What GCC importers actually ask about shipping and buying from China

Dr.Ship is a procurement management company headquartered in Kuwait, operating since 2016 and serving businesses across the six GCC countries. Procurement is our core: we buy directly from Chinese factories on your behalf, from sourcing and negotiation to pre-shipment inspection, with no middlemen. We also supply machinery, complete production lines and raw materials to factories. Consolidated freight by air and sea, door to door, completes the job, so your goods arrive with the same team that bought them. We have three bases in China: Yiwu, Guangzhou and Foshan.

We buy from factories on your behalf; shipping is only part of what we do. We find the right factory, request quotations and negotiate, arrange samples and inspect the goods before they ship, then consolidate them and deliver to your warehouse. You can hire us for procurement only, for shipping only, or for both. Send us the product, the quantity and the delivery country, and we tell you exactly what your quote will cover.

Procurement service

Start with something that costs you nothing: the free 72-hour check of your purchasing, part of our Open Price Program. We sign the NDA before you send a single document, and the clock starts when your files reach us. Then ask for a written quote that sets out the product, the specification, and the scope of buying, inspection, shipping and delivery, with who is responsible at each stage. Nothing ships until you approve it. On the program our fees are fixed and stated in writing up front. Any fees you paid for a monthly package come back in full within the first 30 days, no questions asked. We have operated since 2016; our phone number and working hours are on the contact page.

Open Price ProgramContact page

Transparently. Freight to Kuwait is priced per kg (air) or per CBM (sea) from a published, continuously updated rate table, customs and delivery included; for the rest of the GCC we quote per destination in writing. Procurement is priced from real factory quotations, with fixed fees published on the Open Price page for managing negotiation, inspection according to the package and follow-through to delivery. No hidden charges and no surprises on arrival.

Open Price packages

Over 6,000 products priced across 12 sectors. The most requested: packaging materials, restaurant and hospitality equipment, consumer goods for shops and small projects, electronics and POS devices, and increasingly industrial machinery and complete production lines (water bottling, plastics, packaging).

We have operated since 2016: ten years of procurement and freight between China and the Gulf, with 800+ vetted suppliers, 6,900+ quotations delivered and operational bases in three Chinese cities. Those years built the price and supplier database that makes our quotations fast and accurate.

First: send your request on WhatsApp (a product to source, or goods you already bought that need shipping) and we reply the same working day. Second: we price it, either with factory quotations for sourcing or with a freight rate by weight and volume. Third: on approval you get a personal code and our China warehouse address. Fourth: the goods arrive at our warehouse, where we inspect, consolidate and ship them. Fifth: we deliver to your door, with Kuwait customs clearance included in the price. Sixth: you pay on delivery through a secure payment link. You can follow every stage on WhatsApp.

We serve all six GCC countries from our headquarters in Kuwait: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. For Kuwait our freight rates are published and include clearance and door delivery (DDP). For the rest of the GCC we arrange freight per destination and send you a written quote. We also work with clients in other Arab countries through procurement and machinery supply. Send us your location and we'll confirm coverage and cost.

Air freight is KWD 3.5 per kg and arrives in 7–10 working days; sea freight is KWD 125 per CBM and arrives in 65–70 days, customs clearance included. These are our published Kuwait rates, delivered to your door (DDP), and they exclude government release fees, which apply according to the type of goods. The numbers are published live from our rate table. Send your shipment details on WhatsApp to lock today's price.

Pricing and calculatorWhat a shipping quote should include

For Kuwait, yes: our published rate is KWD 125 per CBM by sea and KWD 3.5 per kg by air, clearance and door delivery included, updated live on our pricing page. For Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, and for special goods such as electrical appliances, batteries and machinery, we quote each shipment in writing. The price depends on volume or weight, the type of goods, the destination country and how soon you need them. For a full 20ft container, today's reference price is around USD 13,000 and moves with the market.

Published Kuwait ratesGuide to shipping costs across the GCC

Yes for Kuwait: our published rates cover freight, customs clearance and delivery to your warehouse door (DDP), and the price we agree is what you pay on arrival. Only one thing is excluded: government release fees, which apply according to the type of goods where a release must be obtained, including fixed fees on certain categories such as batteries and genuine wood. For the rest of the GCC, the written quote lists what the price covers, line by line, before you approve it.

Air freight takes 7–10 working days from when your goods reach our warehouse; sea freight to Kuwait takes 65–70 days including customs clearance, and the time varies by destination across the Gulf. If the product is being manufactured to order, add production time (typically 15 to 25 days at the factory) before shipping starts.

The minimum is 5 kg for air freight and 0.25 CBM for sea freight. There is no minimum number of cartons; only total weight or volume matters.

Air is faster (7–10 working days), billed per kg, and suits light or urgent cargo. Sea is far cheaper for heavy or bulky goods (65–70 days to Kuwait), billed per CBM. Rule of thumb: above half a CBM and not urgent, sea saves you real money.

We charge the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight. Volumetric weight = (length × width × height in cm) ÷ 6000. Dimensions are measured after final packing, so tight professional packing genuinely lowers your bill.

