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Shipping

Plan your import logistics with confidence. These guides compare sea freight vs air express, explain customs clearance, and show you how to optimize delivery timelines and shipping costs. 3 articles in this category.

FAQ

Questions Buyers Ask About Shipping

It depends on weight and urgency. Sea freight is 10–20x cheaper per kilo but takes 20–35 days; air express is faster (5–10 days) but costlier, making it best for samples, small orders, or urgent restocks. A good rule: over 200kg or time-flexible orders → sea freight (LCL or FCL); under 200kg and time-sensitive → air express. Many buyers split the order — air for a launch batch, sea for the rest.

Standard requirements are the commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading (or air waybill), and — for many products — a certificate of origin and compliance test reports (e.g., CPSIA for children’s products, FDA for food-contact items). Incoterms define who handles what: with FOB, the buyer manages freight; with DDP, the seller delivers duty-paid to your door. Get the paperwork right before the goods ship to avoid customs holds.

Consolidate shipments — combine multiple products into one container rather than several small air shipments. Improve packaging density to reduce volumetric weight, and book during off-peak season (avoid the September–December pre-holiday rush). For LCL (less-than-container-load) sea freight, the volume-based chargeable weight matters as much as actual weight, so compress packaging where possible.