Introduction
If you’re sourcing directly from a Chinese factory, it’s very common to hear this line:
“We can arrange shipping for you.”
On the surface, it sounds convenient. One supplier. One conversation. No extra emails. No extra coordination.
For first-time importers—or buyers under time pressure—letting the factory handle shipping can feel like the simplest path forward.
And sometimes, it really is.
But this decision often looks simpler than it actually is. The same setup that works smoothly for one shipment can quietly create problems for another—especially once volume, value, or destination complexity increases.
This article isn’t about telling you not to let manufacturers handle shipping.
It’s about helping you understand when this approach works well, and when it tends to break down, so you can decide with open eyes.
Why Manufacturers Often Offer to Handle Shipping
Factories usually don’t offer shipping because they want to become logistics experts. They do it for very practical, everyday reasons.
First: buyers ask for it.
Many importers—especially new ones—don’t have a forwarder yet. When a buyer asks, “Can you ship it to us?”, the factory’s easiest answer is “yes.”
Second: they already coordinate exports daily.
Most export-oriented factories work with the same local trucking companies, ports, and booking agents again and again. From their perspective, adding one more shipment feels routine.
Third: it reduces coordination work.
If the factory handles shipping, they don’t need to wait for pickup instructions, booking numbers, or document confirmations from a third party. They finish production, hand off the cargo, and move on.
Fourth: it helps close deals faster.
Bundling product and shipping into one quote removes friction. For buyers comparing multiple suppliers, “all-in” pricing feels easier to approve internally.
None of this is malicious. In most cases, factories are trying to be helpful and efficient.
Problems usually don’t start with bad intent—they start with misaligned responsibility.
When Manufacturer-Arranged Shipping Can Work
There are situations where letting the factory handle shipping is usually fine.
Low-volume or sample shipments
If you’re shipping samples, small trial orders, or low-value goods, the risk is limited. Delays or minor cost differences won’t seriously damage your business.
Simple routes and common destinations
Shipping from China to major ports in the US, EU, or Southeast Asia—especially port-to-port—tends to be straightforward. Fewer handoffs mean fewer surprises.
Clear, written delivery terms
If you’ve clearly agreed on who pays what, where responsibility ends, and what documents you’ll receive, manufacturer-arranged shipping can run smoothly.
Factories you’ve worked with for years
Long-term suppliers often understand your preferences, labeling rules, and document standards. Trust reduces friction.
When you don’t need shipment visibility
If you’re not coordinating downstream deliveries, inventory planning, or customer deadlines tightly, limited tracking may not matter much.
In short:
If the shipment is small, simple, familiar, and low-risk, factory-arranged shipping often works just fine.
Where Manufacturer-Arranged Shipping Starts to Break Down
Problems tend to appear when shipments stop being simple.
Responsibility gaps
When something goes wrong, the question becomes: who is actually responsible?
The factory may say, “Shipping is not our core business.”
The carrier may say, “We only follow the booking instructions we received.”
You’re left in the middle.
Limited visibility once goods leave the factory
Factories usually don’t track shipments proactively. Once cargo is handed off, updates often stop unless there’s a problem—and sometimes not even then.
Cost surprises at destination
The shipping quote you receive may only cover part of the journey. Destination charges, port handling fees, customs-related costs, or local delivery fees can appear later.
No incentive to optimize your total cost
Factories focus on shipping their goods out, not on minimizing your landed cost or aligning with your downstream logistics.
Difficulty handling exceptions
Delays, inspections, missing documents, or re-routing requests require fast coordination. Factories are rarely structured to manage these edge cases efficiently.
Scaling issues
What works for one pallet often breaks at five containers. Volume amplifies small inefficiencies into real money and real delays.
These issues usually don’t show up on the first shipment.
They appear gradually—when stakes get higher.
What Changes When a Freight Forwarder Is Involved
Adding a freight forwarder doesn’t magically solve everything—but it does change how responsibility and control are distributed.
Clear ownership of the shipment
A forwarder’s role is shipping. When problems arise, there’s a defined party whose job it is to fix them.
More visibility and communication
You usually get updates, documents, and timelines without having to chase the factory.
Separation of product and logistics decisions
Your factory focuses on making the product.
Logistics decisions focus on transit time, cost structure, and delivery risk.
Better handling of exceptions
Customs delays, port congestion, schedule changes—these are everyday problems for forwarders, not side tasks.
Consistency as volume grows
As shipments increase, standardized processes matter more than convenience.
This doesn’t mean a forwarder is always “better.”
It means the system becomes more structured.
A Simple Way to Decide for Your Shipment
Use this quick checklist to judge your own situation.
If most of these are true, factory-arranged shipping often works:
- Shipment value is low
- Volume is small
- Route is common and simple
- You don’t need tight delivery control
- You trust the factory’s documentation accuracy
- Delays won’t seriously hurt your business
If several of these are true, problems are more likely:
- Shipment value is high
- Multiple containers or frequent shipments
- Complex destination or inland delivery
- Tight production or sales timelines
- Need for real-time updates
- Sensitivity to surprise costs
This isn’t about right or wrong.
It’s about fit.
So, Should You Let the Factory Handle Shipping?
Letting a manufacturer handle shipping isn’t a mistake—and using a freight forwarder isn’t a requirement.
The key is understanding where simplicity turns into risk.
For small, early-stage sourcing, factory-arranged shipping can be a practical shortcut.
As shipments grow in size, value, or complexity, control and clarity start to matter more than convenience.
The smartest importers don’t choose one method forever.
They choose what fits the shipment in front of them.
