Buying from China through a UK company
Cambridge China Bridge sells goods made in China to you as a UK company. You pay in pounds to a UK bank account, receive a UK VAT invoice, and you do not need to be the importer. The contract is under English law, so your recourse is with a UK company. It suits procurement teams that must pay a UK-registered supplier, first-time importers, and buyers who would rather have a UK company answerable for the order than pay an overseas factory or trading company direct.
What you get
- You buy from a UK company and pay in pounds sterling to a UK bank account.
- A UK VAT invoice for the order, so it goes through your accounts like any other UK purchase.
- You do not need to be the importer: the factory, the shipping and UK customs are handled on our side.
- One price in pounds on one invoice, instead of separate payments to a factory, a freight forwarder and a customs broker.
- A contract under English law, so if something goes wrong your recourse is with a UK company.
- Supplier onboarding forms and questionnaires completed for your procurement team.
- £0 sourcing fee or commission on the goods order, and no minimum order on our side; the factory's own minimum applies separately.
- Audits and inspections are usually included in the quote for an order placed with us; complex checks that need a third party are charged extra.
- If your contract requires a specific insurance cover, we put it in place before the order starts.
Supplier onboarding pack
For procurement and finance teams setting up a new supplier. For your vendor-onboarding form we provide:
- Registered company name: Piggy Pineapple Ltd, trading as Cambridge China Bridge
- Companies House number: 14385590
- UK VAT number: GB488899780
- Registered office: 1 Anglers Way, Cambridge, CB4 1TZ, United Kingdom
- Bank details for our UK bank account, on request
- A contract under English law
- Your supplier questionnaire, completed
Send your onboarding form or questionnaire with your enquiry and we return it completed.
How it works
- Send the product, quantity and delivery address, with your supplier onboarding form or questionnaire if your organisation uses one.
- We complete your onboarding so you can set us up as a UK supplier.
- We quote one price in pounds, with the specification and documents agreed.
- You place the order with us under an English-law contract and pay in pounds to our UK bank account.
- We buy from the factory, check the goods, ship them, import them and send you a UK VAT invoice.
Questions buyers ask
Why buy through a UK company instead of direct from a Chinese factory?
You pay a UK-registered company in pounds, receive a UK VAT invoice and have a contract under English law, so your recourse is in the UK. You also do not need to be the importer: we deal with the factory, the shipping and UK customs.
Our organisation can only pay suppliers on its vendor list. What do you need from us?
Send us your supplier onboarding form or questionnaire. We complete it and provide our company number, VAT number and registered address, with bank details on request, so your finance team can set us up as a UK supplier.
Do I need to be the importer?
No. We sell the goods to you as a UK company, so you do not need to be the importer. If your institution wants to be the importer itself, for example to claim a customs relief, we can act as its agent instead.
I have been let down by an overseas supplier before. What is different here?
Your contract is with a UK company under English law, and you pay in pounds to a UK bank account rather than to an account overseas. Finding the factory, checking the goods and shipping them are ours to manage.
Our contract requires a specific insurance cover. Can you meet that?
If your contract requires a specific insurance cover, we put it in place before the order starts.
Is there a fee on top of the goods?
There is no sourcing fee or commission on goods orders, and no minimum order on our side. The factory's own minimum applies separately and is stated in the quote.