Shipping labels from China to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia

1. Fix the trade term before you discuss the unit price

On the same labels, "ex works" and "delivered to your warehouse" can differ by 15–30% — that difference is the trade term. Read this table before you order and the quotation will not be arguing at cross purposes.

2. Four ways to ship, and roughly how long

The ranges below are typical, not promises; the forwarder's quote and the sailing schedule on the day decide, and peak season stretches everything.

3. Export packing: six things that decide whether it still runs on the line

1. Rolls stand upright, never on their side. Fix them with dividers or a corrugated insert inside the carton and print "this way up" outside. Rolls pressed against each other for weeks deform, and set-off gets worse.
2. Size the carton for the stack. A pallet stacked 1.2–1.5 m high for a month at sea is more than standard three-wall board can take; use five-wall for bulk, stretch-wrap the pallet and add edge protectors where needed.
3. Control moisture. Container walls condense as day and night temperatures swing ("container rain"). Paper labels cockle and the adhesive takes up moisture; add desiccant per carton and a waterproof cover over the pallet.
4. Never mix with heavy goods. A flattened roll will not run on an applicator — the most common form of "dead on arrival".
5. Label every carton. Product, size, quantity, roll count, batch and destination, matching the packing list so partial shipments can be traced.
6. Keep one inspection carton on the outside of the pallet. The receiver can check it without breaking down the whole pallet.

4. Customs documents and HS classification

• Commercial invoice: a specific description (for example printed self-adhesive labels), material, quantity, unit price, the trade term and the named place. Under-declaring is not a saving — it is seizure, duty recovery and a penalty.
• Packing list: carton count, contents per carton, net and gross weight, volume — matching what actually ships.
• Bill of lading / air waybill / road consignment note: issued by the carrier; the consignee details must match the importer.
• Certificate of origin: only when a preferential rate applies (for example the ASEAN–China FTA certificate); whether to apply, and which form, is decided by you and your broker under your local rules.
• Brand authorisation or trademark consent: for labels carrying your customer's mark, customs may ask for the chain of authorisation.

The same label moves to a different heading — and often a different duty rate — depending on whether the face stock is paper or film; in the United States, for instance, self-adhesive film stickers under 3919 carry roughly 5.8%, while printed paper labels under 4821 are duty free. The declared description and material must match the goods: changing the description to save duty is how a whole shipment gets held.

5. Arrival checks: five steps, raise issues within seven days

1. Count cartons and rolls, and look at the outside for damp, crushing or damage. Photograph before you open.
2. Measure three rolls and count splices; check whether splices are flagged with a coloured tape — that is what stops an applicator line.
3. Compare colour against the approved sample under the same light; variation between rolls of one batch is normal, especially on spot colours.
4. Run a trial application, then leave it 24 hours and look for lifting, bubbles or edge shrink. Initial tack only shows up here.
5. Raise any issue within seven days, with photographs (carton marking, roll number, measurement) and retention samples. Waiting until the line is running makes both responsibility and remedy harder.

6. Six things that remove delay

1. State the trade term and the named place: "DAP Hong Kong" and "DAP a warehouse in Hong Kong" differ by a leg of freight and a booking.
2. Quote freight and duty separately. Buyers compare landed cost; bundled numbers cannot be compared and get recalculated anyway.
3. Test with a small courier DDP order first — clearance, packing and inspection problems surface while they are still cheap.
4. Send artwork and die line in one go (AI/PDF/EPS/PSD, fonts outlined, under 20MB). Artwork revisions are the single biggest killer of delivery dates.
5. Give the delivery address, contact and receiving window early; a truck that arrives to a closed gate costs a day.
6. Order 2–3 weeks earlier in peak season: before Christmas and Lunar New Year, space, press time and trucks are all tight.

7. Three questions buyers ask us

Does your price include freight?

It depends on the term. EXW and FCA exclude main carriage; CIF, CIP and DAP include it; DDP also includes destination duty and tax. Our quotations always state the term and the named place, because "delivered to Hong Kong" and "delivered to a specific warehouse in Hong Kong" are two different prices. If you use your own forwarder, FCA is cleanest: we hand over to your nominated carrier and you control freight and clearance from there.

Do I pay duty in Hong Kong or Macau?

Hong Kong is a free port and does not levy a customs tariff; excise duty applies to four categories only — liquor, tobacco, hydrocarbon oil and methyl alcohol. Macau is also a free port, with a consumption tax on alcohol, tobacco and fuels of roughly 5–20%. Labels and cartons are not dutiable goods, but they still have to be declared under local rules. Southeast Asian markets generally add VAT or sales tax, and some products need an import licence; the rates and formalities are confirmed by your importer or broker, since we do not determine tariff classification for you.

Will the rolls survive the journey?

Not if they travel on their side or mixed with heavy goods. They should stand upright, be fixed inside the carton, sit on a stretch-wrapped pallet, and travel with desiccant and a waterproof cover in a sea container. We pack to that standard, but transit handling and your own storage are outside our control — which is why every pallet carries an inspection carton and why issues should be raised within seven days, with evidence on both sides.

8. Six things to settle before the order

1. Where the label sits (outside, inside, or in direct food contact) and the substrate;
2. Size, quantity, rolls or sheets (core diameter, unwind direction);
3. Destination market and the standard to meet;
4. The trade term and named place, including the warehouse address and receiving window;
5. Whether a certificate of origin or a test report is needed;
6. The date you need it, and whether partial shipments are acceptable.

Related reading: Export carton marking: marks, ITF-14 and handling symbols, Specifying a roll label, Five ways to verify a label supplier, Food labelling for Hong Kong, Local-language labels for Southeast Asia, GS1 logistics labels and SSCC-18, Roll label storage and shelf life.