Door-to-Door Shipping from China to the Philippines

September 24, 2026 · AngkatPH

"Door to door" is the most-used and least-defined phrase in Philippine freight. Some quotes mean supplier to your doorstep with every tax paid. Others mean port to port with a customs bill waiting at the end. Here is what a real door-to-door service from China covers, what it costs, and the questions that tell the two apart.

What door to door should mean

A shipment from a Chinese supplier to your door passes through six stages. A real door-to-door price covers all of them:

1. Supplier to origin warehouse. Your supplier delivers within China to the forwarder's warehouse. On most orders this domestic leg is arranged by the supplier and is often free or cheap.
2. Consolidation. Your cartons are received under your client code, measured, photographed and grouped with other cargo into a shared container.
3. Export clearance and ocean or air freight.
4. Philippine customs. Import entry, duties and 12% VAT.
5. Manila warehouse. Unloading and sorting.
6. Last-mile delivery to your home, shop or warehouse.

A quote that stops after stage 3 is port to port. One that includes stages 1 to 5 but not 6 is door to warehouse. Both can be fine, as long as you know which one you are being sold.

How Angkat's service maps to those stages

We run warehouses in Guangzhou, Yiwu and Shishi in China and Malabon and Quezon City in Metro Manila. From the moment your goods reach our China warehouse:

• Sea freight: 15–25 days to our Manila warehouse, including consolidation, sailing and customs on both sides.
• Air freight: 5–7 days, 1 kg minimum.
• Customs, duties and taxes: included in the rate. There's no separate bill at release.
• Delivery: free for qualifying shipments in covered areas of Metro Manila. Outside Metro Manila, message us for a delivery quote.

So within covered Metro Manila areas it is genuinely door to door. Outside Metro Manila it is door to our warehouse plus a quoted delivery leg, and we'll tell you that up front rather than bury it.

What it costs

Sea freight from China is billed per cubic metre (CBM), all-in, with the rate falling as your volume rises:

Every CBM carries a 500 kg weight allowance. Denser cargo bills on total weight instead, whichever is greater. Air freight runs from ₱400 to ₱750 per kilo depending on the goods. The full matrix, including the middle tiers, is on the rates page, and the shipping cost guide works through an example.

There is no minimum CBM. Small packages have flat rates, so door to door works for a first test order as well as a container's worth of stock.

"Cheap" door-to-door quotes: where the money hides

If one quote is far below the others, it usually has something missing. The usual places:

• Duties and VAT billed separately at claiming. On a typical consignment above the ₱10,000 de minimis, duty plus VAT can add 20–30% to the value of your goods. Our duties and taxes guide has a worked example.
• A tight weight allowance. A low per-CBM rate with a 200–300 kg allowance quietly turns into a weight charge on anything dense.
• Delivery that isn't really included, or covers only a narrow area.
• Port-to-port transit times sold as door-to-door times. A "7–15 day" claim is usually sailing time only.

How to start a door-to-door shipment

1. Create a free account at app.angkatph.com to get your client code and China warehouse address.
2. Send your supplier the address and code. Every carton must carry the code; the warehouse can't accept boxes without one.
3. Track it. Once your goods are received in China you can follow them in your account.
4. Pay and receive. Billing follows the measured volume or weight, then the goods are delivered or ready to claim.

Buying from several suppliers? Let everything arrive at the warehouse under one code and ship it as one consignment. That's the point of consolidation, and it's where most of the savings come from. If you're still choosing a platform, see 1688 vs Taobao vs Alibaba.

When door to door isn't the right service

If you regularly fill most of a container, typically 12 CBM or more on a predictable schedule, a full container (FCL) with your own customs arrangements can work out cheaper per unit. Below that, consolidated door to door almost always wins. Our LCL vs FCL guide helps you decide.

Checking out a forwarder before you trust them with cargo? Start with our legit-check guide.

Frequently asked questions

How long does door-to-door shipping from China to the Philippines take?

With Angkat, sea freight takes 15 to 25 days from our China warehouse to our Manila warehouse, including customs. Air freight takes 5 to 7 days.

Are duties and taxes included in door-to-door shipping?

In Angkat rates, yes. Customs duties and taxes, port fees at both ends, freight and warehouse fees are included. Always confirm this in writing with any forwarder.

Do you deliver outside Metro Manila?

Delivery is free for qualifying shipments in covered Metro Manila areas. For addresses outside Metro Manila, message us for a delivery quotation.

Is there a minimum shipment size?

No minimum CBM. Small packages have flat rates, and air freight has a 1 kg minimum.