Delivery is an important a part of importing from China to the US. These days, many importers purchase from wholesale websites, like Alibaba, World Sources, Made in China, and so forth.
Typically, their suppliers will organize the transportation for them. Some wih import experiences might have their belief freight forwarders and can organize shipments by themselves. However for newbies, transport could also be tormenting, particularly when it is advisable to examine completely different transport strategies and related prices.
So, on this article, I’ll share 7 main transport strategies from China to the US and their estimated prices. After studying it, you possibly can organize transportation with ease, whether or not you’re utilizing the provider’s forwarder or your individual. Anyway, it is a good information.
Word: All of the transport value listed within the article is common pre-pandemic value. Nonetheless, COVID-19 has a terrific impression on freight prices. The costs change very often. The most recent value you get will change once more after a number of days. As well as, the associated fee has been far more costly than earlier than. For instance, the value of a container has risen to 7-8 instances of the same old value. So, if you wish to estimate your transport value, please CONTACT US to get the real-time freight charges.
Word: commerce phrases (Incoterms) are what outline your transport mannequin, which is immediately associated to the transport value. In case you have no concepts about what Incoterms are, I recommend you watch the next video first.
Categorical Delivery from China to the US
You could find loads of info on Google about Categorical corporations like FedEx, UPS, and DHL. So I’m not going to waste your time studying high Categorical couriers once more right here. As a substitute, I’ll reply the 2 extra necessary questions immediately:
- When is it cheaper to decide on specific?
- What kind of products could be transported by way of specific?
Which Categorical Firm Is Higher?
In contrast with sea or air freight, specific is the best and quickest transportation methodology from China to the US.
You gained’t need to trouble concerning the customized clearances course of. And whether or not you’re getting the products delivered to the east or the west of america, supply charges will probably be the identical. All you must do is to search out an specific firm that provides you an inexpensive quote and waits for the products to be delivered to your deal with.
About 95% of the product samples and high-value items in small portions are shipped by specific. Moreover, in case you are on-line sellers who’re in a rush to restock, like Amazon sellers, specific is very appropriate to you.
FedEx, UPS, DHL, which is probably the most dependable and cost-effective one for transport from China? I like to recommend FedEx and UPS. As a result of usually, DHL’s customs clearance course of is slower than that of FedEx and UPS and generally DHL’s transport value can also be comparatively larger.
Categorical Delivery Prices from China to the USA
Whether or not FedEx, UPS, or DHL, the official value is mostly larger, as a result of these specific corporations give their brokers (your provider, or freight forwarder) completely different reductions primarily based on the annual shipments of every agent, often 20% – 50% off, which additional influences the costs.
In case your Chinese language provider doesn’t usually use FedEx to ship items from China to the US, he can discover an specific agent with a reduction and ask him to ship the products to america. So, you’ll get a decrease transport value.
Aside from the completely different reductions of every agent, the impression of season, the quantity of empty house left within the airplane, and so forth., may also affect the price of specific supply. For instance, the value can rapidly escalate throughout the excessive season, like a month earlier than Christmas and Thanksgiving, and drop considerably throughout the off-season.
So the transport value is sort of unstable and should even change each week. It’s a must to ask your provider or freight forwarder to offer you a real-time value, then select a less expensive one.
FedEx IP & IE
Though the supply fees usually change, the costs of FedEx are nonetheless inside a particular vary. Utilizing the reference value I supplied and contemplating the opposite influencing elements above, you possibly can simply estimate the price of supply to your deal with.
FedEx gives Worldwide Precedence and Worldwide Economic system supply, also called IP and IE. Transit time for IP is quicker than IE. Generally, IP takes 2-3 working days, and IE takes 4-6 working days, as the image under exhibits.
Then let’s take a look on the estimated transport charges for smalle packages under 20kg and cargo above 21kg.
