A realistic timeline: sourcing and negotiation 3-7 days; deposit and booking 1-2 days; pre-shipment inspection 2-4 days; export clearance and vessel booking 7-14 days; sea freight 2-5 weeks depending on destination; import customs clearance and port release 5-10 days. Overall, plan for roughly 5-8 weeks from order to port of destination by sea. For Central Asia and Russia by rail, 2-3 weeks total is common. Tips: ask the exporter for a written schedule with milestones (inspection done, customs cleared, vessel loaded, ETA); track the vessel yourself once you have the container or booking number; and remember Chinese holidays — Chinese New Year and Golden Week can add 1-2 weeks of delay.

Based on practical risk assessment, we strongly recommend setting aside 3% to 5% of the car price as a buffer fund for even the highest-rated used cars, to cover oil changes, new tires, minor shipping scratches, and local inspection labor costs.

EXW means you pay only for the car at the seller's yard—you handle everything else, including inland transport in China and export clearance, which is impractical from overseas. FOB includes delivery to the port and export customs clearance; you pay for ocean freight and insurance. CIF adds freight and basic insurance to a named destination port. For a first-time buyer, FOB is usually the best balance: the exporter, who knows Chinese logistics, handles the complicated part, while you control the freight booking and can shop rates among forwarders. Watch for exporters quoting unrealistically low FOB prices and making margin on inflated 'shipping services' later. Get a separate freight quote before signing, and compare the exporter's CIF offer against FOB plus your own freight estimate. Ask explicitly whether the price includes inspection, export license fees, and port charges—ambiguity here is the most common source of disputes.