Importers face many challenges when shipping products from China. They are struggling to find a better balance between shipping time and cost. Before shipping your product from china, you need to determine how long it takes to ship. It will help you to estimate delivery time for your consumers.
In another article, we discussed the Reasons for shipment delays and the Strategies, We also talked about what the cargo shipping crisis is and the strategies to overcover it. In this article, we will talk about how long shipping takes from china for different popular international shipping methods.
Shipping from China: How to Begin?
Confirm what products to import from China
Finding an excellent resale product is critical to your business. Make sure you research what sells well in your area. If it’s something you know a little about, try to avoid ordering.
Marketing your product this way will make you feel more comfortable and confident. Consider the profitability and marketability of your preferred product. Estimate your costs of purchase versus your reasonable selling price.
Search for the right suppliers
It is crucial to choose the right supplier for your business. The quality of your products and services will be compromised if your supplier isn’t reliable or does not deliver high-quality products. You can find suppliers who offer what you need by visiting a supplier directory (such as Alibaba) if you know what product you want to sell.
This article should help for your searching right suppliers.
How to buy and select suppliers from Alibaba.
What is Alibaba how does it Work?
Place orders to the supplier
No one wants to work with an unreliable supplier. Ensure that your vendor meets their commitments by closely monitoring them. In that case, you can use this goal to require your supplier to improve processes. After confirming everything, then can begin to place orders to suitable suppliers.
Search for freight forwarders from China
The term freight forwarder refers to an individual or company that specializes in arranging for shipping goods from one country to another via a single carrier or from one country to another using multiple carriers simultaneously. From fastening your delivery to handling the documents, a suitable freight forwarder can make your shipping smooth.
These articles are helpful for you:
What is freight forwarder & Freight forwarding definition
How to find and select a freight forwarder from China
Amazon sellers can check this one How to find a freight forwarder for Amazon FBA
Confirm and hire reliable freight forwarders to begin to arrange shipments
It is very important to find the right freight forwarder for your business so that your shipping costs can be significantly reduced, your products will be delivered safely, and your items will arrive on time. You search online or take help from other business owners to select a suitable freight forwarder for your goods.
Products manufacture and documents preparation
It would help if you kept the clearance of all the necessary shipping documents. For your convenience, we have put together a list of 11 standard shipping documents for export that you need to prepare to be successful. Before shipping, Your freight forwarder or suppliers can help you prepare the documents below, which are also needed for customs clearance.
Proforma invoice
Commercial invoice
Packing list
Certificates of origin(C/O)
Certificate of Free Sale
Shipper’s letter of instruction
Dangerous goods forms and certificate
International Shipping from China
After all 6 steps are finished, goods are finished manufacturing and documents prepared well. It is time for you to begin shipping from China to the final destination address.
Several exciting growth opportunities come with international shipping for your business. However, you need to check some important rules and regulations before international importing and exporting, and obtain the proper shipping documents at the beginning of the process.
How long does shipping from China take?
Many different factors can deeply influence the shipping time from China. While here below, we will talk about the average shipping time from China to the different destination countries based on shipping methods.
The most used shipping method from China includes Express Freight such as DHL express, UPS express, and FEDEX express, Air freight, Ocean freight from china worldwide, and rail freight from China to most Europe countries. So, how long does a package take to ship from China?
In most cases, items ordered from overseas are delivered within 15 – 60 days from the date of purchase. Packages shipped using less expensive methods will take three to six months to arrive.
How long does Express shipping from China take?
Several carriers offer express shipping services to expedite the shipping process and shorten the delivery time of orders. In the case of international shipping, express shipping is usually carried out by air. So, how fast is express shipping from china? Express delivery usually takes 1-5 days. A sea freight shipment takes 25-45 days, whereas an air freight shipment takes 2-7 days. For express delivery, freight costs are higher than Other shipping options.
Even though the express air freight is much higher than another shipping mode, It is still the best solution for urgent shipments, as it is the fastest shipping from china.
How long does it need to ship from China by air freight?
Regarding total weight, air freight only makes up a small percentage of international shipments. Nevertheless, it only accounts for a small portion of the total cost. Express shipping or air freight can cost up to 10 times more than sea freight per item. But the air freight capacity is not high enough. You may be able to use air freight if you wait a couple of extra days.
For Express shipping (express air Freight), it takes between 3 and 6 days
Economy air freight takes between 5 and 11 days for freight shipments. The express shipping method is also called expedited freight.
How long will it need to ship from China by Ocean freight?
Ocean freight, including full container load and less than container load which also called LCL. Ocean shipping from China to us can be door-to-door shipping. If you are a new importer, then this method is good for you to choose, as you not need to do anything but waiting to receive your products after paying the shipping cost to your China Freight Forwarding provider.
Door-to-door shipping takes 25-40 days by sea freight from China to the USA there with fast ocean shipping from china and slow ocean shipping from china to the us. As a result, Sea shipping from china moves a lot slower than planes. Additionally, ocean liners move slower to save fuel (lower shipping cost).
