Forged Wheel Shipping, Worldwide — Who Pays What, On Paper

DDP, EXW, FOB or CIF — which one is right for you?

The term on your quote is not fine print: it decides who arranges and pays every leg of the journey. We offer four, and the table below is the whole decision:

VAT-registered business? Under DDP the import is normally handled on our side, not in your name. If your business usually reclaims import VAT, ask your accountant whether DDP or importing yourself under FOB or CIF suits you better — then tell us which, and the quote follows.

What documents travel with the wheels?

Customs delays are almost never about the goods — they are about the paperwork. Ours is boring on purpose:

Who pays customs duties and VAT?

It depends on the term — and it is the main reason most buyers pick DDP.

Under DDP, we do. Import duty and VAT for your destination are included in the landed price on your quote; we clear the import and deliver to your address. Nothing arrives after the wheels except the wheels.

Under EXW, FOB and CIF, you do. Duty and VAT are set by your country and charged on your side of the border; even CIF only carries the goods to your port. In that case, give HS code 8708.70 to your customs broker or look it up with your national authority before your first order — five minutes now, zero surprises later.

Either way, this is why the quote form asks for your destination country and address or port — freight and border costs, not the wheel, are where landed cost varies most between two buyers of the same set.

How long does it take, and how is it packed?

Two clocks run on every order. The first is production: samples 10–15 working days; production 20–30 working days after you approve the drawing; +5 for brushed, polished or two-tone; +15 for PVD chrome; +5 in peak season. The second is transit — and here we refuse to publish a number, because air and sea differ by weeks, ports differ by oceans, and a "typical" figure would be wrong for half the people reading it. Transit is quoted with your specific order, for your specific destination. Air is fast and expensive; sea wins on cost for anything beyond a set or two.

How each wheel is packed

Every wheel is packed on its own, layer by layer:

• protective film on the face;
• foam wrap on the inner and outer rim flanges;
• a clear plastic bag;
• eight cardboard edge protectors inside the box, on the inner and outer side, against direct impact;
• its own carton, with eight external corner protectors on the carton edges.

Single cartons are the normal format — they move easily through courier and freight networks. Larger orders are palletized. Each carton is labelled to match the packing list, so what your warehouse receives reconciles line by line with what cleared customs. And each wheel carries its engraved serial, size, ET, CB and load rating, so a mixed or staggered order cannot get scrambled between our floor and yours.

Ordering a single lip or barrel? Read the freight honesty note first: international freight, customs and duties are charged on the shipment, not the part — and on one piece they routinely cost more than the piece. The maths and the workarounds are on lips & barrels.

Where do you ship?

Worldwide. Most of our orders run to Europe, Australia, the Middle East and North America; other destinations ship the same way with the same documents. Chongqing is UTC+8 — a message sent in your European morning reaches us during our working afternoon, and our working hours overlap more generously with the Gulf and Australia.

Full ordering basics — MOQ 4 pcs, drawing approval, finishes, materials — are on the FAQ, and the whole journey from spec to dispatch is walked through on custom forged wheels.

Shipping FAQ

Which shipping terms do you offer?

DDP, EXW, FOB and CIF. Most buyers choose DDP: we handle every leg — export, main freight, import clearance, duties and VAT, delivery to your address — and the quote is the landed price. EXW: you collect at origin and control everything from our door. FOB: we handle Chinese export clearance and deliver the goods on board; your forwarder takes over from there. CIF: we also book and pay the main freight and insurance to your destination port. The term is stated on the quote — who pays what is on paper before you order.

Which countries do you ship to?

Worldwide — most orders go to Europe, Australia, the Middle East and North America, and other destinations ship the same way. The quote form asks for your destination country and address or port because freight and border costs, not the wheel, are where landed cost varies most.

Who pays customs duties and VAT?

It depends on the term. Under DDP, we do: import duty and VAT for your destination are included in the landed price on the quote. Under EXW, FOB and CIF, the importer — you — pays at your country's rates; check the rate for HS 8708.70 with your broker before ordering. If your business is VAT-registered and normally reclaims import VAT, ask your accountant whether DDP or importing yourself suits you better.

What export documents are included?

Commercial invoice and packing list with every shipment, under HS code 8708.70. On request: the plant's ISO and IATF 16949 certificate copies and the QC record behind your wheels' serial numbers. The approved drawing — size, ET, CB and load rating — supports road approval in your market; our wheels carry no JWL, VIA or TÜV product certification.

How are forged wheels packed for shipping?

Every wheel is packed individually: protective film on the face, foam wrap on the inner and outer rim flanges, a clear plastic bag, eight cardboard edge protectors inside the box on the inner and outer side against direct impact, and its own carton with eight external corner protectors on the carton edges. Single cartons are the normal format because they move easily through courier and freight networks; larger orders are palletized.

How long does shipping take?

Two clocks: production (samples 10–15 working days; orders 20–30 after drawing approval; +5 complex finishes; +15 PVD chrome) and transit, which depends on method and destination — air fast and expensive, sea cheaper for volume — so we quote transit with your specific order rather than publish a number that would be wrong for half the readers.

Can I use my own freight forwarder?

Yes — EXW and FOB exist precisely for that. Under EXW your forwarder controls the shipment from our door; under FOB we clear Chinese export and load the goods, and your forwarder runs everything from the vessel onward. Give us their details with the order and the handover is written into the paperwork.