Freight forwarder & customs broker

One team for the container and the declaration.

Q: What does a freight forwarder do?

A freight forwarder arranges the international movement of goods on behalf of the importer or exporter. That includes booking space with shipping lines or airlines, preparing export documentation, coordinating inland collection at origin, and managing the import customs entry at the UK border. Wisdom Group handles both the forwarding and the customs clearance, so the same team manages the file from factory to delivery.

Q: Do I need an EORI number to import into the UK?

Yes. An EORI (Economic Operators Registration and Identification) number is required before any goods can be cleared through UK customs. HMRC issue it free of charge and it normally arrives within five working days. We can advise on the application and will flag if you do not yet have one before your first shipment is due.

Q: How long does sea freight from China to the UK take?

Port to port from Shanghai or Ningbo to Felixstowe is typically 30 to 35 days. Door to door including collection at origin, customs at both ends, and delivery to your UK address is usually 40 to 46 days depending on the Chinese port, sailing schedule, and UK port congestion at the time.

Q: Can you clear customs at any UK port?

Yes. We file CDS import declarations for goods arriving at any UK port or airport, including Felixstowe, Southampton, London Gateway, Liverpool, Tilbury, Hull, Manchester and East Midlands. The port of arrival does not affect the clearance process.

Wisdom Group moves sea freight into the UK for commercial importers — and clears it. No handing you between a forwarder who doesn't do customs and a broker who's never seen your bill of lading.

Get a landed cost quote Calculate import duty

FCL & LCLCDS declarationsDuty defermentUK-wide delivery

Indicative sailing transitPort to port

Origin	UK arrival	Transit
CNSHA Shanghai	GBFXT Felixstowe	30–35 d
CNYTN Yantian	GBSOU Southampton	28–33 d
CNNGB Ningbo	GBFXT Felixstowe	30–34 d
INNSA Nhava Sheva	GBFXT Felixstowe	22–26 d
VNSGN Ho Chi Minh	GBFXT Felixstowe	30–34 d
BDCGP Chittagong	GBFXT Felixstowe	28–33 d
TRAMB Ambarli	GBLGP London Gateway	12–16 d
AEJEA Jebel Ali	GBFXT Felixstowe	20–25 d

Excludes origin cut-off, customs and UK delivery. Ask us for the live schedule on your lane.

What we handle

Import freight, end to end

Most of our clients import between four and four hundred containers a year. We provide the operational foundation so they can focus on buying and selling.

FCL

Full container load

20ft, 40ft and 40ft high cube on all major Asia–Europe and transatlantic services. Fixed-rate contracts for regular volume, spot pricing when the market suits you better.

LCL

Groupage & part loads

Weekly consolidations from the main Chinese, Indian and Turkish gateways. Sensible for anything from two cubic metres up to the point where a 20ft becomes cheaper — we'll tell you when you cross it.

CDS

Customs clearance

Import and export declarations submitted through the Customs Declaration Service, at any UK port. Commodity code checking, valuation, preference claims and post-clearance amendments.

VAT

Duty & VAT handling

Use our deferment account or set up your own. Postponed VAT accounting applied correctly so import VAT stays off your cash flow instead of tying up working capital for a quarter.

FBA

Ecommerce & Amazon FBA

Direct-to-fulfilment-centre delivery with carton labelling, pallet build and appointment booking. We stay the importer's agent, not the importer of record.

OOG

Project & out-of-gauge

Flat racks, open tops and breakbulk for machinery that won't fit a box. Lift plans, route surveys and abnormal load permits arranged with the haulier before the vessel sails.

Sectors we know well

Commodity knowledge is what keeps a container moving seamlessly through the border.

Industrial machinery
Furniture & homeware
Food & drink (IPAFFS)
Textiles & apparel
Consumer electronics (UKCA)
Chemicals & dangerous goods
Temperature-controlled / reefer
Automotive parts
Building materials
Packaging & plastics

Why importers move to us

The three complaints we hear on every first call

We're not going to claim the cheapest rate on the market. We're going to promise that the price you're quoted is the price you pay, and that your container arrives when we say it will.

"Nobody answers after the booking"

You get a named contact who handles your file from booking to POD, plus their mobile. Not a shared inbox and a reference number.

"The demurrage bill was a surprise"

We flag your free-time expiry when the vessel berths, not after the charges start. If clearance is going to be slow, you hear it early enough to do something about it.

"The final invoice had charges I'd never seen"

Quotes list every line: ocean freight, THC, documentation, customs entry, port charges, haulage. Disbursements are passed through at cost with the carrier invoice attached.

Stop guessing your landed costs.

Our free import duty calculator gives you a realistic estimate of the cash you'll need at the border, based on live UK Global Tariff rates.

Try the duty calculator

Customs valueThe CIF value of your goods, freight and insurance
Import DutyCalculated on the specific commodity code
Import VATCalculated on the total value including duty
Cash at borderYour total immediate liability to HMRC

How a shipment runs

Step 01

Quote

Send us your packing list and supplier details. We quote the full landed cost and confirm vessel space.

Step 02

Origin

We contact your supplier, arrange the container drop (or LCL collection), and manage export customs.

Step 03

Transit

You get the tracking link and estimated arrival date. We handle the original bills of lading if required.

Step 04

Arrival

We receive the arrival notice and manifest, and check that the container is discharged without issue.

Step 05

Clearance

We submit the import declaration to CDS. Duty and VAT are paid or deferred. The goods are cleared.

Step 06

Delivered

The container is pinned to a truck and delivered to your warehouse on the agreed day. We invoice you.

Frequently asked

Common questions from new importers

What does a freight forwarder do?

A freight forwarder organizes the international movement of goods. We don't own the ships or the trucks — we buy space on them wholesale and manage the complex logistics, documentation, and regulatory compliance required to move cargo from a factory in one country to a warehouse in another.

Do I need an EORI number to import into the UK?

Yes. Any business importing goods into the UK requires an Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number that starts with 'GB'. It takes about 10 minutes to apply for one on the GOV.UK website and usually arrives within a few days.

How long does sea freight from China to the UK take?

Port-to-port transit times from major Chinese ports (Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian) to UK ports (Felixstowe, Southampton) typically range from 28 to 35 days. However, you should allow at least 40-45 days door-to-door to account for origin handling, customs clearance, and UK haulage.

Can you clear customs at any UK port?

Yes. As we are directly linked to the UK's Customs Declaration Service (CDS), our badges allow us to clear commercial goods arriving at any UK seaport or airport, regardless of where the physical goods are located.

Send us the packing list. We'll send back a landed cost.

Give us origin port, incoterm, cartons and weight, and you'll have a full quote — freight, duty, VAT and delivery — usually within one working day.

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