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Which pieces are worth buying in China, and which aren't?
For Australian homes almost everything is worth it except engineered stone. For US homes, dining, living, outdoor furniture, lighting and natural stone usually are; wooden bedroom furniture, cabinets, vanities, tile, quartz and mattresses usually aren't, because of anti-dumping duties.
For a home in the United States, 9 of 16 categories are worth buying in Foshan.
| Category | Verdict | US duties | Saving landed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sofas & upholstered seating | Worth it with care | 50% | 38–56% |
| Dining tables & wooden chairs | Worth buying in Foshan | 37.5% | 42–60% |
| Living & occasional furniture | Worth buying in Foshan | 37.5% | 40–57% |
| Wooden bedroom furniture | Usually buy locally | 253.5% | – |
| Mattresses | Usually buy locally | 1,772.3% | – |
| Outdoor furniture | Worth buying in Foshan | 37.5% | 40–57% |
| Kitchen cabinetry | Check before buying | 319.8% | Check first |
| Bathroom vanities | Check before buying | 319.8% | Check first |
| Wardrobes & walk-in closets | Check before buying | 253.5% | Check first |
| Lighting | Worth buying in Foshan | 41.4% | 51–69% |
| Marble & natural stone | Worth buying in Foshan | 42.4% | 28–54% |
| Porcelain & ceramic tiles | Usually buy locally | 735.5% | – |
| Quartz & engineered stone | Usually buy locally | 434% | – |
| Tapware & showers | Worth it with care | 41.5% | 40–58% |
| Toilets, basins & baths | Worth it with care | 18.3% | 40–55% |
| Rugs | Worth buying in Foshan | 43.5% | 34–52% |
Get real prices for your categories. Tell us which pieces you're considering and we'll send factory prices, landed in your currency, with an honest view on what to buy locally.
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Keep it
Everything you work out in these tools adds up in one project: your budget, containers, dates and trip. Save it to get a link by email, or print it.
How we work it out
For each category we take a typical piece (a sofa, a 10-seat dining table, 10 metres of kitchen cabinets…) at the retail level you choose, the price a Foshan factory charges for comparable materials and build, and land it properly: our sourcing, inspection and service fee (about 35% of the factory price), its share of a 40′ container (to a US home through our logistics partner, priced from a client's real shipment to Dallas in October 2026, adjusted to Los Angeles; to Sydney at index freight rates), insurance, every duty and tariff for the category, customs and port charges, GST in Australia, and delivery to the house.
The verdict also weighs things that don't show in the price: anti-dumping orders, bans (engineered stone in Australia), and certifications a plumber, electrician or inspector will ask for. "Usually buy locally" means the duties or rules make it a poor bet for most homes, not that it is impossible. "Check before buying" means the standard duties make it a poor buy, but a factory with its own lower rate or a different construction can change that: we check the factory and the classification and confirm the landed cost in writing before you order.
Sources
- USTR, Section 301 China tariff actions
- White House: Section 232 on timber, lumber and derivative products (upholstered wooden seating, cabinets, vanities), amended Dec 2025
- Federal Register, Wooden bedroom furniture from China: final results (12 Aug 2026)
- Federal Register, Wooden cabinets and vanities from China: anti-dumping results (23 Apr 2026) and countervailing duty results (2 Jul 2025)
- Federal Register, Ceramic tile from China: anti-dumping and countervailing orders (2020, continued Feb 2026)
- Federal Register, Quartz surface products from China: anti-dumping and countervailing orders (2019, continued 2025)
- Federal Register, Mattresses from China: anti-dumping order continued (6 Feb 2025)
- SVIKARR client shipment: full 40′ high cube, Foshan to Dallas, door to door (Oct 2026)
- DFAT FTA Portal: China–Australia Free Trade Agreement tariffs
- Australian Border Force: engineered stone import ban
- Australian Customs Notice 2024/32: asbestos testing by a NATA-recognised laboratory
- WaterMark and WELS: tapware and toilets
- EESS: electrical equipment safety (RCM)
Rates and rules last checked 15 October 2026.
Questions
Why would a sourcing company tell me not to buy something in China?
Because a container that loses money on penalty duties loses us a client. We'd rather you buy cabinets locally and trust us on the sofas, stone and lighting.
How much can I really save?
On categories marked worth buying, a landed piece typically costs 40–65% less than comparable retail in Australia and 30–55% less in the US, after our fee, freight, duties and delivery. The saving is largest on large, made-to-order pieces.
Is the quality really comparable?
Foshan makes for many of the brands sold in US and Australian showrooms. Quality depends on the factory and the specification, which is why every order gets a written specification and an in-person inspection before the balance is paid.