Ramsden Purchasing Ltd is a Lancashire-based company that specialises in sourcing from China. It is designed to help companies that are seeking suppliers from whom to import quality products at a competitive price.
Our staff include two Chinese buyers who source directly from approved Chinese factories. We inspect all the goods before dispatch from China and organise delivery to your door. As part of the service, we advise on import duty, freight options (sea or air freight) and the payment process.
With our expertise and experience, we are uniquely placed to support companies looking to import goods from China. To arrange a no-strings discussion or meeting and find out more about how we could assist you, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We worked with Carly Green, Managing Director of EC Ecology Ltd, helping her to source and import her new range of uniquely illustrated reusable bottles. Click on the video to listen to Carly’s feedback. Click on EC the Whale to see more of the bottles.
Mick’s career has been in quality, logistics and procurement. He has been doing business in China for 15 years and also owns a business that trades polymers. His mission is to always deliver what the customer wants and, to help clients develop their businesses.
Jecky has a Masters Degree in International Trade and has worked as an Export Manager for a major chemical plant. He runs his own import – export business that has an export licence, enabling him to trade both inside and outside China.
China has been the manufacturing centre of the World for over 30 years.
In China you can find almost anything you want from small handicrafts, like jewellery, to large capital equipment such as agricultural machinery.
Many people have heard of the Yiwu market (4) where you can source many of the popular products you see sold on Ebay and Amazon. We wanted to talk you through how we can help you import from China.
Got a question? Just give us a call on +44 7957 928862or email mr@ramsdenpurchasing.com
"Supply of carbonless paper has been increasingly difficult and prices have risen significantly in the last 12 – 18 months. With Mick's assistance, we sourced a Chinese manufacturer with high quality and very competitive prices. I even accompanied Mick on one of his sourcing missions to China; I visited the supplier for myself, which was a very worthwhile experience. I would highly recommend the service provided by Ramsden Purchasing."
"Ramsden Purchasing has provided an inspection and delivery service for our sail blind fixings for a number of years. The service has always been excellent and we are currently using Mick to source a range of new products."
“It’s important that our brand colours must be the correct pantone reference and all branded merchandise must meet our high standards. We want competitive prices, but we also need a pre-checked quality product. Sourcing through Ramsden Purchasing provides the total service we need.”
The search is free. We will discuss either a service fee or import on your behalf through our Chinese import / export company.
All products have a commodity code which can be found via https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff A customs import duty is charged on arrival in the UK, dependent on the commodity code, plus VAT at the current rate (20%). This is usually payable before shipment from customs, unless you have a deferment account.
Contrary to current public opinion, we are confident that the world will not end! However, the import rules will change if we leave the EU without a trade deal. We would revert to WTO (World Trade Organisation) trade rules; China is part of the WTO and import tariffs will be decided by the UK. It is important to remember that, under the WTO’s “most favoured nation” rules, the UK could not lower tariffs for the EU or any specific country alone; it would have to treat every other WTO member around the world in exactly the same way.
We can advise and help set up accounts with FX brokers (currency exchange) such as Western Union or Cornhill FX. It is now possible to pay your supplier in Chinese yen (RMB) rather than in US dollars; this may be advantageous in the event of a weak pound.
Payment terms are usually 30% on order and 70% on presentation of the bill of lading (see paperwork explanation).
These are among many incoterms (terms relating to international commercial law). FOB and CIF respectively stand for ‘free on board’ and ‘cost, insurance and freight’, while ‘ex-works’ means that it is the buyer’s responsibility to collect the goods from the Chinese factory. We recommend FOB for importing, due to lower cost and controls, however we always calculate the best value means of door-to-door freight.
FCL denotes a full container load, while LCL means less than a container load (groupage).
Yes, it is the main Chinese holiday with a shutdown of several weeks. As shipping is usually more expensive in the run-up to Chinese New Year and since delays can occur, it is best to plan ahead.
The main documents are a bill of lading, a packing specification, a commercial invoice and – sometimes – a certificate of origin is used to calculate the duty and VAT paid. The presentation of the bill of lading usually prompts the final supplier payment and the commercial invoice is used to calculate the duty paid on the goods along with the freight cost.
The freight forwarder organises delivery to your door from either the factory (ex-works) or the Chinese port (FOB). We use several freight forwarders and can advise you on costs and service.