Fedex IP （<21KG)
| 0.5-5.5KG | Price $ | 6-11KG | Price $ | 11.5-16.5KG | Price $ | 17-20.5KG | Price $ |
| 0.5 | 25 | 6 | 97 | 11.5 | 169 | 17 | 241 |
| 1 | 31 | 6.5 | 103 | 12 | 175 | 17.5 | 248 |
| 1.5 | 38 | 7 | 110 | 12.5 | 182 | 18 | 254 |
| 2 | 44 | 7.5 | 116 | 13 | 189 | 18.5 | 261 |
| 2.5 | 51 | 8 | 123 | 13.5 | 195 | 19 | 267 |
| 3 | 57 | 8.5 | 130 | 14 | 202 | 20 | 274 |
| 3.5 | 64 | 9 | 136 | 14.5 | 208 | 20.5 | 280 |
| 4 | 70 | 9.5 | 143 | 15 | 215 | _ | _ |
| 4.5 | 77 | 10 | 149 | 15.5 | 221 | _ | _ |
| 5 | 84 | 10.5 | 156 | 16 | 228 | _ | _ |
| 5.5 | 90 | 11 | 162 | 16.5 | 234 | _ | _ |
1kg≈2.2lb
Fedex IE (<21KG)
| 0.5-5.5KG | Price $ | 6-11KG | Price $ | 11.5-16.5KG | Price $ | 17-20.5KG | Price $ |
| 0.5 | 24 | 6 | 72 | 11.5 | 112 | 17 | 161 |
| 1 | 29 | 6.5 | 77 | 12 | 127 | 17.5 | 167 |
| 1.5 | 36 | 7 | 82 | 12.5 | 131 | 18 | 171 |
| 2 | 43 | 7.5 | 87 | 13 | 136 | 18.5 | 175 |
| 2.5 | 50 | 8 | 92 | 13.5 | 139 | 19 | 180 |
| 3 | 53 | 8.5 | 97 | 14 | 144 | 20 | 186 |
| 3.5 | 56 | 9 | 102 | 14.5 | 148 | 20.5 | 190 |
| 4 | 61 | 9.5 | 107 | 15 | 152 | _ | _ |
| 4.5 | 66 | 10 | 112 | 15.5 | 152 | _ | _ |
| 5 | 70 | 10.5 | 115 | 16 | 155 | _ | _ |
| 5.5 | 71 | 11 | 119 | 16.5 | 158 | _ | _ |
Cargo (>21KG)
| Caego Weight | Fedex IP | Fedex IE |
| 21KG-70KG | $7-$7.5 | $6.5-$6.7 |
| >70KG | $6.3-$7 | $6-$6.5 |
Word: Costs fluctuate too often throughout the pandemic. Please e mail us to get real-time transport charges.
The tables above clearly present that IP supply is dearer than IE. Typically, Fedex IP is your best option for sending product samples. Nonetheless, whether it is CARGO >21KG, I recommend you select Fedex IE.
As well as, please word that the products containing lithium batteries, powder and liquid will not be allowed to be shipped by official Fedex. Should you actually need to ship these merchandise by specific, you must discover some specific brokers to ship the products to Hong Kong first, after which ship them to america by Fedex or DHL of Hong Kong. In fact, the associated fee for transport such delicate items is dearer, often round $10/kg or extra.
Dimensional Weight VS Actual Weight
To specific, you must pay particular consideration to the charged weight. The specific firm will examine the dimensional weight with the true weight, and select whichever is bigger as charged weight to calculate the transport value. Dimensional weight is calculated by quantity, which is Size(cm) x Width(cm) x Top(cm)/5000.
Now if you will ship an enormous foam that’s 100cm x100cm x 100cm, and weighs 20kg.
Dimensional weight = 100cm x 100cm x 100cm/5000 = 200kg. It’s far bigger than the true weight (20kg).
Due to this fact, the specific will cost you 200kg, slightly than 20kg, as a result of the dimensions of the bundle is giant and can take up a number of house.
As for customs duties, if the worth of products is lower than $800, it’s duty-free by FedEx. If greater than $800, the courier firm can pay for you first, then you definately pay it to the courier if you obtain the products.
One final thing, for those who ask your provider that will help you ship items by FedEx, it’s higher to pay the payment to your provider upfront. Even when you have a FedEx account in america, you shouldn’t pay the freight till you signal for it, as a result of it is going to be very costly.
Air Freight from China to the USA
Each air freight and specific use planes to ship cargo. If you’re questioning concerning the variations between the 2 and when to decide on specific or air freight, please learn on.
