What's the Shipping Cost from China to USA for main shipping methods (2019 Updated)
Air Shipping form China to FBA

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I bet there are million people have thought about this business mode: import good products from China and sell to different market places in US.
Although it's easy to find product suppliers on Alibaba, still a lot of people give up this business plan, because they don't know methods and cost for shipping products from China to US.
The truth is over 90% of product suppliers on Alibaba are not professional on all shipping methods, so they are more likely to overcharge on shipping cost.
Or many of them prefer you use own freight forwarder to pick up cargo at their warehouse or at the port of China.
That sounds quite discouraging for people who are new to import from China.
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Fedex, UPS, DHL
Express Shipping from China to US
There's plenty of information on Google regarding the Express companies like Fedex, UPS and DHL.
Therefore, I am not going to waste your time listing the top Express courier's here.
Instead, I'll get straight to the point and answer the two more important questions:
  1. When is it more cost-effective to choose express?
  2. What type of goods can be transported via express?
Comparison Between Fedex UPS DHL
Comparison Between Fedex UPS DHL
95% of the product samples and small amount of high-value goods are shipped by express.
Mostly, express delivery is highly suitable for online sellers who are in a hurry to restock, like Amazon sellers.

You've all heard of Fedex, UPS, DHL.
But which one is most reliable and cost-effective for shipping from China.
I definitely recommend Fedex and UPS.
In general, DHL's customs clearance process is slower than that of Fedex and UPS.
Furthermore, sometimes DHL's shipping cost from China to US is also relatively higher.
Express Shipping Costs from China to USA

Keep in mind, whether Fedex,UPS or DHL, the official price is generally higher.
Also, every express company offers different discounts based on the annual shipments of the shipper (your supplier, or freight forwarder), which further influences the prices.
If your Chinese supplier doesn't often use Fedex to ship goods from China to the US, he can find an express agent with discount and ask him to ship the goods to the United States.
So, you'll get a lower shipping cost.
Therefore, besides the impact of season, and the amount of empty space left in plane;
The difference in the agents' discount also influences the cost of express delivery.
Moving on to the price estimate for Fedex delivery.
Although, the delivery charges often fluctuates but the price of Fedex still floats within a specific range.
Using the reference price I provide in this post and factoring in the other influencers discussed above, you can easily determine the cost of delivery to your address.
Fedex offers International Priority and International Economy delivery, also known as IP and IE. Transit time for IP is faster than IE.

Dimensional Weight VS Real Weight
For express and air freight, you should pay special attention to the problem of charged weight.
So, is charged weight calculated by the "kg" – its real weight or its real volume?
If the volume of the goods is larger than its actual weight, charges are applicable according to the volume.
For instance, if you ship a huge foam of 100cm x100cm x 100cm, which weighs 20kg.
Then the express company will definitely not charge you by its real weight (20kg).
Since the size will of the package will be large and will occupy significant space.
Interestingly, the charges are not calculated as per the volume as well. The costs are actually determined by dimensional weight.

Here's the formula to calculate it,

Dimensional Weight = Length(cm) x Width(cm) x Height(cm)/5000.
International couriers dimensional volume weght
Let's go back to foam example.

Suppose you need to ship 1 piece of a large 100cm x 100cm x 100cm foam weighing 20KG. What will be it's dimensional weight? Let's calculate.
Dimensional weight=100cm x 100cm x 100cm/5000=200kg,
So, you see,
Its dimensional weight is far larger than its actual weight. Hence the express will charge you by 200kg.
The charged weight for all the goods are calculated in this manner, and then the dimensional weight is compared with the real weight to determine the charged weight.
As for customs duties, if the value of goods is less than $800, it is duty-free by Fedex.
One last thing, If you ask your supplier to help you ship goods by Fedex, it's better to pay the fee to your supplier in advance. Even if you have a Fedex account in the United States, you should not pay the freight until you sign for it, because it will be very expensive.
Air Freight from China to the USA

After covering the cost estimates for express delivery, let's move on to air freight.
Essentially, both air freight and express use plane as a tool to ship the cargo.
Wondering what's the differences between the two and when do you choose to express and when do you choose air freight?
Don't worry, you'll soon know the answer.
The Differences Between Air Freight and Express
Undeniably, express delivery is quite simple and straight-forward. But what about air freight?
Shipping via air freight is a bit more complex and its import and export procedures are similar to the traditional sea freight.
It includes the following three steps:

  • Local logistics in China and export process.
  • Air shipping from Chinese airport to American airport.
  • Local logistics in USA and import process.
Usually, if you have more than 500 KG of cargo, choosing air freight is cost-effective.
Let's go back to foam example.
Suppose you need to ship 1 piece of a large 100cm x 100cm x 100cm foam weighing 20KG. What will be it's dimensional weight?
Let's calculate.
Dimensional weight=100cm x 100cm x 100cm/5000=200kg,
So, you see,
Its dimensional weight is far larger than its actual weight.
Hence the express will charge you by 200kg.
The charged weight for all the goods are calculated in this manner, and then the dimensional weight is compared with the real weight to determine the charged weight.
As for customs duties, if the value of goods is less than $800, it is duty-free by Fedex.
One last thing, If you ask your supplier to help you ship goods by Fedex, it's better to pay the fee to your supplier in advance.
Even if you have a Fedex account in the United States, you should not pay the freight until you sign for it, because it will be very expensive.

