Why not just buy childcare furniture direct from China? What importing really involves

Why does furniture look so much cheaper from overseas?

Because the listing price and the landed price are different numbers. Most overseas furniture listings quote the price at the factory, sometimes called ex-works or FOB (free on board): the furniture, packed, ready to be collected or loaded onto a ship. Everything that happens after that is extra, and much of it is charged by people other than the seller.

Listings also tend to show the price for a large order. The price per chair for a minimum of 500 is not the price for the 60 chairs your new toddler and preschool rooms need, and many factories won't make a small run at all.

None of this means overseas factories are dishonest. A lot of good furniture is made in China, including for well-known brands. The question is not the country. It is what the price includes, who checks the furniture before it ships, and who you call when something goes wrong.

What does importing childcare furniture actually cost?

Here is what usually sits between a factory price and furniture in your rooms. Not every item applies to every order, but most do.

Cost	What it is
Deposit	Often 30% or more paid upfront before production starts, with the balance before the goods ship.
Sea freight and insurance	Shipping a container or a share of one, plus cover for loss or damage at sea.
Port and customs broker	Destination port charges, the import declaration and a broker to lodge it.
GST and duty	GST of 10% on imported goods, plus customs duty where it applies.
Biosecurity	Timber products and wooden packaging must meet Australian biosecurity import conditions. Shipments can be held for inspection or treatment, at your cost.
Delivery from the port	Trucking to your centre, often with a tail-lift or forklift, and someone to receive it.
Unpacking and assembly	Flat-packed furniture has to be built, checked and the packaging taken away.
Things that go wrong	Damaged items, missing parts, wrong sizes or finishes, and the time it takes you to sort them out.

Add these up before you compare prices. The fair comparison is landed, assembled and in the room, against a supplier who delivers and installs.

Is furniture from overseas safe for a childcare centre?

It can be. The National Regulations require furniture and equipment to be safe, clean and in good repair (regulation 103) and developmentally appropriate (regulation 105). They don't name a single furniture standard, so the responsibility for checking sits with you as the approved provider, wherever the furniture was made.

Before you order, ask the factory for:

• Test reports to a recognised standard. For educational chairs and tables, BS EN 1729 covers sizes, strength, stability and durability. Ask who did the testing and for which exact products.
• Real measurements. Seat and table heights should match the size marks for the ages in each room. A "preschool chair" can mean anything.
• Finish and material details. What the timber or board is, and what the coating is.
• A production sample. A sample made for you is not proof the bulk order will be the same. Ask how they check the bulk run, or pay for an independent inspection before it ships.

With a supplier in Australia you can usually skip most of this: see the furniture, sit on it, and ask for the testing behind it before you buy.

What happens when an imported chair breaks?

This is where direct imports cost the most. Childcare furniture is used hard, every day, for years. Something will eventually need fixing: a wobbly leg, a cracked seat, a door that drops on a cupboard.

• Returns are rarely practical. Sending one chair back across the world usually costs more than the chair.
• There are no spare parts here. A replacement leg or glide may mean another order, another shipment and another wait.
• Your rights are harder to use. Consumer guarantees under Australian law are much harder to enforce against a business overseas than against one down the road.
• The room still needs seats. A broken chair comes out of use straight away, and you are a seat short until it is fixed or replaced.

How long does importing furniture take?

Production, then several weeks at sea, then customs clearance and delivery. Any step can slip: a factory backlog, a missed sailing, a container held for inspection. That matters most when you are opening a centre, because opening day doesn't move. Furniture that is already in an Australian warehouse takes the biggest uncertainty out of your timeline. Our guide to the fit-out timeline shows where furniture fits in the run-up to opening.

What do you get buying from Edu Fun instead?

You don't have to choose between factory pricing and local service. Edu Fun Australia is the direct Australian office of ESCO, a group that has designed, manufactured and supplied educational furniture in its own factories since 1989. Our factory supplies around two-thirds of Australia's early learning furniture brands, so buying from us is buying from the source, with an Australian business standing behind it.

• We do the importing. We ship our own containers, clear them through customs and biosecurity, and hold stock in our warehouse in Pakenham, Victoria. You pay one price, not a chain of fees.
• Tested and made to last. Our chairs and tables are made to BS EN 1729 and tested for strength, stability and durability by FIRA International, in solid European beech that is kiln-dried for stability. See our quality policy.
• A 5-year warranty from an Australian company. Furniture is covered against manufacturing faults for 5 years from delivery, by Edu Fun Pty Ltd in Pakenham. See the warranty.
• Replacement parts here, and fit-out pricing for refurbishments. Our Pakenham warehouse keeps replacement parts, so a worn or broken part means a quick fix, not a new container. Refurbishing a room or a whole centre with us? You get the same 25% discount as our fit-outs. Read more in repair, refurbish or replace.
• See it before you buy. Sit on the chairs, compare the sizes and see the finishes in our Pakenham showroom, by appointment.
• Planned for your rooms. Send us your floor plan and within 24 hours you'll have an itemised quote, 2D room plans, 3D renders and a video walkthrough of your centre. Get a quote.
• Delivered and installed. For new centre fit-outs we deliver, set up and take the packaging away.
• A price you can check. Found a like-for-like quote cheaper? Send it to us and we'll beat it by 10%. See our price promise.

Questions to Ask Before Importing

1. What exactly does the price include, and what is the total landed cost to my door, with GST?
2. What is the minimum order, how much is the deposit, and when is the balance due?
3. Which standard is the furniture tested to, by whom, and can I see the reports for these exact products?
4. What are the real seat and table heights for each size?
5. Who inspects the bulk order before it ships, and what happens if it doesn't match the sample?
6. Who arranges freight, insurance, customs clearance and biosecurity treatment, and who pays if the container is held?
7. How is a warranty claim handled from Australia, and who pays to ship parts?
8. Can I buy spare parts, and how long do they take to arrive?

If the answers are clear and the numbers still work, importing can make sense, especially for very large, repeat orders. For most centres, the time, risk and after-sales gap outweigh the saving. Our guide on how to choose a childcare furniture supplier has the questions to ask any supplier, local or overseas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to buy childcare furniture from China?

The factory price usually is. The landed price often isn't, once you add the deposit, freight, insurance, port and broker fees, GST, any duty, biosecurity costs, delivery, assembly and replacements for anything damaged. Compare the total cost of furniture assembled in your rooms, not the listing price.

Do I pay GST on furniture imported into Australia?

Yes. GST of 10% applies to imported goods, and customs duty may also apply. Larger shipments need a formal import declaration, which most businesses lodge through a customs broker.

Does imported childcare furniture have to meet Australian standards?

The National Regulations require furniture in an education and care service to be safe, clean and in good repair, and developmentally appropriate. They don't name one specific furniture standard, so ask for test reports to a recognised standard such as BS EN 1729 for educational chairs and tables, and check the sizes against the ages in each room.

What if imported furniture arrives damaged?

Check everything on delivery and photograph any damage before signing. Claims then depend on your freight insurance and the seller's terms, and replacements usually mean another production run and shipment. That wait is one of the biggest hidden costs of importing.

Can I see Edu Fun furniture before I buy?

Yes. Visit our showroom at 11A Corporate Terrace, Pakenham, Monday to Thursday from 9am to 1pm, by appointment. Call (03) 5918 2576 or email sales@edu-fun.com.au to book.