The Variations between Air Freight and Categorical
Categorical supply is sort of easy and straight-forward, whereas air freight is a little more complicated and its import and export procedures are just like conventional sea freight. It consists of the next three steps:
- Native logistics in China and export course of.
- Air transport from Chinese language airport to American airport.
- Native logistics in USA and import course of.
Often, in case your cargo is greater than 500kg, air freight is cost-effective. Whereas in case your cargo is under 300kg, specific transport will probably be a more sensible choice. However what if the cargo is between 300-500kg?
At the moment, it’s not possible to precisely say which one is cheaper, as a result of the costs of each are all the time altering in real-time. For instance, FedEx is cheaper than air freight if the airplane of FedEx has a number of empty house left or when there are irregular reductions.
What Is All-Included Air Freight Price to the US?
When you will ship by air, whether or not you’re planning to seek the advice of a freight forwarder or are coping with an Alibaba provider, it’s important to ask for the value of the entire transport course of, i.e. the all-included value. It covers the price of transport from the China airport to your door.
Concentrate, it’s necessary to determine beforehand whether or not you need to ship your items to the airport of your nation or on to your door.
Generally, freight forwarders or suppliers solely quote you the value of transport from the China airport to the vacation spot airport with a purpose to appeal to you. Such value appears low however it doesn’t embrace customs clearance prices and home land prices, which it is advisable to pay additional.
Air Freight Prices per Kg for Your Reference
Greater than 500kg and the air freight all-included value is round $5.5/kg, whereas the specific value is $6.5/kg, so you possibly can have an intuitive comparability. However this value I gave you doesn’t embrace the associated fee from a Chinese language manufacturing facility to a China airport.
Delivery time for air freight =Time required for reserving transport house+flight time+Native supply time within the USA. It often takes 4-7 days in whole.
The Price Breakdown of Air Freight
If you’re a beginner, you possibly can simply take note the transport prices talked about above and search assist out of your Chinese language provider or freight forwarder. Nonetheless, chances are you’ll perform the transport course of by yourself, then the subsequent will certainly curiosity you.
Firstly, the charged weight of air freight can also be calculated by actual weight or by quantity, simply equally to Categorical. However air freight has its personal method to calculate its Dimensional Weight, which is: Size (cm) x Width (cm) x Top (cm)/6000, barely completely different from Categorical.
Moreover, for those who’re transport your items your self, you must know the price of every a part of the air freight, because it’s not simply an all-included value.
Delivery Price below FOB Time period
Often, whereas shopping for wholesale from Alibaba, many of the suppliers will quote you FOB value.
This implies, your Chinese language provider is chargeable for the transportation value from a Chinese language manufacturing facility to the Chinese language airport and Chinese language export prices, when you are chargeable for:
- The fee from China airport to an American airport.
- The fee from American airport to your door.
Thus, by FOB, Delivery value (FOB) = Price for air transport from Chinese language airport to American airport + American customs clearance value+ Native logistics value within the USA
For the correct value of American customs clearance and native logistics within the USA, you’d higher ask your native freight forwarder. Moreover, the kind of cargo and the vacation spot airport will make a terrific variation in the associated fee.
Delivery Price below EXW Time period
However if you get EXW value out of your provider, it signifies that the provider gained’t supply any transport and exporting service. That’s, you’ll be chargeable for the entire transportation value:
- from the Chinese language manufacturing facility to a Chinese language airport
- from China airport to an American airport.
- from American airport to your door.
So, by EXW, Delivery value = Native logistics value in China + China export value + Price for air transport from Chinese language airport to American airport + American customs clearance value + Native logistics value within the USA
As you possibly can see, the transport prices include a number of elements, the value of air freight shouldn’t be mounted, and you must seek the advice of a few of the prices by your self, which makes your estimation very difficult. As a number one sourcing firm in China, we can assist you supply and ship items to the US and allow you to calculate your transport value.
Sea Freight from China to the USA
In case your items exceed 2 CBM (Cubic Meters), you must think about sea freight. Although it’s the most complicated transport methodology, you don’t want to fret as this information will make the method easy and clear for you.
Much less Than Container Load (LCL) and Full Container Load (FCL)
The cargo shipped by sea freight is carried in containers. There are two varieties, LCL and FLC.
