Is 21kg Sea DDP too small? AI says 1 CBM minimum, friend says $10k min, forwarder says one 25 kg box is fine. What’s the catch?

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to start a small business importing motorcycle spare parts from China to the USA. I want to test the market first with the absolute minimum volume possible without getting absolutely destroyed by fixed costs and losing my margin.

However, I am getting completely conflicting information from three different sources and I need a reality check:

The AI: It keeps telling me that for Ocean Freight (LCL), I absolutely need to import at least 1 CBM for it to be financially viable because of port fees, customs bonds, and documentation costs.

An Online friend: Someone in an e-commerce group told me that unless I am spending at least $10,000 USD on product value, ocean freight fixed costs will eat up all my profit.

The Chinese Forwarder: I’ve been talking to a reputable forwarder on WhatsApp and they told me they can ship via Sea Freight DDP (Door-to-Door) with a minimum weight of just 21–22 kg (basically one single carton). They gave me a flat rate per kilo with customs, clearance, and domestic UPS delivery all included.

My question is: Who is telling the truth here? Is the forwarder lying/hiding fees, or is a 21kg sea shipment actually a thing now?

If I ship just one 21kg box under DDP, do I still have to worry about those massive fixed destination port fees, or does the per-kilo DDP price actually cover everything from the factory to my door in Texas?

Would really appreciate some insight from anyone who has actually imported small batches using Sea DDP. Thanks in advance!