How to Import Phone Accessories from China: A Wholesaler's Guide (2026)

Importing phone accessories from China comes down to five steps: choose what to buy, check the supplier, agree on the order and payment terms, make sure the products meet your country's rules, and book shipping that accepts lithium batteries. This guide walks through each step for wholesalers, distributors and shop owners buying chargers, cables, power banks, earbuds and car accessories.

We are Earldom, a mobile accessories brand in Foshan, Guangdong. We use our own wholesale terms and real carton data as examples, so you can see what an actual order looks like. Rules on batteries and certification are taken from the official sources linked in each section.

1. Decide what to buy: in-stock or custom?

Short answer: for a first order, buy in-stock branded models. They ship in days, you can mix many products, and you can test the market before committing to large quantities.

• In-stock models: no tooling and no waiting. At Earldom, in-stock models ship within 7 days.
• Custom (OEM / ODM): your logo, packaging or design. Minimums are much higher. Ours are 1,000–5,000 pcs per model depending on the product, with about 30 days of production after the deposit.

Many buyers start with 5–10 models across two or three categories, for example a fast charger, a matching cable, a power bank and a pair of earbuds. They reorder the fast sellers and drop the rest.

2. Find and check the supplier

Short answer: find suppliers on B2B platforms, at trade fairs or in the Guangzhou and Shenzhen wholesale markets, then check the company behind them before sending money.

Common places to find suppliers:

• B2B platforms: Alibaba.com, Made-in-China.com and Global Sources.
• Trade fairs: the Canton Fair in Guangzhou (spring and autumn) and the electronics fairs in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
• Wholesale markets: Guangzhou and Shenzhen have large phone accessories markets where brands keep showrooms. Ours is in Guangzhou.
• Brand websites: buying directly from the brand avoids middlemen and means you know where after-sales support comes from.

Before you pay, check these four things:

1. Business licence. Every Chinese company has an 18-character Unified Social Credit Code. You can look it up on China's official National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (gsxt.gov.cn).
2. Certificate holder. Look at the company name and model numbers on each certificate. It is normal for a brand's certificates to be issued to its partner factory, but the models must match what you are buying.
3. Samples. Test the samples yourself: real output power, cable length, battery capacity, packaging and labels.
4. Communication. Note how fast and how clearly the supplier answers. That is how they will handle problems later.

3. Minimum order quantity (MOQ) and mixed orders

Short answer: brand wholesalers usually let you mix models and sell each model by the inner box. Factories making custom products ask for 1,000 pcs or more per model.

Phone accessories are packed in inner boxes, and several inner boxes go into one export carton. For example, our ET-PB70 power bank comes in inner boxes of 25 pcs and cartons of 50 pcs. Our TWS53 earbuds come in inner boxes of 25 pcs and cartons of 100 pcs.

4. Price terms and payment

Short answer: make sure every quote names an Incoterm, because "price" means something different under EXW, FOB and CIF. The most common payment method is a bank transfer (T/T) split into a deposit and a balance.

Our prices are EXW Foshan / Guangzhou. We can deliver the goods to your forwarder's warehouse in China, or introduce a forwarder we work with.

Payment is T/T: a 30% deposit when you confirm the PI, and the 70% balance when the goods are ready, before shipping. The PI is issued as soon as you confirm the order. In countries with currency controls, buyers often need it for their import licence or foreign-exchange application.

Samples are charged, and we refund the sample fee when you place the order.

5. Certification and labelling by market

Short answer: the rules depend on where you sell, not where the product is made. Tell your supplier your country before you order, and ask which documents they can provide for each model.

Rules change, so check the official source or a local customs broker before your first order. Our main products are CE certified, and certificates are available on request. For other markets, tell us your country and we will confirm which documents we can provide for each model before you pay the deposit.

6. Shipping power banks and other battery products

Short answer: power banks are classed as lithium batteries, not electronics. By air they are cargo-aircraft-only dangerous goods. Sea freight is usually simpler for larger orders, but the battery must still be declared.

The rules below come from the IATA Lithium Battery Guidance Document for 2026, which is based on the 67th edition of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations:

• Power banks are batteries. IATA classifies them as UN 3480 (lithium-ion batteries), not as electronic devices.
• Batteries shipped on their own (Packing Instruction 965) must be at no more than 30% state of charge. They cannot go on passenger aircraft unless the authorities approve it, so they fly on cargo aircraft only.
• Batteries packed with equipment (for example a spare battery in the same box as a device): from 1 January 2026, batteries over 2.7 Wh must also ship at 30% charge or less.
• Batteries inside a device, such as earbuds, speakers or smart watches, fall under UN 3481 "contained in equipment". These are easier to ship than power banks.
• UN 38.3 test summary. Manufacturers and distributors must make the battery's UN 38.3 test summary available. Ask your supplier for it before booking.

7. Example: a mixed first order, carton by carton

Here is a small mixed order of four real Earldom models, one export carton each. The packing data comes from our current price list.

ET-PB70 power bank, 10,000 mAh50 pcs per carton
13.8 kg · 0.037 m³ TWS53 ANC earbuds100 pcs per carton
14.3 kg · 0.071 m³ ET-EH320 magnetic car mount140 pcs per carton
12.6 kg · 0.097 m³ EC-TB01 Thunderbolt 5 cable, 1 m200 pcs per carton
17.1 kg · 0.097 m³

What this tells you:

• By sea (LCL): 0.3 m³ is a small shipment. Many forwarders charge a minimum of 1 m³, so adding more products costs little extra freight. This is one reason we suggest a first order of around US$2,000.
• By air: airlines charge whichever is higher, the actual weight or the volume weight (usually 167 kg per m³). Here the volume weight is about 50 kg, so you pay for the actual 57.8 kg. The power bank carton makes the shipment dangerous goods, so it needs a cargo-aircraft service that accepts lithium batteries.
• Split option: some buyers send earbuds, cables and mounts by air and the power banks by sea.

8. Timeline: from product list to shipment

1. Send your product list, get a quotation and PI1–2 days
2. Pay the 30% depositDepends on your bank, usually 1–3 days
3. Goods preparedIn-stock models: within 7 days · Custom OEM models: about 30 days after the deposit
4. Pay the 70% balance, goods handed to your forwarder1–3 days
5. TransitSeveral weeks by sea, depending on your port. A few days to about two weeks by air, depending on the route and battery restrictions.

9. Import duties and HS codes

Short answer: duty depends on the product's HS code and your country's tariff. The first six digits of an HS code are the same worldwide. Your customs broker adds the national digits and tells you the rate.

Ask your broker to confirm the code for each product before you order, because the code also decides which certificates customs will ask for.

Importer's checklist

• Product list with model numbers and quantities, by inner box
• Supplier's business licence checked
• Samples tested
• PI with Incoterm, payment split and lead time
• Certificates and labels for your market confirmed
• UN 38.3 test summary for battery products
• Forwarder told about the battery products before booking
• HS codes and duty confirmed with your customs broker

FAQ