Send us on WhatsApp: the packing list, carton dimensions in cm after packing, total weight in kg, number of cartons, a product description including any brand names, and the destination country. With this we quote precisely; without it any figure is only an estimate.

Freight is paid when your shipment arrives in Kuwait, with no advance payment for shipping. We send an invoice with a secure payment link (MyFatoorah or Tap); once paid, our driver coordinates delivery the same or next day.

Yes: a refundable KWD 20 deposit activates the search and is deducted in full from your final invoice when you buy. If we can't find the product it is refunded in full; if we find it but the pricing doesn't suit you after several quotes, half is refunded.

Yes for Kuwait. Our published Kuwait rates include customs clearance and delivery to your door (DDP): the price we agree is the final price, with no surprises on arrival. The only exception is government release fees, which apply according to the type of goods, including fixed fees on certain categories (next question). For the rest of the GCC, the written quote states what the price covers.

Government release fees apply according to the type of goods, where a release must be obtained for them, and electrical appliances are one example. These fees are not included in the freight price, so send us the product type before you buy and we tell you the cost. Some categories also carry fixed release fees: shipments containing batteries KWD 150, genuine wood products KWD 48. General goods that need no release carry no fee, and plastic with a wood finish is not treated as wood.

Some products need a Gulf conformity certificate (such as G-Mark) to enter Kuwait; European certificates alone (CE, GS) are not sufficient. Before you buy, send us the product type: we'll tell you whether a certificate is needed and review the supplier's certificate before the deal closes, so your goods never sit held at customs.

We do not ship: counterfeit branded goods, any product whose brand has an exclusive agent in Kuwait, gold-manufacturing equipment, and genuine wood products in some cases. Batteries and certain electronics are restricted on air freight and go by sea. Goods carrying your own private label (OEM) are fully accepted.

Yes. Our main warehouse is in Foshan, with bases in Guangzhou and Yiwu. Buy from any number of suppliers; each one sends goods to our warehouse marked with your personal code, and we merge everything into one shipment with one price, one customs clearance and one delivery, instead of ten separate freight bills.

Yes. Each factory sends its goods to our Foshan warehouse under your personal code; we receive them, inspect them and ship them together as one consignment by sea or air, with one price and one delivery. It suits buyers who order different items from different factories and don't want a separate shipment from each. Before you buy, tell us how many suppliers you have and the order sizes, and we'll explain how freight is calculated and what the quote covers.

Guide to consolidated freight

Once we've reviewed your cargo details and agreed the rate, you receive a personal code (sea or air) with the warehouse address. Ask your supplier to write the code clearly on every carton: the code is what links the goods to your account, and shipments arriving without a code or prior notice can't be guaranteed.

Tracking runs directly over WhatsApp with our team: warehouse receipt in China, departure, arrival, and the delivery appointment. Every shipment is documented with a reference number and updates at each stage.

Yes. Buy on Alibaba (not AliExpress), set our China warehouse as the delivery address with your personal code, and when the order reaches us we ship it to you inside your consolidated load.

Yes. FCL needs a packing list, commercial invoice and a fixed loading address, with the supplier delivering the goods. A 20ft container currently runs around USD 13,000 and moves with the market. For most traders, consolidated sea freight is cheaper unless you genuinely fill the container.

Yes, that is our procurement service: we source the product from Chinese factories, negotiate, inspect before shipment, and deliver to your warehouse door. The search takes 5 to 8 working days and you receive several quotations from real factories, with no traders or middlemen between you and the maker.

Buy direct when you know the factory, you're buying a single product, and you can manage the specification, inspection and shipping yourself. Use a procurement company when you buy from several factories, need someone to find, negotiate, inspect and consolidate, or have no team in China. Neither option is cheaper in every case, so compare our quote with the time and services you would otherwise arrange yourself. You can also start with shipping only and add procurement when you need it.

The full comparisonOpen Price Program

We inspect your goods in China before they ship, and nothing ships until you approve it. It starts with a sample you sign off; we then check the finished goods against that sample and the agreed specification and send you an inspection report with photos and video. If something is off, we resolve it with the factory before shipping. Write down the specs that matter to you, such as size, material, packing and quantity, before the purchase order is confirmed: they are what we inspect against.

Pre-shipment inspection guide

Yes. We supply machinery and complete production lines from Chinese factories to the GCC; water bottling, plastics and packaging lines are typical examples. We find the factory, compare offers, inspect the factory and the line before you pay, then arrange freight to the delivery country. Installation, commissioning, training, warranty and spare parts differ from one factory to the next, so we set each of them out in writing in your quote before you commit. Start by sending the type of line, the output you need and the delivery country.

Machinery and production linesGuide to importing a production line

It varies by product: electronics and printed goods usually 500 to 1,000 pieces; bulky items like toys from one CBM; furniture sometimes less. The rule: unit price drops substantially as quantity rises. For small quantities we recommend buying on Alibaba and letting us handle the freight.

Yes. We ship one sample by air for quality evaluation (5 kg minimum, typically KWD 15 to 30). Once you approve the sample, the full order is produced to match it exactly: your best protection before committing to a large quantity.