This is a key legal issue. If the inspection is conducted by a third party appointed by us, we will be the primary responsible party and provide limited compensation to you, after which we will seek reimbursement from the inspection agency; if the inspection agency is designated by you personally (such as SGS), you will need to file a claim directly with that agency according to its service terms.

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.

Under FOB terms, booking is a legal obligation of the buyer. If your freight forwarder fails to provide the shipping order (S/O) in time, resulting in vehicles exceeding the free storage period at our warehouse or port, the buyer will have to pay the high daily storage fees before shipment.