Buying Guide

Importing Floor Cleaning Machines from China: FOB, Certificates and Shipping

2026-09-15 · Jining Hailing Machinery Co., Ltd.

First-time importers of cleaning machines usually lose money on the same three things: unclear Incoterms, missing certificates, and container space wasted on bad packing. This guide covers what a professional supplier should hand you by default.

Incoterms: what FOB Qingdao actually means

FOB (Free On Board) Qingdao means we deliver the machine cleared for export onto the vessel at Qingdao port; from that point, ocean freight, insurance and destination charges are yours. Most buyers then ask us to quote CIF or CIP to their port — we provide both on request. Our standard lead time is 15–25 days after deposit depending on model and quantity.

Certificates and documents you should receive

• Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading — the baseline trio every professional supplier provides for customs clearance.
• Certificate of origin where your import duty schedule needs it.
• Machine-level certificates (CE or others) — ask your supplier to state in writing, before you order, exactly which documents they can provide for your market.
• Third-party inspection (SGS or similar) — worth arranging for first containers; most established suppliers accept it, typically at the buyer’s cost.

We ship with the baseline trio plus certificate of origin by default, send you photos and video of your machines before loading, and confirm in writing — before you pay the deposit — exactly which market-specific documents we can provide.

Container loading: plan this before you order

Machines ship disassembled to a defined packing size — a 20 ft container typically takes 2–4 ride-on units, a 40 ft HC up to 8–10 with mixed models. Ask for the exact packed dimensions (we list the machine footprint in each model's specification table, e.g. the AS900 at 1750 × 1260 × 1450 mm) and remember container orders include 1% free wear parts.

Payment options

We work with T/T (deposit + balance against B/L copy) and Alibaba.com Pay for buyers who prefer platform protection. MOQ is 1 unit for most models — many dealers start with a demo machine, then scale to mixed containers. Dealer pricing applies to repeat volume.

Before the machine ships

We run a factory test — battery charge cycle, brush operation, drive test — and can record a video inspection for you. On arrival: charge batteries fully, check brush heights, and register your 12-month warranty. Questions during your first import? Write to our export team or read the company and process overview.

Frequently asked questions