u/Sad_West_3506

Hi

I am looking to get customized polymailer packages for my brand. Any recommendations in Delhi/NCR is appreciated.

Please DM

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I launched my brand in October last year and RTO has been the one thing I can't seem to crack. Last month it was around 20% of total orders, and every single one of those was COD.

The obvious answer is to just kill COD, but 80% of my orders are COD right now, so that would gut my volume overnight. Not really an option at this stage.

I've also looked at partial payment. The issue there is I don't want to ask for it on lower ticket orders, say 2k to 2.5k, because it kills conversion. But if I only apply it above 5k, the smaller orders keep coming back and that's exactly where most of my RTOs sit. So it solves maybe half the problem.

My performance marketing team has blocked a bunch of pin codes that were consistently giving us returns. Helped a little, but shockingly a lot of the RTOs are coming from Mumbai and Delhi, which is also where most of my actual buyers are. So I can't exactly block metros.

So for the founders here, what's actually worked for you? Is 20% RTO normal for home and lifestyle, or am I doing something wrong? And is this just a cost of doing business in this category that I should budget for every month, or is there stuff I haven't tried yet?

Would appreciate any input.

Hi everyone, I’m an Indian founder importing home and lifestyle products from China and I’m stuck on a compliance plus banking issue related to DDP shipping and bill of entry. I’d really appreciate input from people who have done similar imports.
I have four invoices from different Chinese suppliers. I’ve already paid 30 percent as advance on each and the remaining 70 percent is due next week once production is complete. When I placed the orders, I was planning to ship on EXW or FOB terms, but because the volume of each shipment turned out to be relatively small, using DDP from China to India has become financially more sensible overall.

I’m now working with a Chinese freight forwarder who has assured doorstep delivery from China to my warehouse in Gurgaon on DDP terms.

The problem:
My bank in India, which is handling the outward remittance, needs a bill of entry in the name of my current company to close the import transaction and the ORM in an RBI compliant way. Under normal EXW or FOB terms, the bill of entry would be in my company’s name, so this would be straightforward.

But under DDP, the freight forwarder will act as the importer of record and file customs in their own name. That means the bill of entry and GST paid will show the forwarder as the importer, not my company.

The bank is indicating that if the bill of entry is not in my company’s name, they will not be able to close the transaction properly from a regulatory standpoint because they won’t have import evidence directly linking my company to the goods. They say this is necessary to comply with RBI guidelines on import remittances.

My questions

1. If I go ahead with DDP where the bill of entry is in the freight forwarder’s name and I only have commercial invoices plus proof of payment to the Chinese suppliers, what are my options to keep this transaction compliant with RBI guidelines?
2. Are there alternative forms of import evidence that the bank or RBI can accept in such cases, for example any specific declarations, CA certificates, forwarder documentation or tripartite arrangements that you’ve actually used in practice?
3. Will I face issues later with the bank, RBI, or FEMA if the ORM linked to this transaction remains open or is closed without a bill of entry in my company’s name? Has anyone navigated this successfully with DDP and a Chinese forwarder acting as importer of record?
4. Is there any way to structure this now so that I can still use DDP for operational convenience and cost savings, but get the bill of entry or equivalent customs documentation in my company’s name, or at least acceptable to the bank?

If anyone here has dealt with DDP shipments from China to India where the bank insisted on a bill of entry in the Indian importer’s name for ORM closure, I’d really value detailed inputs on what worked for you, what the bank finally accepted, and what to avoid.

Happy to clarify any details in the comments.

Hi,

Looking for a Chartered Accountant for two firms - a Private Limited and an LLP

Please reach out to me if you or someone you know can help.

Note: Not looking for individual CAs.

Thanks

Hi, I run my own home decor and lifestyle brand in India. I'm looking for a reliable shipping agent in Guangzhou who can pick up two different small shipments (totalling to 0.9 CBM) from the same area of Shilling Town, Huadu (Pin - 510800), Guangzhou to do DDP to my Gurgaon warehouse (122017)

Pick up date: 15th July 2026

If you or someone you know can help, please reach out to me.

Thanks

Hi, I’m the founder of Elevate, a home and lifestyle brand based in India. We launched in October 2025 and began running Meta ads shortly after. While initial performance was moderate, our first agency delivered a ROAS of 1.5–2 until February, when our ad account was blocked and only reinstated by late April. Since then, we’ve worked with a second agency, but results have still been underwhelming. Overall, across ~5 months of ad activity, we haven’t seen the level of performance we’re aiming for.

We are now looking to collaborate with a performance marketer (or agency) experienced in the home and lifestyle space who can help us scale to a ROAS of 3.5–4 in the near term. If you have relevant experience or know someone who does, please feel free to reach out to me.

