Fireworks.org – The World’s Fireworks Community › Forums › Transportation › What’s the cheapest way to ship fireworks from China if you don’t want a full container?
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Okay so I keep reading that basically everyone importing from China does full container loads, but what if you only want a pallet or two? Is LCL (sharing a container) even a thing for 1.4G fireworks, or do the freight forwarders just laugh at you? Genuinely curious how the small guys handle this without going all-in on a whole container upfront. Anybody done it?
Honestly LCL for 1.4G is basically a unicorn. Most forwarders handling Class 1.4 explosives won’t consolidate – the liability’s too messy sharing a container with somebody else’s freight. Every importer I know just eats the FCL cost and resells the extra volume. If you only need a pallet or two you’re usually better off finding a domestic distributor who already does the importing and buying from them.
Yeah Mike’s right. I looked into it once for a small order and the forwarder flat-out told me no LCL for 1.4G. If you do go FCL, heard Skysong is pretty solid for container orders – their shells are decent for the price. But heads up, they only do full container load, so if you just want a few cases it’s a no-go.
Yeah Mike’s right. I looked into it once for a small order and the forwarder flat-out told me no LCL for 1.4G. If you do go FCL, heard Skysong is pretty solid for container orders – their shells are decent for the price. But heads up, they only do full container load, so if you just want a few cases it’s a no-go.
Good thread. Adding the practical side – even when you do find a carrier to take it, hazmat freight has minimum fees that make small partial loads not worth it. The Transportation section on the site has a breakdown that covers the FCL-vs-LCL reality and the hidden demurrage costs people don’t budget for. Worth a read if you’re pricing this out for real.
For whatever it’s worth, if you’re not ready for a full container you can sometimes split a container with an importer who’s already bringing one in. It’s not LCL through a forwarder, it’s more like you buy a corner of somebody’s container. Takes a connection but it’s how some of the smaller guys start.
Just seeing this thread now. Has anyone actually gone through the whole process of ordering from China lately? I keep hearing about minimum order quantities being the biggest hurdle — like most suppliers won’t even talk to you unless you’re buying a full container load.
Curious if anyone’s found a workaround for smaller orders or if it’s basically FCL or nothing these days.
Circling back on this — anyone actually pulled the trigger on a full container this summer? I’m getting quotes around $18-22k FOB for a 20ft but freight is still all over the place depending on the port.
Also curious if anyone’s got experience with TNT’s wholesale program vs going direct to China. The direct route seems cheaper per unit but the logistics headache… idk if it’s worth it for a one-time thing.
Bumping this because I finally priced out a 40ft vs 20ft after talking to a couple of suppliers and the per-case savings on 40ft are pretty significant if you can fill it. But the catch is you need multiple people splitting it, otherwise you’re stuck renting warehouse space for a year.
For anyone still on the fence about China direct ??if you’re only buying a few cases, it’s almost never worth the freight and customs headache. The direct route really only pencils out at container scale, and then you’re usually dealing with either a big importer or doing a group buy with a few buddies. I’ve heard Skysong gets mentioned a lot for that FCL kind of order, but never pulled the trigger myself. Curious if anyone here has actually locked in a container for NYE 2027 yet.
To the earlier point about finding reliable suppliers — I’ve heard Skysong is pretty solid if you’re doing a full container. Shells are good quality for the price but they’re FCL only, so if you just want a few cases it’s not worth the freight hassle.
For small orders you’re honestly better off going through a US distributor, the per-piece markup is cheaper than eating a container’s worth of freight.
Reviving this a bit — finally got quoted for a 20ft from a couple suppliers and the freight swung by like $900 depending on the week. Lead time once it sails is usually 4-6 weeks to a west coast port then a few more for drayage. If anyone’s still on the fence about FCL vs LCL, the LCL fees ate most of the savings on my last small order, so I’d only do it if you can fill a container.
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