If the amount of your items is small and its quantity is lower than 15 CBM, the freight forwarder will allow you to ship your items by LCL. It implies you must share a container with different importers as a result of your cargo load is lower than a container dimension.
LCL makes use of CBM (Cubic Meter) because the unit to calculate the freight. For instance, in case your product is 12 CBM, then the transport payment = the value per CBM * 12CBM.
FCL is when your cargo is sufficient to fill a number of containers. On this case, the freight is calculated on the amount of the entire container. For instance, in case your items can fill 2 containers, then the transport payment = the value of a full container * 2. Typically, it is going to be cheaper than LCL.
Moreover, the container mannequin is especially divided into three varieties:
| Full container load | 20”GP | 40”GP | 40”HQ |
| CBM contained | 28CBM | 58CBM | 68CBM |
What Is All-Included Sea Freight Price to the US?
Identical to air freight, I may also offer you an all-included value so you possibly can examine the costs and roughly calculate the transport value. This value consists of the supply to your door however excludes the native logistics value in China.
For bulk cargo, i.e. LCL, I’ll present the value to the western, central, and japanese United States. Nonetheless, for the FCL value, I can solely present the associated fee to the Los Angeles port, as a result of the associated fee to completely different American ports varies rather a lot. And, there are greater than 100 ports within the US. The desk under offers you an summary of container freight charges primarily based on cargo CBM.
| USA | 3-5CBM | 5-10CBM | 10 CBM+ | 20”GP | 40”HQ |
| US West ($) | 310 | 240 | 180 | 3700 | 4200 |
| Cen.am ($) | 340 | 290 | 240 | _ | _ |
| US East ($) | 370 | 320 | 260 | _ | _ |
Word: Sea freight charges change often throughout the pandemic. Please immediately e mail us to get the real-time citation.
Then how will you calculate the tough transport value by this chart and higher estimate the revenue of your merchandise? Here’s a real-life instance.
Now you need to buy 400 purple wine glasses from China to Los Angeles (western United States), and the dimensions of the purple wine cup with the bundle is 19cm x 23cm x 19cm.
The full CBMs for the 400 PCS will probably be: 400 x19cm x23cm x19cm/1,000,000=3.3CBM
In line with the chart above, the freight charge ought to be $310 per CBM.
So, the overall transport value will probably be $310*3.3CBM=$1,023.
Then, the common transport value of a wine glass will probably be:
Whole transport value/400 models=$1023/400=$2.56
The Price Breakdown Of Sea Freight
Once more, I’ll clarify the composition of sea freight below FOB and EXW phrases, as they’re the most typical. Almost 90% of the commerce is completed below these two phrases. Take Alibaba for instance, suppliers on it often give you FOB and EXW costs.
The FOB value consists of the price of the product and the native value in China, so your provider will allow you to ship your items on to the port of cargo. After that, the a part of sea freight it is advisable to pay will probably be:
Delivery value=Price for sea freight from a Chinese language port to America port +American customs clearance value + Native logistics value within the USA
The EXW value is simply the product value, which suggests your provider gained’t allow you to ship the products to the port of the cargo. On this case, the a part of sea freight it is advisable to pay will probably be:
Delivery value = Native logistics value in China + China export value + Price for sea freight from a Chinese language port to America port +American customs clearance value + Native logistics value within the USA
To clarify all the things concerning the value within the sea freight course of, I’ll divide the ocean freight course of into three steps and present the price of every step.
Price in China
It consists of the price of transport your items to the port of cargo and the China export value.
Whether it is bulk cargo (Items amount is lower than container load), the value from the manufacturing facility to the Chinese language port will usually be round $10 -$30/CBM, relying on the space from the manufacturing facility to the port, and the amount of the products. The smaller the amount is, the dearer the value will probably be.
China export value consists of reserving prices, export working prices, and customs paperwork prices. It’s usually round $100-$300: $100-$200 for LCL (bulk cargo, lower than one container), whereas about $300 for FCL (Full container load).
