Freight

Importing for Shopify, and where to start

Importing adds a lead time, a freight decision and a calendar that a domestic supplier never makes you think about. This page will not teach you all of it. It points you at the post that will.

Marcus VolstedCo-founder, Restocio Published 15 September 2026Updated 15 September 20262 min read

Importing for a Shopify store adds three decisions a domestic seller never has to make: how far ahead to order, which freight mode gets it there, and what to do when the shelf runs out before the next container lands. Get any one of them wrong and the fix is usually the same one, paying for a faster route to cover a gap a few weeks' warning would have closed for free.

Two numbers decide most of it. How long your supplier actually takes, and which freight mode gets the order home in time. Shopify replenishment, end to end walks through how those two numbers become an order deadline. The posts below go deeper into the pieces of importing that page only touches in passing, from container size to the factory calendar to the stock a boat is already carrying that Shopify does not show you.

Common questions

Where should I start if importing is new to me?

With the two numbers everything else depends on: how long your supplier actually takes to deliver, and which freight mode gets the order home in time. If you already know both, the reorder point and minimum order quantity posts below cover the arithmetic that turns them into a purchase.

Does Restocio work with sales channels other than Shopify?

No. Restocio connects to Shopify only, so if part of your stock sells through a marketplace or a second storefront, this whole system sees the Shopify half of it and nothing else.

Is Chinese New Year actually something I need to plan for?

If any part of your supply chain runs through China, yes. Factories close for weeks around it, and the order that refills a Christmas sell-through has to be placed in November, well before the shelf looks empty. Both are covered below with the real 2027 dates.

Is there one page that covers importing on Shopify end to end?

Stock replenishment, end to end is the full guide, and Shopify replenishment, end to end walks through the order-deadline arithmetic specifically. This page exists to route you into the parts of importing neither covers in depth.

Marcus Volsted

Co-founder, Restocio

Marcus co-founded Restocio and works on it daily with a Swedish importer who plans their purchasing in it every working day. Restocio is built in Sweden by two founders, one Swedish and one Danish, and Marcus is the Danish one. Why we are building it.