By sector
Importing electronics and components
In electronics the hold-ups are not freight or price. They are two things people find out about late: the clearance regime for devices with wireless connectivity, and the rules for carrying batteries. We check both before the contract, not once the cargo is moving.
- What we move
- Devices · Components · Modules · Instruments
- Checked before the deal
- Encryption · Batteries · Conformity
- Quality
- Bill of materials and sampling
- Freight
- Routed around the battery restrictions
01 — Starting points
What people come with
The device has Wi-Fi and we're told that needs some sort of permit.
The shipment arrived and the batteries weren't allowed on the plane.
The boards came back with different chips from the ones in the spec.
The instrument won't pass electromagnetic compatibility testing.
We need components for our board, checked against counterfeits.
Chinese plug, Chinese interface — customers are sending them back.
02 — What is included
What we take on
- 01Establishing what is requiredBefore the contract we find out what your particular device needs for import, and whether any restriction makes the exercise pointless.
- 02Finding and vetting the makerWe look for a manufacturer rather than an assembler putting somebody else's components under their own label. We check the production, their experience with your type of product, and their willingness to work to a specification.
- 03Checking the componentsWe ask for the list of components used and verify a sample. Swapping a chip for an equivalent that is "just as good" is a familiar story, and it surfaces at the end customer.
- 04Market adaptation in the specificationPower, connectors, firmware and marking language, the documentation set — fixed in the contract before production starts.
- 05Testing and permitsWe arrange sampling, testing and the conformity paperwork through accredited bodies.
- 06Carriage with batteriesWe choose the routing and the packing around the restrictions and prepare the dangerous goods documentation.
03 — What we do not do
The limits of our work
- We do not help get round the permit procedureIf a device needs documents to be imported, the documents have to be obtained. We do not offer ways of declaring it as something else: that is a breach with consequences for the importer, not a clever move.
- We do not guarantee the permits will be grantedFor some devices the process ends in a refusal — for instance where the functions do not allow the product to be imported as described. We say so before the deal rather than after payment.
- We do not develop electronicsCircuit design, firmware and the physical build are the work of your engineers or a contract developer. We carry the requirements to the factory and see them followed.
- We do not move counterfeit componentsRemarked parts, refurbished units sold as new, products carrying other companies' trademarks — not our line of work under any circumstances.
04 — How the order runs
What gets checked before the order is placed
Sequence matters more here than anywhere else: much of what is settled on paper cannot be undone once the run has started.
- 01Breaking the device down by functionWhether it has wireless connectivity, what it runs on, what batteries it carries, what environment it is built for. The answers decide the paperwork, the mode of transport and, in some cases, whether it can be imported at all.
- 02Checking the clearance regimeDevices with encryption — and that means any Wi-Fi or Bluetooth — are imported under a separate permit procedure. We establish this before the contract: finding out once the container is in transit means paying storage while the paperwork is done.
- 03Assessing the bill of materialsWhat the device is actually built from. Declared components and fitted components diverge when substitution is not ruled out in the contract and nothing is checked against the list. For anything critical we ask for the list with part markings and check a sample against it.
- 04Adapting to the marketVoltage and plug, the language of the interface and the firmware, the markings on the case, a manual in Russian. All of it is done at the factory and costs little — provided it is agreed before the run starts.
- 05Testing and documentsElectromagnetic compatibility, safety, and additional properties for some devices. Samples go early: a laboratory does not work instantly and the cargo will not wait.
- 06Inspection before shipmentPowering up a sample to check it works, verifying the scope of supply, checking the packing. Electronics suffers from careless packing more than most goods.
- 07Freight around the batteriesLithium batteries are dangerous goods: their own packing and marking requirements, their own paperwork, and some air carriers will not take them at all. The routing is built around those rules rather than against them.
- 08Customs and the paperworkClassification — unusually contentious in electronics, and the code moves the duty rate a long way. Declaration, duties and taxes, release, and the full document set in your hands.
05 — Responsibility
Who is responsible for what
We are responsible for establishing the requirements and for making sure the run matches the specification. The engineering decisions are yours.
On us
- Establishing import requirements before the contract
- Finding the maker and checking the bill of materials
- Testing, documents and market adaptation
- Freight built around the battery restrictions
On you
- The technical description of the device and its functions
- The decision on components and acceptable equivalents
- Accepting and checking the run at your end
06 — Alongside
What people look at with this
07 — Questions
What people ask about electronics
The device has Wi-Fi. What does that change?
Wireless connectivity means encryption functions, and such devices are imported under a separate permit procedure. It covers most modern equipment, from speakers to industrial sensors, and nothing on the outside of a device shows that it applies. The process is workable and predictable, but it takes time and needs data from the manufacturer. It has to be established before the contract: learning about the requirement once the cargo is in port means paying storage while the paperwork is done.
Why do batteries cause trouble?
Lithium batteries are classed as dangerous goods. There are packing and marking requirements, documents to accompany them, and some air carriers will not take them at all or take them only within capacity limits. Sea and rail are easier but still have rules. The problem does not come from the batteries themselves — it comes from the carrier being told about them at the last minute, when there is no time left for the packing, the marking and the paperwork.
How do you check what is actually inside?
Fully, only by opening units and testing them, which is not realistic for a production run. The practical approach: get the list of components with part markings from the factory, put a prohibition on unagreed substitutions into the contract, and check a sample at acceptance. For anything critical it is worth commissioning independent analysis of a few units — cheaper than recalling a batch from customers.
What is electromagnetic compatibility and why does it matter?
It is the requirement that a device neither creates interference for other equipment nor fails in the presence of it. It is evidenced by testing at an accredited laboratory. For electronics it is the principal conformity document, and its absence stops release at customs as reliably as any other missing permit.
Can we order electronics under our own brand?
Yes, and it is a common arrangement: the factory builds to your specification with your logo and packaging. Bear in mind, though, that responsibility for conformity and safety then sits with you as the party placing the product on the market — with everything that implies for the documents and for what is inside the device.
How contentious is classification here?
Very. Devices that look alike fall under different codes with different duty rates, and the code also determines which documents are required. For regular shipments of the same product it is worth obtaining an advance classification ruling: it settles the argument for several years and protects against additional assessments.
Tell us about the device
Describe what it is, whether it has wireless connectivity and batteries, and what the quantity is. We will establish the import requirements and come back with a cost — before you order anything.