Sea · LCL
LCL consolidated cargo by sea from China
Consolidated cargo by sea takes around 70 days from China to Ukraine and suits you while your shipment is smaller than a container: you pay for the volume you actually occupy, not for the whole container. There is no minimum shipment. We build the consignment at our own warehouses in Guangzhou, Beijing, Yiwu and Hong Kong and see it through customs clearance and delivery to your warehouse.
Who LCL suits, and who it no longer suits
LCL makes sense while your cargo occupies only part of a container. As soon as the volume approaches a full container, the container usually works out cheaper per cubic metre — and that is the moment to look at FCL.
Consolidated cargo is the normal working mode for a retailer topping up its range every month or two, for a manufacturer sourcing components from three different suppliers, and for anyone testing a new product who does not want to order a container blind.
What LCL will not do is move fast. 70 days is a transit time you have to plan your purchasing around. If you need the goods in two weeks, look at air freight; if in six weeks, at rail.
How your shipment is built in China
Suppliers deliver the goods to our warehouse themselves, or we collect them with our own transport inside China. The receiving warehouse takes the cargo in, checks the number of packages and weighs and measures each one.
The cargo is then processed to your instructions. All of it happens in China only, before departure: inspection of the goods, photo and video reports, repacking into export cartons, reinforced packing for fragile items, labelling and sticker application to the requirements of your warehouse or marketplace. Doing this in Ukraine is too late and too expensive — by then the cargo is already sealed and cleared.
Once the shipment is complete we issue the final measurements and the final rate, and the cargo moves to the port.
Cost and how it passes customs
The rate for consolidated cargo is charged on the greater of two figures — actual weight or volume. Light bulky goods are charged by cubic metre, heavy dense goods by weight. Beyond density, the rate is driven by the product category and the documents it requires, the city of dispatch in China, the destination port and the season — each factor is set out on the What your rate depends on page. We calculate the exact rate for your specific cargo and fix it before departure — it is not recalculated on arrival.
Departures from our warehouses in China run daily, so an assembled shipment does not wait weeks for the next sailing. Destination ports are Odesa and Chornomorsk; where necessary we route via Gdańsk or Constanța with onward road delivery.
At the border you have two options. First: we handle clearance ourselves, through our own and partner brokers, prepare a full set of documents for your accounts and, if needed, contract with your legal entity. Second: we bring the cargo to the terminal and your broker takes it from there. The logistics rate is the same either way — you do not pay for a service you are not using. Once released, the cargo travels by road to any city in Ukraine.
Key facts
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Transit time | 70 days from departure |
| Minimum shipment | none |
| When a container is better | full or near-full load |
| Departures from the China warehouse | daily |
| Consolidation warehouses (CFS) | Guangzhou, Beijing, Yiwu, Hong Kong |
| Destination ports | Odesa, Chornomorsk; Gdańsk / Constanța if required |
Why work with us
Your money does not sit in transit for two months
With sea freight you pay the factory today and start selling 70 days later. We can pay for the purchase from our own funds and you settle later — purchase financing removes the biggest drawback of sea freight.
Cargo moves even without documents from the supplier
We issue the Chinese export declaration when the factory has no export licence and you have no paperwork for the goods. This is exactly the situation in which most carriers simply decline.
You can see where the cargo is without calling a manager
Shipment status sits in your personal account: receipt at the warehouse, loading, departure from the port, arrival, customs clearance.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Quote · free of charge
Get a rate for consolidated cargo
Describe the cargo — goods, number of packages, weight and dimensions — and we will calculate the rate and transit time, then fix them before departure.