Shipping toys from China to Europe usually takes 28-40 days port to port and costs USD 1,800-3,500 per 40HQ container depending on season and destination. The three decisions that actually change your landed cost are: which Incoterm you buy on, whether you use a European 3PL for last-mile fulfilment, and how well your cartons fill the container. This guide covers all three, using the real carton data we quote from Chenghai every week.
Most first-time buyers ask for DDP because it looks simplest. It is usually the most expensive option per unit, because the supplier prices in freight risk plus a margin. Here is how the three compare in practice.
| Term | What you pay for | Who handles customs | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOB Shantou / Shenzhen | Goods loaded on the vessel | You (via your forwarder) | Buyers with a forwarder and an EU EORI number |
| CIF Rotterdam / Hamburg | Goods + sea freight + insurance | You, at destination | Buyers without a China-side forwarder |
| DDP door | Everything including EU duty and VAT | Supplier | Small test orders, or buyers with no import setup |
For repeat container orders, FOB almost always wins. You control the forwarder, you see the real freight rate, and you can consolidate several suppliers into one container.
Toys from Chenghai load at Shantou or Shenzhen. Typical port-to-port sailing times:
Add 7-14 days on top for booking, loading and inland delivery. Between August and October, before Christmas stock deadlines, expect rates to rise and space to tighten — book at least three weeks earlier than usual.
If you sell to end consumers on Amazon, eBay or your own store, your goods need to sit somewhere in Europe before they ship out one parcel at a time. That is what a European fulfilment provider (3PL) does: they receive your container, store the pallets, pick and pack orders, and hand them to the courier.
To be clear about our role: LeTin Toys is a sourcing and trading company in Chenghai. We do not operate European warehouses. What we do is make the China side clean so your 3PL onboarding is painless — correct carton labels, accurate carton and CBM data, barcodes applied at the factory, and pallet-ready packing when you need it.
Every quote we send includes carton size, CBM, gross and net weight and units per carton, precisely so you can hand that sheet straight to your fulfilment provider.
Most toys fall under HS chapter 9503 and carry 0% EU import duty, but VAT still applies at your national rate on the customs value. Check your specific HS code before you budget — battery-operated and electronic items can classify differently.
Sea freight is charged by volume, not weight, for almost all toys. A 40HQ container holds roughly 68 CBM of usable space. If your freight bill is USD 2,600 and you load 60 CBM, your freight cost is about USD 43 per CBM. Spread that across the units in each carton and you get the real per-unit freight cost.
This is where careless packing quietly destroys margin. Bulky, low-value items such as inflatables and large play sets fill the container long before they hit the weight limit. Mixing them with dense items — diecast vehicles, building blocks, dolls in flat boxes — is how experienced importers keep the average cost per unit down.
Deflated summer inflatables are the classic CBM filler: they compress tightly and ride along with heavier cartons at almost no extra freight cost. See our summer toys range for the lines buyers most often use this way.
Typically 28-40 days port to port from Shantou or Shenzhen, plus 7-14 days for booking, loading and inland delivery. Valencia and Barcelona are usually fastest; Gdansk and the UK ports are usually slowest.
Ocean freight for a 40HQ container generally runs USD 1,800-3,500 depending on destination port and season. Rates climb from August through October ahead of the Christmas season. Duty on most toys entering the EU is 0%, but VAT applies at your national rate.
Only if you sell to end consumers. If you sell wholesale to retailers, the container can go straight to your own warehouse or your customer’s. If you sell on Amazon or your own store, you will need either Amazon FBA or a third-party fulfilment provider.
Yes. We regularly ship to 3PL warehouses in the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Spain. Send us your warehouse’s receiving requirements — labelling, pallet specification, delivery booking rules — and we will prepare the cartons at the factory to match.
CE marking backed by EN 71 testing, plus an EU Declaration of Conformity and importer details on the packaging. Our Germany and EU import guide covers the 2026 Toy Safety Regulation in detail.
Send us your product list and destination port. Within one business day you get unit price, carton dimensions, CBM, gross and net weight, units per carton, production lead time and the certification each item needs for the EU. That is everything your forwarder and your 3PL will ask for.
Request a quote or read the buyer guides for your specific market.