Home/How it works
The whole thing, stage by stage, including where it usually goes wrong and what we need from you to keep it moving.
Step zero
You do not need a specification document. Most first enquiries arrive as a screenshot. What saves the most time is quantity and destination port.
If you don't know the product yet, say what it has to do and what it must cost. We source that way too, it just takes longer.
Timeline
Days are counted from the moment we have your list. Production and sailing are the two things nobody can compress.
| Stage | What happens | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | You send the list. We confirm we can source it and ask the two or three questions that change the price. | same day |
| Quote | We approach two or three factories, get real ex-works prices, add freight and duty, and send one landed cost in USD. | 2–4 days |
| Confirm | Spec sheet in writing, sample or video if you want one, then the 30% deposit. Production is booked when it clears. | 1–5 days |
| Production | The factory runs your order. We chase it. Most delays originate here, and we would rather tell you weekly than surprise you monthly. | 7–30 days |
| Inspection | Goods arrive at our warehouse. We count, check against the sheet, photograph your cartons and send the report. Balance is due now. | 1–3 days |
| Export | Declaration filed, container stuffed or LCL booked, bill of lading issued, documents sent to you. | 3–7 days |
| Sailing | Port to port. West Africa 30–45 days, East Africa 20–35, Middle East 18–28. | varies |
Quote to port, honestly: two weeks at the fast end, two months at the slow end. Anything promising ten days for sea freight is quoting air and calling it something else.
Paperwork
Sent as PDF before the vessel sails, and originals or telex release as you prefer. These are what your bank and your clearing agent will ask for.
Settlement
Deposit, balance, freight. Three separate moments, each one written on the quote before you commit.
What we will not do: take a payment into a private account, route money through a money changer, or ask you to reimburse a "friend in China". If someone does that, the risk lands on your bank account, not theirs.
Moving it
Consolidated containers are how most small buyers in Lagos and Mombasa actually ship. If your order is 3–8 CBM, we can put it in a container we are already filling.
Door to door, duty often included. Samples and high-value, low-weight goods. Expensive per kilo.
From 100 kg. Airport to airport, you clear at destination. For restocks you can't wait on.
From 1 CBM. Your cartons share a container. Watch destination charges, they are often the surprise.
20ft or 40ft of your own. Cheapest per CBM past roughly 15 CBM. Full control of the seal.
Boundaries
Most of the damage in this trade happens at the edges of the job. This is where we draw ours, and it is the same list we give every client.
Most clients begin with a single order under USD 5,000 to see how we work. That is a sensible way to test an agent.