from $1.8/kg
Consolidated cargo
16%
Freight share on footwear
The first question anyone asks when they start importing from China is what it will cost. "Depends on the cargo" helps nobody, so here is the whole thing: what makes up the price, what the current rates are and how to work out your own figure before you pay the supplier.
Road freight rates from China
| Route | Consolidated (LTL) | Full truck (FTL) | Transit |
|---|
| Guangzhou / Foshan — Bishkek | from $1.8/kg | from $6,500 | 10–23 days |
| Yiwu — Bishkek | from $1.8/kg | from $6,500 | 10–23 days |
| Urumqi — Bishkek | from $1.2/kg | from $3,200 | 5–10 days |
What you are paying for
- Weight or volume, whichever is greater. Dense cargo goes by weight, light and bulky cargo by volume
- Cargo type. Ordinary consumer goods run at base rates. Branded goods, electronics and anything with batteries are priced separately
- City of origin. The difference can be twofold: Urumqi is short and cheap, Guangzhou is further but has the range
- Scheme. Cargo has one all-in rate; official import prices freight, duties and VAT separately
- Extras. Purchasing, inspection, repacking, insurance, delivery within Bishkek
A worked example
You buy footwear in Guangzhou: 300 pairs, 12 cartons, 240 kg, 2.1 m³.
- By weight: 240 × $1.8 = $432
- By volume: 2.1 × about $190 = $399
- We take the greater — $432, which is $1.44 per pair
At a purchase price of $9 per pair, freight adds 16% to the landed cost. That is normal for road. The same shipment by air at $11.5 per kg would be $2,760, or $9.2 per pair — more than the goods. Which is why footwear and apparel travel by road, and air is kept for samples and urgent equipment.
Where the real savings are
- Repacking. Chinese suppliers ship boxes full of air. Repacking cuts volume by 20–30%, and light cargo is charged on volume
- Consolidation. Combining several suppliers into one shipment beats separate parcels
- The right origin warehouse. If suppliers are spread out, sometimes it pays to consolidate in Urumqi and use the short leg
- Chinese export VAT refund. Up to 13% of the goods value on contract shipments — more than the entire freight bill
When to take a full truck
The crossover is around 3.5–4 tonnes at current rates, or earlier if the cargo fills the trailer on volume. A truck is not only about price: it departs immediately, waits for nobody and nothing gets reloaded in transit. For fragile goods and seasonal deadlines that matters more than the money. The full comparison is in the consolidated cargo or full truck article, and current rates are on the road freight page.
Send us the weight, volume and pickup city on WhatsApp +996 700 11 1688 — we reply with a quote within an hour.