Experience in the same industry preferred

Hi

I'm looking for an AI UGC creator for my Home and Lifestyle brand Elevate

If you or someone you know is an expert in making AI videos and UGCs, please feel free to slide into my DMs

Thanks

Hey everyone,

We're a recently launched D2C brand in the home & lifestyle accessories space, just starting to import directly from China. Volumes are small for now - likely LCL for initial shipments. Clearing through Delhi ICD or JNPT depending on the supplier.

Would love inputs from founders who've been through this:

1. **Freight forwarders who already run consolidated shipments from China to India** \-ideally someone who has a container coming in every month with goods for multiple Indian brands, so we can plug into an existing setup rather than starting from scratch. If you're part of such an arrangement or know someone running this, would love to connect.
2. **Do freight forwarders typically have their own CHA tie-ups in India?** Is that a more seamless option vs. arranging customs clearance separately via our own CHA? Open to whatever works best at this stage.
3. **Recommendations for CHAs?**
4. **Any red flags or hidden charges** to watch out for?

Specific names or contacts you've had good experiences with would be really helpful. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

We're a recently launched D2C brand in the home & lifestyle accessories space, just starting to import directly from China. Volumes are small for now - likely LCL for initial shipments. Clearing through Delhi ICD or JNPT depending on the supplier.

Would love inputs from founders who've been through this:

1. **Freight forwarders who already run consolidated shipments from China to India** \-ideally someone who has a container coming in every month with goods for multiple Indian brands, so we can plug into an existing setup rather than starting from scratch. If you're part of such an arrangement or know someone running this, would love to connect.
2. **Do freight forwarders typically have their own CHA tie-ups in India?** Is that a more seamless option vs. arranging customs clearance separately via our own CHA? Open to whatever works best at this stage.
3. **Recommendations for CHAs?**
4. **Any red flags or hidden charges** to watch out for?

Specific names or contacts you've had good experiences with would be really helpful. Thanks!

D2C founders in India: which shipping partner are you relying on? Facing RTO + courier issues

Hi everyone, I run a small D2C home and lifestyle brand and have been struggling with shipping since launch.

I first used Shiprocket, but faced constant pickup delays. Pickups would get delayed by 3–4 days, customer support was unhelpful, and overall it felt like smaller brands don’t get enough attention there.

I then moved to Selloship. Pickup and delivery timelines improved, but recently I’ve had 7 RTOs out of 40 orders. Delivery notes usually say “customer unavailable” or “customer refused,” but when I called a few customers, some claimed no delivery attempt was ever made.

I also had one RTO shipment come back tampered - instead of my product, the box had random packets inside. Since I didn’t have an unboxing video, there was no resolution from the logistics side.

At this point I’m trying to figure out:

• Which shipping partners are D2C founders actually relying on right now?
• Are aggregators worth it, or is it better to work directly with courier companies?
• How has your experience been working with XpressBees, Blue Dart, directly etc. in terms of pickup reliability, delivery attempts, RTO handling, and support?
• Is Blue Dart worth the premium pricing for a smaller brand?
• Also, if anyone here works with Blue Dart directly: how did you even get in touch with them? Their website/contact options don’t seem to work properly for me.

Would really appreciate practical advice from founders/operators dealing with shipping at smaller volumes.

Hey everyone,

We're a recently launched D2C brand in the home & lifestyle accessories space, just starting to import directly from China. Volumes are small for now - likely LCL for initial shipments. Clearing through Delhi ICD or JNPT depending on the supplier.

Would love inputs from founders who've been through this:

1. Freight forwarders who already run consolidated shipments from China to India -ideally someone who has a container coming in every month with goods for multiple Indian brands, so we can plug into an existing setup rather than starting from scratch. If you're part of such an arrangement or know someone running this, would love to connect.
2. Do freight forwarders typically have their own CHA tie-ups in India? Is that a more seamless option vs. arranging customs clearance separately via our own CHA? Open to whatever works best at this stage.
3. Recommendations for CHAs?
4. Any red flags or hidden charges to watch out for?

Specific names or contacts you've had good experiences with would be really helpful. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

We're a recently launched D2C brand in the home & lifestyle accessories space, just starting to import directly from China. Volumes are small for now - likely LCL for initial shipments. Clearing through Delhi ICD or JNPT depending on the supplier.

Would love inputs from founders who've been through this:

1. Freight forwarders who already run consolidated shipments from China to India -ideally someone who has a container coming in every month with goods for multiple Indian brands, so we can plug into an existing setup rather than starting from scratch. If you're part of such an arrangement or know someone running this, would love to connect.
2. Do freight forwarders typically have their own CHA tie-ups in India? Is that a more seamless option vs. arranging customs clearance separately via our own CHA? Open to whatever works best at this stage.
3. Recommendations for CHAs?
4. Any red flags or hidden charges to watch out for?

Specific names or contacts you've had good experiences with would be really helpful. Thanks!