So, when you have 5CBM bulk items, the associated fee in China will probably be: （$10-$30) x 5CBM+（$100-$200) ≈ $150-$350
Price of Ocean Freight
It’s the value from a Chinese language port to an American port. The ocean freight is quoted by the transport firm, and the value shouldn’t be mounted. Identical to the value of an air ticket, you’re prone to get a 50-60% low cost if there are nonetheless a number of seats left. Nonetheless, in excessive season, the tickets will probably be fairly costly, perhaps full value.
Additionally, the costs from China to completely different ports within the japanese, central, and western United States are completely different. As there are greater than 100 ports within the US, it’ll be tough to provide all the costs. So I listing the costs of Los Angeles and New York in your reference. However keep in mind, the precise value depends upon the real-time citation.
| Ningbo – New York | Ningbo – Los Angeles | |
| Bulk Cargo（LCL） | $75/CBM | $70/CBM |
| FCL (20”GP) | $2100/Container | $1500/Container |
| FCL (40”HQ) | $2600/Container | $1600/Container |
(Word: Common charges in your reference. Please e mail us to get the real-time costs. )
Price within the Native US
It consists of US customs clearance, customs duties, and native logistics prices within the US. For this value, you’d higher seek the advice of an American customs clearance firm or a neighborhood freight forwarder. It is going to be a lot easier and extra environment friendly.
A wise and cost-effective transport answer (SFUC & AFUC )
SFUC—Sea Freight UPS Mixed
Typically, the transport time for sea freight is about 30-45 days. Moreover the transport time on the ocean, the native logistics within the USA are additionally fairly sluggish. There’s a quicker and cheaper means than conventional sea freight and I desire to name it Sea Freight UPS Mixed– –SFUC. However truly, not all freight forwarders present this service and there’s no unified English title for it.
First, Chinese language freight forwarders will allow you to ship the products to the closest port to you by conventional sea freight. Then, UPS is chargeable for the native logistics within the US. It means transporting items to your deal with as quickly as the products arrive on the port. This may prevent at the very least 10 days.
SFUC is among the foremost strategies to immediately ship from China to Amazon FBA due to its quick transport time and environment friendly customs clearance.
As for the value, it’s proven within the chart under. For some items with excessive taxes, like textiles, {hardware}, and equipment, some freight forwarders will cost you a further payment, i.e. $0.3-$0.4 per kg.
| USA | 100KG+ | 300KG+ | 500KG+ | 1000KG+ |
| US West ($) | $1.5 | |||
| Cen.am ($) | $1.6 | |||
| US East ($) | $1.8 | |||
Please word that the transport value of SFUC is charged by kg, not by CBM or container like conventional sea freight. As a result of after arriving on the port of the US, in contrast to conventional sea freight that makes use of vans to ship items, UPS is chargeable for the supply, whereas the specific is calculated in keeping with kg.
AFUC—Air Freight UPS Mixed
Air Freight UPS Mixed signifies that your items are first delivered by air freight after which UPS is chargeable for the native supply inside america. It’s cheaper than Categorical however gained’t take for much longer than the specific. Categorical takes 3-5 working days, air freight takes 4-7, and AFUC takes 11-15.
For the value, you possibly can discuss with the desk under and CONTACT US to get a real-time citation.
| US West ($) | Cen.am ($) | US East ($) | |
| 21 KG+ | 5 | 5.2 | 5.3 |
| 51 KG+ | 4.8 | 4.9 | 5 |
| 71 KG+ | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.9 |
| 301 KG+ | 3.9 | 4 | 4.4 |
| 501 KG+ | 3.9 | 4 | 4.3 |
| 1001KG+ | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
Although AFUC shouldn’t be a mainstream transport methodology, if there may be an pressing replenishment for Amazon FBA or different e-commerce platforms, AFUC could be thought of because it’s cheaper than specific and quicker than sea freight.
How A lot Does ePacket or Postal Parcel Price? What Merchandise Is Appropriate?
Many individuals have heard about ePacket or China Postal Parcel, and imagine they’re the most affordable transport answer for sending from China to the US. However only a few individuals on the web have launched the tough value for utilizing these strategies, and the best way to use them.
Truly, these two strategies are solely helpful for individuals who do dropshipping enterprise, as a result of they’re low-cost however very sluggish, and solely appropriate for very small packages.
