When you import products from China to the U.S. and regardless of the size and quantity of your order, you need to consider how to choose a courier company and what is the delivery time? Come and follow the footsteps of FashionTIY! Here, we have summarized 4 shipping guides so that you will find an effective solution to balancing the shipping cost and time.
- Courier companies: FedEx, DHL, UPS
- Air Cargo
- Sea Cargo
- Joint shipping：Airfreight+ UPS / Seafreight+ UPS
Question 1: How to choose a suitable courier company for yourself, and what is the delivery time of each different courier company?
In the following form, you will see a comparison of the shipping costs and time from China to the U.S. between the three major courier companies.
In general, FedEx is the first choice for express services, because it provides IP and IE services to meet different needs, and it excels in delivery time control.
DHL is a cheaper courier company on the market. But shipping time control is not as good as FedEx. Sometimes there are delays and the delivery time is later than expected. However, if you don’t mind waiting for another 2 to 3 days, you will enjoy the benefit of cheaper shipping.
But you may have another worry, such as: “If the product I purchased is cheap, but the cost of express delivery is actually higher than my purchase cost, what should l do?” The good news is that there is a miracle express service called USPS, which is very cheap, but you need to wait about 15-25 days (official time only.) to receive the package. However, this low-cost service has its own limitations. For example, the packaging can only be up to 2kg, and the packaging size is also limited.
Question 2: When should I use Air Cargo? How about the shipping time?
Air Cargo is suitable for shipping products that meet the following two important requirements:
1.The high value of products.
- You don’t want to wait a long time.
However, the lifting standard of Air Cargo is 500 kg. If it is less than this standard, the shipping cost will not be much different from the use of courier service, and the delivery time will be longer.
What is the process of using Air Cargo?
1.Your Chinese supplier needs to send products from the factory to the Airfreight company warehouse (0.5 days).
2.Airfreight company arranges cargo handling and customs declaration (1-2 days).
From China to the United States (1-2 days).
Customs clearance in the United States (1-2 days).
Inland shipping to your delivery address (2-3 days).
The above time is only an estimate, about 5-7 days, just for reference. The time may vary according to different situations. For example, if China ’s customs declaration is delayed, it may cause the flight schedule to be suspended, thereby affecting the entire delivery time.
Question 3: How to ship containers by Sea Cargo, and how long is the shipping time?
The process of container shipping is not as difficult as you think. You can apply for a specific container shipping by following the steps below.
Check shipping costs with 2 to 3 agents in the US. Ask them to quote by breakdown, such as freight / US customs clearance/inland shipping.
Ask your supplier to check the shipping costs in China for you so that you can compare prices and bargain with US agents if necessary.
If your Chinese supplier provides you with FOB prices, they will need to comply with the local costs in China, such as local shipping in China/customs declaration in China / local costs for shipping companies.
The shipping company will release the container 7 days before the shipping date. For example, if the shipment date is May 15, the factory may be required to start loading containers from May 8.
Complete the Chinese customs declaration before the CY closing date.
Containers destined for the United States also need to submit ISF 10 + 2 filed. Please ask your supplier to complete it on time (the deadline is usually similar to the CY closing date).
The products have been loaded on board and arrived in the United States within 15 to 30 days
The U.S. Customs clearance
Finally, the US inland shipping will ship it to your delivery address.
Question 4: How does joint shipping work？
The “Airfreight+ UPS” and “ Seafreight+ UPS”(LCL Shipment)
Airfreight + UPS
We also mentioned Air Cargo, some suppliers provide Airflight service + UPS delivery. If your cargo weighs between 100–200 kg, and you feel that the express delivery cost is too high, then this mode of transportation is undoubtedly the best. In this way, the supplier will collect enough cargo for air flight, and then use courier services to distribute the cargo across the United States. Therefore Airfreight + UPS is 3-5 days slower than Air Cargo, but this method of shipping will save you costs.
Seafreight +UPS
Smart suppliers don’t provide FCL (Full Container Load) shipping but provide LCL (Less than Container Load) + UPS services to expand the business.
The key point here is that joint shipping will start from the shipping from China to the United States, and will be distributed by UPS to your delivery address. Compared with Seafreight, this method saves you a lot of shipping costs from China to the United States. And achieve a time difference of 10 days. Therefore, Seafreight +UPS is particularly suitable for large orders and professional wholesaler, which not only can reduce costs, but also ensure the effective arrival of products.
Other factors affecting shipping time and cost
Severe weather and natural disasters
For example, in early 2020, COVID-19 swept across countries, and global logistics was almost paralyzed. Courier companies were unable to operate normally for a while, which seriously affected shipping prices and time.
Some major festivals
Secondly, there are some major festivals in China and the United States, such as the Chinese spring festival and Christmas in the United States. With the long vacations, the high-intensity operation of logistics companies has led to increased shipping costs and longer shipping times.
So the best strategy is to arrange your cargo transportation before the holidays as much as possible.
FashionTIY as the best B2B online wholesale market, providing standard shipping and priority shipping, flexible logistics methods for your selection. You can learn more shipping information about FashionTIY here Shipping And Tracking.