearance

HS codes: how to classify, and why your supplier is not the authority

How HS, CN and TARIC stack up, how to classify a product yourself, what an incorrect code costs, and when a binding tariff information is worth applying for.

Full text in Polish

Costs and pricing

Demurrage and detention: where they come from and how to avoid them

The difference between the two charges, when the clock starts, how long free time usually runs, and why the cause is almost always a document rather than a truck.

Full text in Polish

Costs and pricing

CBM, volumetric weight and chargeable weight

How to calculate shipment volume, why couriers divide by 5000 and air cargo by 6000, and where packaging decisions save more than rate negotiation.

Full text in Polish

Customs clearance

Customs inspection and detention of goods

What triggers an inspection, the three levels of checks, who pays for unloading and laboratory testing, and what to do when a shipment is held.

Full text in Polish

GPSR, CE marking and the declaration of conformity

What an importer must hold before placing goods on the EU market, how own branding turns you into the manufacturer, and why the paperwork has to exist before the container arrives.

Full text in Polish

Import strategy

Cargo insurance on imports from China

Why carrier liability is not insurance, how clauses A, B and C differ, what CIF actually covers, and the exclusions that surprise importers after a loss.

Full text in Polish

Damaged cargo: what to do in the first hour

Why a clean signature ends the claim, the order in which to photograph the damage, notification deadlines by mode of transport, and the two claim routes you must open in parallel.

Full text in Polish

Import strategy

Paying a Chinese supplier: T/T, letters of credit and platform protection

How to split the payment so you keep leverage, when a letter of credit is worth the cost, and the bank-account switch that costs importers the most money.

Full text in Polish

Importing samples from China

Why clearing a thirty-dollar sample can cost three times its value, which reliefs exist, and why asking a supplier to understate the value is the importer's problem, not theirs.

Full text in Polish

Import strategy

Chinese New Year: the importer's decision calendar

Why the shutdown lasts closer to six weeks than to one, the deadlines counted backwards from the holiday, and the options left when the goods will not make it.

Full text in Polish

Import strategy

The importer's dormant vigilance

Why importers stop comparing freight rates after a few smooth shipments, why the forwarder has no reason to point it out, and what the habit costs over a year.

Full text in Polish

Sea freight from China: FCL vs LCL

Container capacities, the break-even point in CBM, the hidden costs of groupage, demurrage and detention, and which Polish ports to use.

Full text in Polish

Rail freight from China in 2026

Transit times on the New Silk Road, terminals, capacity risk on the corridor and when rail beats both sea and air.

Full text in Polish

Air freight from China

Chargeable weight, the 6000 divisor, restricted goods and the narrow set of cases where air freight genuinely pays for itself.

Full text in Polish

Costs and pricing

What a freight price is actually made of

Base freight, BAF, CAF, PSS, terminal handling at both ends, documentation, customs and the domestic leg - the lines that turn a cheap quote into an expensive invoice.

Full text in Polish

Incoterms when importing from China

Who pays for what and where risk passes, with the traps in EXW and DDP that Polish importers hit most often.

Full text in Polish

Customs clearance

Customs clearance of imports from China

EORI, HS classification, customs value, duty rates and import VAT in Poland, plus the documents that hold shipments at the terminal.

Full text in Polish

Choosing a forwarder: 27 questions

The checklist to run before the first shipment and before each renewal - what to ask so the quoted price still holds at the end.

Full text in Polish

Costs and pricing

Seasonality of freight rates from China

Chinese New Year, the pre-Christmas peak and Golden Week, when rates move and how far ahead to book.

Full text in Polish

How to verify a Chinese supplier

Business licence, scope of activity, the bank account name, factory audits and pre-shipment inspection - checks that are cheap before you pay and impossible afterwards.

Full text in Polish

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