Delivery Price from China to the USA by Epacket
While you need to ship a small bundle that’s round 2kg weight, it should value you $45 to ship by FedEx IP. To cut back the associated fee, ePacket is a more sensible choice, which is a cheap Worldwide specific service of China Postal Categorical & logistics.
In case you have shopped on eBay or Aliexpress, you’ll know that many Chinese language sellers ship their low-cost Chinese language merchandise on to your doorsteps by way of ePacket. Now let’s talk about the ePacket supply prices from China to america.
| From China to USA | |
| Mounted Payment /bundle | $2.17 |
| Cost/weight (g) | $0.009 |
| Beginning Weight | 50g |
| Weight Restrict | 2000g |
For instance, one lipstick with bundle is 120g, then the overall value is:
$2.17 (Mounted Payment/bundle) + $0.009 x 120g = $3.25.
If it’s a really small-light merchandise, like a marking pen, which weighs round 35g, then the transport value is:
$2.17 + $0.009 x 50g= $2.62.
That’s to say, something lower than 50g ought to nonetheless be charged on 50g.
As well as, please pay particular consideration to the dimensions of the bundle:
Most dimension: Size + Width +Top <90cm，The longest facet ≤ 60cm。If it’s spherical roll form, its diameter x 2 + Size ≤ 104cm，and its size ≤ 90cm.
Minimal dimension: The size ≥14cm，the width ≥11cm。If it’s cylinder form, its diameter x 2 + Size ≥17cm，and its size ≥ 11cm.
For transport time, it often takes you about 8-14 days to obtain a bundle within the US. However in distinctive instances, chances are you’ll obtain nothing after 1-2 months.
ePacket clearance is fast as a result of the products undergo customs in bulk and often go away the port inside 1-2 days. However throughout the busy seasons, many packages will probably be stranded on the airport for a very long time. On this case, the transport time will speed up and could also be delayed by 1-2 months. So, the transport time of the ePacket may be very unstable.
Moreover, if the barcode of a bundle is broken throughout transportation, the bundle will probably be stranded on the airport, and can’t be tracked in time. Additionally, it’s fairly frequent that you simply don’t know the place your bundle is and it will get misplaced in transit.
What’s extra, the official of ePackage says that the common transport time is 7-10 working days, and China put up doesn’t present any compensation for delays past that.
Moreover, in keeping with the rules of worldwide aviation, these items can’t be shipped: Powder, liquid, flammable and explosive items, and different harmful items, in addition to alcohol and tobacco, money and securities, infringing merchandise, and so forth.
Regardless of so many flaws, ePacket gives a cheap transport service and many individuals are keen to bear the dangers to economize. As an illustration, individuals who do dropshipping have a tendency to make use of this transport methodology.
Delivery from China to the USA by China Submit (For small parcels)
I don’t need to quit this transport methodology, although its transport time is fairly unstable. And until you could have insurance coverage, China put up gained’t even compensate you in case your bundle is misplaced. Furthermore, it isn’t the most well-liked transport methodology in China, with just a few e-commerce sellers utilizing it.
For instance, in case you are from America and need to purchase 100 carbon pens from Aliexpress or Dhgate. The full weight of your bundle is about 2kg. You aren’t in a rush to obtain the products and assume specific transport is expensive. Then Postal Parcel will probably be a sensible choice.
On this case, even when the bundle is misplaced after 1-2 months, because the worth of products was not excessive, you’ll not lose rather a lot.
As for the supply time, it should take about 1-2 months by sea, one month by air + sea, and 15 days by air. All transport instances don’t cowl the time spent in customs and China Submit wouldn’t assure supply time.
For the value of Postal Parcel, you possibly can take a look at its official web site by Google translate. You’ll see the next picture and simply enter particular info right here to get the value.
In case you have a small parcel of low worth and ask me what the most affordable transport from China to the USA is, I’ll say Epacket and China Submit Parcel. Nonetheless, you must settle for the danger of products misplaced and lengthy wait.
Over to you:
Hope you get a number of helpful info and inspiration on the best way to cut back transport prices and select an acceptable transport methodology in your items by this text. If you’re nonetheless confused and have any queries, simply go away a fast remark under. And be happy to CONTACT US to get the real-time freight charges or allow you to supply and ship your items.
