How to ship goods from China to Nigeria

Importing from China is central to how many Nigerian businesses stock up — building materials, electronics, fashion, machinery, spare parts. The goods are rarely the hard part. Getting them from a factory in Guangzhou into your shop in Lagos, Kano or Port Harcourt, at a price you predicted in advance, is where most people lose money. This guide walks the whole route.

Current sea shipping rates to Nigeria

Sea freight from China is priced per cubic metre (CBM). These are the current indicative rates provided by 3BROTHERS CARGO, a third-party shipping provider we connect importers with:

Supplier-quoted estimates provided by 3BROTHERS CARGO — not Jivu&Co pricing. Rates move with global freight and exchange rates; the shipping provider issues the final quotation. Confirm the current figure with the agent before you pay your supplier.

Step by step: China to your door

1. 01

   Confirm your supplier and product first

   Before you talk shipping, verify the supplier on 1688, Alibaba or through your sourcing agent. Ask for real production photos, request a sample where the order is large, and confirm carton dimensions and weight — those numbers decide your freight cost, not the invoice value.

2. 02

   Calculate your CBM correctly

   CBM (cubic metre) = length × width × height in metres, per carton, multiplied by the number of cartons. A 60cm × 40cm × 50cm carton is 0.12 CBM; twenty of them is 2.4 CBM. Ask your supplier for exact packed dimensions, not the product dimensions — packaging can add 20–30%.

3. 03

   Choose sea or air freight

   Sea is charged per CBM and suits furniture, machinery, building materials, textiles and general goods. Air is charged per kilogram (volumetric weight applies) and suits phones, accessories, spare parts, samples and anything time-sensitive. If your goods are light but bulky, sea almost always wins.

4. 04

   Book with a Nigerian-facing cargo agent

   Work with an agent who has a receiving warehouse in Guangzhou or Yiwu and clears at Lagos. You send the agent's China address to your supplier, the supplier delivers there, the agent measures, consolidates and ships. This is far safer than paying a supplier to arrange shipping to Nigeria on your behalf.

5. 05

   Send your goods to the China warehouse

   Label every carton with your name and phone number exactly as your agent instructs. Unlabelled cartons are the single biggest cause of lost shipments. Get the warehouse to confirm receipt in writing with photos and measured CBM before the container closes.

6. 06

   Pay freight and track the vessel

   Most Nigerian cargo agents collect freight on arrival or on booking. Keep every receipt and the shipping mark. Ask for the estimated time of arrival at Apapa or Tin Can and check in weekly — schedules slip.

7. 07

   Clear customs and take delivery

   Duty is assessed on the value and HS code of your goods. Restricted and prohibited items — some pharmaceuticals, certain textiles, used tyres — will be seized, so check the Nigeria Customs prohibition list before ordering. A door-to-door agent normally handles clearing inside the quoted rate; confirm this in writing so you are not hit with a second bill.

Sea freight vs air freight

The rule of thumb: if your shipment is under roughly 100kg and urgent or high-value, air usually makes sense. Anything bulky, heavy or replaceable goes by sea. A carton of phone accessories is an air shipment; a pallet of tiles, a generator or a sofa set is a sea shipment every time.

Five mistakes that cost importers money

• Paying a supplier in full before confirming carton dimensions — your freight bill can end up larger than the goods.
• Shipping restricted items. Customs seizure means the goods and the freight are both lost.
• Using an agent with no Nigerian phone number, no address and no track record. If something goes wrong, you need a real person to reach.
• Ignoring the difference between per-CBM and per-kg pricing. Light bulky cargo sent by air can cost five times more than by sea.
• Not building in buffer time. Order at least ten weeks before you need the stock, especially before Christmas and Ramadan.

Frequently asked questions

Ship with a real person, not a link

For importation, Jivu&Co connects and coordinates clients with 3BROTHERS CARGO — an independent third-party shipping provider with a named agent, a Nigerian phone number and published indicative rates. The shipping service, pricing and final quotation are provided by 3BROTHERS CARGO, not Jivu&Co. Send your carton dimensions and destination city and the agent will confirm a firm figure before you commit to your supplier.

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