Own forwarder with a UK sourcing company?
Yes, if agreed in your order terms, your own forwarder can collect in China and ship directly to your destination port. Agree the collection point, export tasks, charges and named shipment approver before booking. Ask Cambridge China Bridge to coordinate the factory handoff through its staff in China.
Agree the direct-shipment arrangement
Tell the sourcing company that you are an overseas buyer appointing your own forwarder for shipment from China to your destination port. Ask the quote to identify the contracting seller, sourcing scope, collection location and freight exclusions. Confirm whether the UK company is selling you the goods or coordinating your purchase from the factory. Start with buying through a UK company.
Introduce your forwarder and its China-side agent to the sourcing contact before booking. Share the order reference, goods description, packing plan, destination port and proposed collection arrangements. Ask each party to acknowledge its tasks. The sourcing agent, forwarder and customs broker guide explains their roles; this handoff needs named contacts for the actual shipment.
Name the collection point precisely
Use the FCA or FOB guide to select the delivery term. Record the agreed term, edition and named place in the order. Incoterms do not apply to the contract of carriage, so agree the forwarder's transport instructions separately.
Specify the factory, consolidation warehouse or terminal address and the exact handover point. Distinguish collection of packed goods from collection of a loaded container. Agree who supplies the empty container, loads and secures the goods, seals it and arranges transport to the terminal. Confirm site access, loading equipment, collection appointment and who pays the agreed origin charges.
Allocate export tasks and document checks
Ask the sourcing company and forwarder's China-side agent to name the export-document provider and the party arranging export clearance. Record who prepares the invoice and packing list, supplies shipment data, handles queries and confirms readiness for dispatch. Ask them to confirm the exporter and shipper names proposed for the documents; do not assume either must be the UK company.
Circulate draft documents for review before collection. Reconcile goods descriptions, quantities, weights, carton marks, destination and consignee details. Give your destination customs broker the drafts and ask them to confirm destination rules, importer arrangements and required product evidence. Resolve requested corrections with the sourcing company before final packing or document issue.
Control collection and cargo release
Agree who can authorise factory dispatch and which conditions must be closed first. Use the inspection, packing, shipment and payment approval guide for the separate decisions. Send the factory and forwarder's China-side agent a collection instruction identifying the released batch, approved collecting party and booking reference. Ask the factory to verify the arriving collector against that instruction.
Agree separately who approves transport-document drafts, requests amendments and instructs the carrier's cargo-release process. Ask the forwarder to confirm the chosen process and any outstanding conditions. Keep the collection receipt, loading photographs and container and seal references where applicable. A booking confirmation should not substitute for dispatch permission or confirmation that destination cargo release is ready.
Plan for changes and repeat containers
Ask your forwarder to confirm booking cut-offs, origin charges, destination charges within its scope and cargo-insurance arrangements. Agree who handles a missed collection, rejected loading, changed vessel or document mismatch, and who approves extra costs. If inspection or packing remains unresolved, tell the forwarder that collection is on hold before a vehicle is dispatched.
For container programmes, keep a shared handoff record for each shipment: goods ready, documents checked, dispatch authorised, collection completed and release instructions confirmed. Ask Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China to coordinate factory evidence and local contacts within the agreed scope. Reconfirm the destination and appointed agents when an order changes.
Frequently asked questions
Can my forwarder collect directly from the Chinese factory?
Yes, if agreed in the order. Confirm the address, goods or loaded-container collection, loading tasks, China-side agent and written dispatch authority before sending a vehicle.
Do the goods need to come through the UK?
You can agree shipment directly from China to your destination port. Specify that route in the quote and booking, and ask your own customs broker to confirm destination rules.
Who handles export clearance if I use my own forwarder?
Agree this before booking. Ask the sourcing company and forwarder's China-side agent to identify the export-document provider, exporter and party arranging clearance, with charges recorded.
Does a passed inspection let my forwarder collect?
Check the order terms and earlier instructions. Agree a named dispatch approver and explicit collection release identifying the goods, collecting party and any conditions still to be closed.