We’re in International business. Sometimes both of us hope the International shipping is just as simple as a pipe, we push boxes in one end, and you’ll receive at the other end.
But the reality is much more complicated. Sometimes you may consider a lot before choosing a suitable shipping method, it includes shipping price, delivery time, weight limit, limited items, customs duties, parcels forced return back,etc. Have no idea how to choose a shipping method? No worries please, we’re here for you.
We offer a variety of international shipping methods:
| Shipping Method | Simple Introduction |
|---|---|
| EMS | Means Chinese EMS. Highly recommended. 40%-45% discount, 7-14 days, weight limit 30kg (66.14 lbs). |
| Airmail | Means Singapore Airmail. Weight should be less than 2kg (4.41 lbs), the delivery time is about 15-40 days. |
| Air | Means Chinese Air. Weight limit 20-30kg (44.09-66.14 lbs). Shipping time is unstable, sometimes 1-2 months. |
| SAL | Means Surface Air Lifted, Weight limit 20-30kg (44.09-66.14 lbs), takes about 1-3 months to arrive. |
| DHL | Means Beijing DHL or HongKong DHL. |
| Aramex | To most of the Middle East countries & regions. |
| eYouBao | Someone also calls it E-packet. Weight should be less than 2kg (4.41 lbs). Delivery time is about 3-15 days. |
| Fedex | It is a business express, the speed is fast, usually takes about 2-5 days for delivery. |
Chinese EMS – The best cost-effective way of international delivery
Chinese EMS is the highly recommended shipping method for its fast, safe and reliable advantage. You can get a discount up to 40% off official EMS shipping rates. It usually takes 5-7 working days to reach most countries in Asia, Europe and America, 10-15 working days to Russia. During holidays, the delivery time will be longer than usual, and it differs from country to country.
Note: China Post has adjusted the prices of EMS, eYoubao (ePacket) and other shipping methods several times since the COVID-19 in early 2020. Combined with the deterioration of US-China relations since 2018, EMS prices have now increased significantly from previous years.
The most recent adjustment occurred on November 15, 2021, and involved the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and many other countries. For example, US customers enjoyed discounts of 40%-45% before 2018; events such as the US-China trade friction and the US withdrawal from the UPU beginning in 2018 led to an escalation in US parcel prices, resulting in United States customers enjoying only a 30% discount.
In November 2021, due to the severe shortage of air capacity caused by China’s continued increase in the control of the epidemic, EMS packages from the United States, Canada and other countries, not only can not enjoy any discounts, but also have high surcharges. The surcharges are always changing, so you can get the latest prices with the calculator.
We believe that with the development of vaccines and the easing of relations between China and the United States, EMS shipping rates will drop accordingly. If there is any new price progress, we will inform you first on 42agent’s website. Urgent parcels can be sent by DHL, Fedex and other commercial couriers, while those who are not in a hurry can be sent by air parcels such as Chinese Air. Thank you for your understanding.
Postal parcels – cheap but slow
★ eYoubao (ePacket)
eYoubao is a good choice for small parcels which is less than 2kg (4.41 lbs). It is the cheapest shipping method for small parcels and it is fast as EMS usually. Most times it takes about 3-20 days for delivery.
★ Chinese AIR
Chinese AIR is slower and cheaper than Chinese EMS. If you cannot use Singapore Airmail as the weight is more than 2kg (4.41 lbs), and you want a cheaper shipping then you can choose Chinese AIR. You may ask how about the speed? Um… it’s hard to say. Before the detailed discuss, this picture will be help a lot.
★ SAL
SAL means Surface Air Lifted. Headache? You can try to read it as: Sea, Air, and Lands, then it’s easy to understand.
★ Singapore Airmail
Singapore Airmail is the second cheap shipping method for small parcels. It also has weight limit of 2kg (4.41 lbs), and the sum of length, width and height cannot exceed 90 cm. But the delivering time is a little longer, usually 15-40 days to arrive at the destination. The parcel returning process (returned from the overseas) also takes a long time, sometimes even one year long.
Business express – expensive but fast
★ DHL
DHL(Beijing DHL) is even faster than HongKong DHL, however also expensive than HongKong DHL. If you are very urgent to receive the parcel and you don’t care about money then you can try with DHL. The delivery time is about 2-5 days.
★ HongKong DHL
HK DHL in most times is more expensive than EMS, but faster and more stable. It usually takes about 3-7 days to deliver. If you have some important items to ship or you want to receive the parcels before a clearly specified time, DHL is a good choice.
Attention please: DHL has volumetric weight, which means if the volumetric weight is heavier than real weight, DHL will charge based on the heavier one. For example, you have a parcel which real weight is 6kg (12.23 lbs) but the volumetric is 9.5kg (20.94 lbs), DHL will charge you as 9.5kg (20.94 lbs). Here is the volumetric weight calculation formula: Length * Width * Height / 5000.
★ Fedex
Fedex is a business express, the shipping speed is fast, usually takes about 3-5 days for delivery. It has some limitation to some countries, you can also consult us in advance.
★ Aramex
Aramex is fast, and shipping fee is also lower than EMS and DHL to middle east countries. But the security checking is very strict, some countries import needs a series of documents. You can consult us in advance if you want to have a try.
Countries that Aramex serves:
United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kenya, Botswana, Swaziland, Uganda, Tanzania, Lesotho, Burundi, Rwanda, Sudan, Seychelles, Zambia, Algeria, Libya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia.