One thing we cannot deny is that many people in the Western world—especially the USA—shop from retailers and manufacturers in China. The primary reason for this is that not only does China produce products that are unique and different from what they find in the States, but also because they can purchase the product at a relatively low price compared to what it would cost them in the United States. Hence, many businesses are also inclined to make product deals in China.
While all this sounds great, one hindrance in this entire process is the shipment process from China to the USA. If you are a business owner who recently started dealing with Chinese manufacturers and want to know the options for the cheapest shipping from China to the USA, then you have landed on the right page. Hop on below to read a detailed guide on the cheapest shipping from China to the USA.
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Part 1. Cheapest Shipping from China to the USA: Essential Factors
While you may want to pick the cheapest shipping from China to USA, it is essential that you still pick one which is reliable and has good services. Wondering how you can do this? Well, all you have to do is consider the essential factors and make your pick on the basis of these:
– Shipping Methods
The first aspect to consider when choosing the cheapest shipping from China to the USA is obviously the shipping methods a service provides. There are usually three types of shipping: Air, land, and sea.
The option you pick will greatly determine the overall cost of the shipment and the time it takes to reach your desired location.
– Speed
As we mentioned above, speed is solely based on the shipping method you choose. Usually, products shipped off the air route are quicker to reach their destination than the ones you ship from land or sea. Hence, speed is an essential factor to consider when choosing the cheapest shipping from China to the USA. Determine how quickly you want your package to reach its destination, and then make a pick.
– Weight and Dimensions
The weight and dimension of your package also play a crucial role in the entire delivery process, and hence, there are some things you should remember about this aspect when shipping from China to the US. What are these aspects? Well, the first golden rule you should remember is that the heavier and bulkier your cargo is, the more costly it will be to ship from China to the US.
The dimensional weight will also be calculated by the carrier, who will determine the overall cost. The dimensional weight generally means the actual weight and size of the package. So, according to this aspect, a larger, lightweight box can be more costly to users compared to a smaller, heavier one that holds the same weight. Hence, it is advisable to use appropriate-sized boxes and void-filling materials when shipping to bring down the dimensional weight and reduce shipping costs.
– Distance
The shipping costs also majorly depend on the distance between the ship off the courier site to the destination it is supposed to reach. Therefore, the shipping costs in this regard would vary based on the specific city in China from where the parcel is shipped off to its destination point within the United States. The longer the distance for the shipping goods would typically be, the higher the cost.
– Incoterms – DDP or DDU
Check whether the services you are choosing offer DDP or DDU. DDU refers to Delivered Duty Unpaid, which is an international trade term that means that the seller would be responsible for the safety of the goods and ensuring that they reach the destination. At the same time, the buyer would be responsible for the import duties. In comparison to this, the DDP stands for Delivered Duty Paid and refers to the fact that the seller must cover all duties, import clearance, and taxes. While both are great, DDU gives buyers more control over the entire shipping procedure.
Part 2. The Cheapest Shipping from China to USA: Sea Freight
As we mentioned above, the cheapest shipping from China to the USA happens through the sea route. Hence, if you are a consumer or business owner who is inclined towards this option but wants to know why choosing this route might be beneficial for you, then we have a few reasons listed for you below:
– Large Items
If you are someone who wants to ship large items from China all the way to the US but at a relatively cheap cost, then there is no better way to do it than through sea freight. This is because the ships used for sea freights are usually huge and have a lot more space to accommodate your deliveries. While air freight also offers space, it comes at a relatively high cost
– Total Weight >21kg
21 kg is the minimum weight for sea freight. If you have goods weighing more than 21 kg and do not have a time requirement, you can consider choosing sea freight. When sending packages by airplane, customers are bound by a certain level of weight, and if they want to increase their total weight, they have to pay more than the already high price used in air freight. Hence, it is always ideal to choose sea freight as you can ship a lot of weight at a lesser price.
– Volume Weight
Given that lightweight goods take up more space than they are costed for, it becomes an unprofitable aspect for the shipping company. Hence, in cases of small, lightweight products, shipping companies are usually inclined towards keeping the cost based on the volume weight, which is the dimensional weight of the product. The volumetric weight can prove to be beneficial for customers as well, as it allows them to pay reasonable charges for shipping the largest products that are light in weight and take up more portions compared to the small but heavy packages.
– No-Electric, Sensitive Goods
What one should understand is that the products that are shipped through sea freight take months to reach their required destinations. Hence, shipping companies have specific requirements about the types of products that they can ship. One essential aspect that customers should remember about shipping through sea freight is that most companies would not allow you to ship off electric and sensitive goods and the channels that can ship electric and sensitive goods usually cost more.
Part 3. The Cheapest Shipping from China to USA: Small Package
If you are someone who wants to ship small packages and want to know the means for the cheapest shipping from China to the USA, then let us help you out on this aspect as well. While there are a lot of ways through which you can ship from China to US, some of the best ways to save money are:
– EMS Small Package (7-15 days)
The cheapest way to ship products from China to the US by Air is through the EMS small package option. The EMS is an international postal Express Mail Service for small packages, such as documents and other merchandise that need immediate delivery.
The service works on a priority basis and ensures that small packages are delivered from one end of the world to the other in a relatively quick time frame. The EMS postal operators have one of the largest mile coverage globally, which is supported by the postal delivery network so that they can reach all businesses and citizens around the world quickly.
– US Air Dedicated (5-8 days)
While EMS is one of the cheapest options, it also takes a week or two to get your packages across. If you don’t have this much time and are willing to pay a tad bit more than what EMS may cost you, then we suggest you opt for the US Air dedicated deliveries.
These dedicated lines are specialized logistic services that provide transportation solely for a single customer or company. Hence, these services offer customers an advantage when it comes to streamlining the entire shipping process, reducing the transit time, and increasing the security of valuable items being shipped.
– DHL, UPS, FedEx, etc (3-5 days)
Lastly, some of the best options for even quicker delivery through Air from China to the US are the standard and usual delivery services like DHL, UPS, USPS, and FedEx. These services have many deals and options for users, and the loyalty services might also help you gain incredible discounts. So, if you want your posts to be delivered within 3-5 days, then this service is what you should choose.
While all the above ways for the cheapest shipping from China to the USA are great, we suggest you benefit from a friend’s company account to get the best shipping rate or find a good shipping agent like NextSmartShip. Using these tactics can help you save 60% to 70% off the official price.
Part 4. How to Get the Cheapest Shipping from China to USA?
While using sea freight and opting for specific services in the air delivery sector does help you get a relatively low price when shipping from China to the US, there are a few other ways through which you can avail the cheapest shipping from China to the USA. Want to know what these ways and tactics are? We have them listed below for you:
– Get a Quote from Shipping Agent
Business owners can also request a quote from the shipping agents. This particular quote is a price that is usually lower compared to what the shipping agents typically charge. However, it majorly depends on the number of packages you will ship, their weight and size, and how often your deliveries will be sent off.
– Shipping your Goods to Warehouse
Shipping products from the manufacturer to the customer can be expensive, so what should you do? Well, storing your goods in a warehouse near your customers can eliminate the shipping expenses and make the overall process cheaper for you. Yes! You heard us right! So, ship your goods to a warehouse in bulk instead of shipping each order individually to the customer. This will save the business money and reduce the lag that occurs between order processing and fast customer shipping.
– Shipping
If you are new to the e-commerce business world or someone who recently started dealing with the Chinese industry to ship to the US, then we are sure you might be looking into ways to ship across the world with ease. Well, let us tell you that there isn’t just one, but several tactics that you can use to get the cheapest shipping from China to the USA. Some of these shipping tactics:
- Reduce the weight of packages
- Look for discounted suppliers
- Calculate the correct shipping fees
Conclusion
If you are someone who was searching for the cheapest shipping from China to the USA, then we hope this article was helpful for you. While all the services and tactics we mentioned are excellent, if there is one shipping agent, we’d recommend you choose the best delivery services, and the cost is NextSmartShip. The company has been working for some years now and knows what its customer’s requirements and needs are. Hence, with this understanding, they are pretty efficient in delivering all services and benefits that are best for their customer base. So, do check out their website.
