Gradually, the relationship between human and pets has been intimate. Human takes pet as his friend, even a member of his family and is willing to offer a better life for “him” or “her”, which results in pet suppliers being a competitive market. Particularly, the United States has the highest pet penetration rate and the highest pet spending in the world. The United States has a profound pet keeping culture.
More and more residents regard pets as one of the same family members as people. They provide pets with various services such as food, medical treatment and entertainment, and obtain emotional sustains from the interaction with pets. In 2019, about 84.9 million U.S. households owned pets, or 67 percent of all households in the country. In addition to having a large pet base, the United States has the highest average household spending on pets in the world. According to statistics, the United States is the largest import country of pet supplies.
There are many categories in pet supplies, such as pet food, pet toys, pet clothes or pet care, which reveals that pets also enjoy the same treatment as human. Among the pet supplies, pet food accounts for the largest proportion. And the US is the largest market for pet food in the world. However, importing pet foods is a sensitive thing, especially for shipping from China to USA.
Classifications of Pet Supplies
With the improvement of human’s life, people gradually attach importance to the living condition of pets. Pet economy is taking shape, ranging from entertainment, medical treatment to food, and so on. Here, I will introduce the classification of pet supplies roughly.
Pet Toys
The main types of pet toys are solitude toys and interactive toys. Solitude toys play an important role when pets are alone. For example, educational toys can keep their brains active. Chew toys can ease the discomfort in gums and relieve their emotion. Interactive toys are a good way to enhance feeling between owners and pets.
Pet Care
The industry of pet care is also developing. Nowadays, people not only pay much attention to their pets’ diet, but also their image and physical health. Not only will the pet do a variety of styling, but also routine beauty treatments, physical check-ups.
Pet Food
Pet food is tailored to the nutritional requirements of pets in all ages. The variety of pet food is particularly eye-catching. Pet food is mainly classified into dry pet food, like dog food, cat food, semi-dry pet food, like canned food and liquid food for pets, like paste.
Files Needed for Importing Pet Supplies
Customs clearance is respectively complicated process. So you’d better to prepare those files in advance.
Commercial Invoice
This is an important document for shipping from China to USA. It ensures that you have paid for the goods. And all information about this shipment is included, such as name of commodity and specification or contract number.
Packing List
Packing list, also named receipt, is a list showing details of packing, such as the packing method, packing material, packing number, specification, quantity and weight of the goods, so as to facilitate the approval of the goods by the importer or the customs and other relevant departments.
Bill of landing
Bill of landing is one of the most important documents in international settlement. It is not only a cargo receipt, verifying the types, quantity and mark of goods received, but also is a document of title.
Arrival Notice
The arrival notice, also named notice of arrival, is sent by the carrier or shipper to inform you that the cargoes have arrived. It is always sent by mail out of courtesy to you so that you have plenty of time to make arrangement.
Pet food, the biggest pillar of the pet economy, is the biggest purchase by pet owners. As well, it has many limitations. A organization has clear rules on the labeling of pet food. This part will show you the rules and give you some advice for choosing pet food.
Label Rules for All Pet Food
If you are a shopkeeper in the US who tend to import pet food from China, then you should pay attention to this point. For pet food products sold in the United States, the Association of American Feed Control Officials imposes restrictive guideline on the safety and quality of pet food. It also establishes specific standards on pet food for concerning the safety of pets, that is its labels should combine the following signs:
- Brand and Product Name: This addresses the use of ingredient names in the product name. How an ingredient is included in the product name depends on the percentage of that ingredient in the product, and the use of certain descriptors. For example, there is different rule for “Chicken Cat Food”, “Chicken Recipe Cat Food” and “Chicken Flavor Cat Food”.
- Name of Species for which the pet food is intended: This must be clearly marked in the principal display panel, but sometimes may be included in the product name, like “Beef Dog Food”.
- Quantity Statement: This refers to the net weight or net volume. And the correct units must be used and be placed on the lower third of the principal display panel.
- Guaranteed Analysis: This lists the percentage of each nutrient in the food.
- Ingredient Statement: Ingredients must be listed in order of weight superiority. The ingredient that makes up the highest percentage of the total weight of the product ranks first.
- Nutritional Adequacy Statement: This is a statement that indicates that the food is complete and balanced for a particular life stage, such as childhood, adulthood and old age.
- Feeding Directions: A fully balanced diet must be fed in a way that specifies at least the amount of food given per unit of body weight during the animal’s life.
- Name and address of manufacturer or distributor: This establishes the guarantor and responsible party for the manufacture or distribution of pet food. If the guarantor is not the actual manufacturer, the name and address must be in words such as “produced for” or “Distributed by” or something like that.
Some Advice for Choosing Pet Food
Human knows a lot about eating, then we should also attach importance to pet food for pets. Here is some advice for you when you plan to purchase some.
- Do not choose products that use meat and bone meal or by-products. Cheap feed usually uses meat and bone meal and by-products to save money. If you can, choose products that use real meat.
- Meat should be the first ingredient. By convention, the higher the ranking, the greater the portion. However, it is not always correct for this saying, “more meat is better”. Adult dogs have a lower protein requirement and meat does not have to be the first ingredient.
- Look at the cereal ingredients used. Rice is one of the easiest grains for digesting. If there is too much corn, then consider other brands.
- Check expiration dates. When unpacking, smell to make sure it’s fresh. If necessary, return to the original purchase store.
Transportation for Importing Pet Supplies
Many people choose to purchase pet supplies online due to the epidemic. In this complicated condition, it is better for you to hire a freight forwarder from China to USA. China Freight, as an international logistics company with nearly ten-year experience, has dealt with many cases about this aspect and gained rich experience. As your partner, China Freight will provide you on-time delivery and competitive price. For importing pet supplies, there are sea freight or air freight for consideration. However, which mode of transportation could you choose mainly depends on the following three factors.
Budget
For the cost of shipping, it is usually heard that ocean freight is cheaper than air freight. Generally speaking, that is true. Due to the cost of air transport is high, then what we pay will be more. However, air freight has more requirements for shipping cargoes. If you have not enough budget, then sea freight is recommended since it can ship all kinds of items, included food, such sensitive items.
Speed
When it comes to speed, there is no doubt that air freight has the advantage. Ocean freight always takes weeks, while air freight can arrive at its destination within 2 or three days with expedited delivery. In this society, fast speed means saving time, which means saving money. Anyway, if you don’t have any requirement for time, ocean freight is also recommended. But if you have imported pet food, then please pay attention to its expiration date. Because now ports in the US run into some troubles, it is not convenient to sea freight, at least at this period. It would take longer than usual before you get your items.
Reliability
Objectively, air freight is more adjustable than sea freight. If there is a sudden weather condition or traffic accident, air freight can make a adjustment in time to avoid loss. While it is more difficult for ocean freight to react efficiently. Also, it is easy for sea freight to get delayed. I think it is a big concern for most of shippers.
Now shopping online, especially on Alibaba official site, is a popular way. If you need freight forwarder from China to USA, pls contact with us.
