Importing Clothes and Shoes From China to Pakistan: Sizing and Fit

Can I import one piece of clothing from China to Pakistan?

Yes. Clothing and footwear are light, non-restricted and cheap to fly, which makes a single dress, jacket, pair of trainers or set of sportswear an easy import on paper. Taobao and 1688 carry the fashion that appears on Shein and Temu, usually at a lower price, and a huge range that never reaches Pakistan. The difficulty is not getting the item here. It is getting the right size and the quality you imagined, in one attempt, because you cannot send it back.

Asian sizing runs small

A Chinese "L" is commonly closer to a UK or US "M", and sometimes an "S". Shoe sizes on Chinese listings are often given in a Chinese or EU-style scale with a narrower last than Western shoes. If you order by the letter or number on the label, you will usually get something too small. The only reliable method is measurements:

1. Find the seller's size chart on the listing. Almost every Taobao and 1688 listing has one, in centimetres.
2. Measure a garment you already own that fits well, laid flat: chest or bust, shoulder width, sleeve length, total length, waist and hip for trousers.
3. Match your measurements to the chart and pick the size whose numbers are equal or slightly larger. Ignore the letter.
4. For shoes, measure your foot length in centimetres standing on paper, add about half a centimetre, and match that to the chart's foot length column. Mention if you have a wide foot.

If the chart is missing, ask the seller for the measurements of the exact size before you buy. A seller who cannot provide them is a seller to avoid.

There is no exchange route. Returning an item to China costs more than most garments are worth, and Chinese sellers rarely accept international returns. Treat every order as final: one item, carefully measured, from a seller with many photo reviews. If fit is uncertain, choose the larger size, because tailoring down is possible in Pakistan and tailoring up is not.

Fabric expectations

Listing photos are often studio shots or borrowed from a brand. The item that ships may be thinner, shinier or a slightly different shade. To reduce the gap:

• Read the fabric composition in the listing. "Cotton" often means a cotton blend; look for the percentage.
• Check the fabric weight if given, in grams per square metre, for t-shirts and hoodies. Heavier means thicker.
• Read buyer reviews with real photos. Taobao reviews are detailed and show the item in daylight.
• Ask the seller for photos of the actual stock, not the catalogue image.
• Expect colours to vary from the screen, especially for pastels and reds.

Counterfeit brands are seized

Chinese platforms are full of trainers, bags and sportswear carrying Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Zara and luxury logos at a fraction of the real price. These are counterfeits. Pakistani customs seizes counterfeit branded goods and you lose the money. Buy unbranded or Chinese-brand items, which are often the same factories making the same quality without the logo. If a listing calls an item "1:1" or avoids the brand name while showing the logo, it is a fake.

Duty on clothing and shoes

Clothing and footwear are dutiable in Pakistan. Customs duty is charged by HS code, with additional customs duty, sales tax at the standard rate and advance income tax on the customs value including freight. Valuation rulings exist for many garment and footwear categories, so customs may assess a minimum value per piece. Combined taxes on imports commonly fall between 25 and 60 percent of customs value and change with budgets, so confirm the current rate. There is no duty-free threshold, so a cheap t-shirt is still assessed. The customs duty guide has the detail. Also remember that a Daraz seller already paid this and built it into their price, which is why Daraz can be cheaper for common items.

How to measure, item by item

Shipping and timing

Clothing is light and travels by air without restriction, typically 7 to 15 days door to door after dispatch. Sellers often vacuum-pack garments, which creases them; a steam or wash fixes that. Shoes should travel in their box. Pre-order fashion items on Taobao can take a week or more to dispatch, which adds to the timeline. Around Chinese New Year, 11.11 and 618, dispatch and shipping slow down for everyone.

What commonly goes wrong?

• Too small. The letter size was trusted instead of the centimetres.
• Different fabric. Thinner or shinier than the photo. Reviews would have shown it.
• Wrong colour variant. Listings bundle many colours; the variant was not specified.
• Counterfeit seized. The branded item never arrives.
• Duty on a cheap item. A small assessed amount that was not expected.

How does a single-item service handle clothing?

Send the listing link on WhatsApp with the exact size and colour chosen from the chart. You get one price in rupees within 24 hours covering the item, air shipping, Pakistan customs and our fee, stated upfront. You pay once before it ships, and it is delivered to your address in 7 to 15 days after dispatch. We handle one item per order, not stock for a boutique, and we will say so if a listing looks like a counterfeit that cannot be shipped. For finding Shein and Temu items on Chinese platforms, read does Temu deliver to Pakistan.