Take some examples of ocean freight shipping time frames from China.
USA & Canada (West) – 20 days
USA & Canada (East) – 30 days
Western Europe – 25 days
Northern Europe – 30 days
Southern Europe – 27 days
Australia – 20 days
India – 15-20 days
Southeast Asia – 9 -12 days
Eastern Africa – 30 days
How long will it need to ship from China by rail freight?
Rail Freight from China has been popular since 2017. Since it is faster than Ocean freight and is a super economical shipping option. So there are lots of Europe Countries’ importers choose Rail freight shipping from China to their destination.
Click here to learn more about Railway shipping from China.
Here are some examples (freight shipping by rail)
China – Warsaw (Poland): 20 days
China – Hamburg (Germany): 14 days
China – London (United Kingdom): 16 -18 days
China – Moscow (Russia): 18 days
How long does it take to ship from china to the US?
Increasing geopolitical factors will increase ocean freight demand in the coming years. Various organizations partner with experienced customs brokers and sea freight forwarders to mitigate these challenges, such as tricky customs and confusing tariffs. Sea freight from china to the USA is 20-35 days with lower shipping costs.
Shipping from China to the US typically takes different time frames depending on shipping methods and destination. Take a look at how long shipping from china to us takes
Express Shipping – 1-5 Days
Air Freight – 2-9 Days
Sea Freight to the West Coast – 13-18 days
Sea Freight to the East Coast – 30-35 days
Factors affecting shipping time from China
After the pandemic, most people searched online, “are shipments from China being delayed?”A shipment may be delayed for many reasons, and customers may complain about them in many ways. Imagine a completely unprecedented global pandemic. Our only option was to deal with the effects when they occurred, as no one could predict them.
To develop clever messaging to let your shoppers know about these delays, let’s learn all the scenarios where a package could be delayed. Here are the top reasons why a retail shipment could be delayed:
Traffic
Weather
Failed delivery attempts
Delivery vehicle breakdown
Lost packages
Tech malfunctions
Container load
Spike in delivery volume
Lack of visibility
Incorrect address
Tips for reducing shipping time from China
There are several ways that you can use to prevent shipping delays. For example
Choose shipping terms carefully.
Consult a logistics expert.
Audit the supply chain
Maintain all the documents
Choose a reliable freight forwarder.
Experience with ocean transportation
Have a cargo plan and load the container timely
Fully use the container shipping capacity
Freight forwarding services DFH can provide for you:
If you are looking for a reliable company to help you transport from China to your country, then you can rely on DFH. With years of experience, we offer our clients the most comprehensive freight forwarder services. Our company uses different shipping methods to help our clients. We can help you with air, sea, rail, and express freight. Our freight forwarder services include
Free warehouse facility,
Customs clearance service,
Emergency support,
Buy insurance
Free repacking
Quick response,
Collect shipments from different sellers and more
Final mile delivery.
Final words:
I hope now you can estimate how long it will take to ship your goods from china. Before ordering the products, you must calculate everything properly to have a smooth shipping experience. Choose a trustworthy freight forwarder like DFH to make your shipping process safer and faster.
FAQs about how long it takes to ship from China
Why does shipping from China take so long?
Because of the global pandemic, the supply chain has been badly affected. Check this article to see all China shipping delays reasons and the strategies.
Which is the fastest way to ship from China?
It takes one to five days for express shipping to arrive, making it the fastest option.
Rail and Ocean freight which one is quicker?
In comparison to ocean freight, rail freight is much faster. Compared to sea freight, it is more expensive, but it is cheaper when compared to air freight. It all depends on the location and distance of the shipment. Besides, you can use express shipping to fasten the delivery process.
How long does it take to get from china to us by plane?
It takes 3-5days by plane from China to the US depending on which airport the departure from china and which port is the destination in the USA. This is the best shipping option for urgent shipments, and charges range from 300-1000kg weights.
How long does it take for a cargo ship to get from china to Los Angeles?
Transit time from China to Los Angeles port is typically 15 to 20 days.
How long will it take to ship from china to California?
Generally speaking, lead times are between one and two weeks by regular postal delivery, three days for air express freight, and eight to ten days for air freight. For ocean freight, lead times are about 30-40 days.
How long will shipping take from china to the UK?
It usually takes 4-6 days for a standard package to reach the UK by air freight from China. With high freight costs, you can use the express shipping option.
How long will shipping take from china to Canada?
It is possible to ship express in as little as a few days – but it is the most expensive method, and it is not suitable for large shipments. It is estimated that air freight shipping will take around 6-13 days to arrive. Sea freight is the most cost-effective method if you are willing to wait 29-33 days for your shipment from China to Canada.
How long will shipping take from china to Australia?
Generally speaking, the lead time (under normal conditions) is between 1-2 weeks for regular mail, 3 days for air express freight, 8-10 days for air freight, and thirty to forty days for ocean freight.
How long does shipping from china to Singapore take?
It takes approximately four to seven days for a container to transit from China to Singapore from port to port, while the transit time for a container to transit from door to door is around one week.