Loading Cargos Before Air Freight
Loading Cargos Before Air Freight
At the same time, if your cargo quantity is below 300kg, you may not want to consider air freight as express offers a better choice.
Now, what if the cargo quantity is between 300-500kg? At this time, I will not recommend either air freight or express.
The price of air freight is always changing just like the express prices, so, it's impossible to say which is cheaper.
It all boils down to real time prices. There are also lots of irregular discounts to express.
For example, FedEx is cheaper than air freight if the plane of FedEx has much empty space left.
What is All-Included Air Freight Cost to US As mentioned above, if the cargo quantity is more than 500kg, you can ship by air freight.
But what about the cost of air freight?
Whether you are planning to consult a freight forwarder or are dealing with an Alibaba supplier, it's essential that you ask for the price for the whole shipping process. It is the all-included price, which includes the cost of shipping from China airport/port to your door.
As stated earlier, the shipping process for air freight includes three main steps.
Importing from China to USA
Importing from China to USA
You must remember the dimensional formula of express:
Dimensional Weight = Length (cm) x Width (cm) x Height (cm)/5000

But, the dimensional formula of air freight is slightly different than this:
Dimensional Weight = Length (cm) x Width (cm) x Height (cm)/6000
So, if you're shipping your goods yourself, you should know the cost of each part of the air freight as it's not just an all-inclusive price.
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Sea Freight from China to the USA
Now, let's move on to sea freight.
Sea freight is the most complex shipping method. But, you need not worry as this guide will make the process simple and clear for you.

Loading Before Sea Freight
Loading Before Sea Freight
If the quantity of your goods exceeds 2CBM, you should consider sea freight.
Just like air freight.
firstly, this guide will provide you with an all included price so you can compare the prices and roughly calculate the shipping cost.
This cost includes the delivery to your door but excludes the local logistics cost in China.
NO HURRY, before that, I have something else to show you.
Less Than Container Load (LCL) and Full Container Load (FCL)
The cargo shipped by the sea freight is carried out in containers.
If the quantity of your goods is small and its volume is less than 15CBM, the freight forwarder will help you ship your goods by LCL.
It implies you have to share a container with other importers because your cargo load is less than a container.
LCL use CBM (Cubic Meter) as the unit to calculate the freight.
Now, what is FCL?

FCL is when your cargo quantity is large enough, and you can fill one or more containers.
In this case, the freight is calculated on the basis of the whole container.
Generally, it will be cheaper than LCL freight.
Furthermore, the container model is mainly divided into three types:
20"GP
40"GP
40"HQ
CBM contained 28CBM 58CBM 68CBM

what is FCL
The all-included price is just to help you calculate a simple and rough shipping cost.
So, I'll divide the sea freight process into three steps and show the cost in each step.
If you want to know everything about the sea freight process and its price, keep reading.
Or, just skip to my last part of this guide.
As discussed in Air freight, let's read about the composition of sea freight under FOB and EXW.
Now, you must be wondering why these two again and not any other trade form.
Well, 90% of the trade is done under these two terms.
For example, suppliers usually offer you a FOB and EXW price when you source products on Alibaba.
Honestly, the EXW price is just the product cost, which means your supplier won't help you ship the goods to the port of the shipment.
However, the FOB price includes the cost of the product and the local logistics cost in China (Chinese factory to the port of shipment).
Yes, that is it!
Now, let's see the same through a formula for a much clearer overview.
In FOB, your supplier will help you ship your goods directly to the port of shipment.
After which, the part of sea freight you need to pay will be:
Shipping cost=Cost for sea freight from a Chinese port to America port +American customs clearance cost + Local logistics cost in the USA
On the EXW basis, your supplier will not help you ship the goods to the port of shipment.
In this case, the part of sea freight you need to pay will be:
Shipping cost = Local logistics cost in China + China export cost + Cost for sea freight from Chinese port to America port +American customs clearance cost + Local logistics cost in the USA
As you are now familiar with the components of total shipping costs, let us learn some more about the cost of each part.
Cost in China: It includes the cost for the factory/supplier to ship your goods to the port of shipment and China export cost.
If it is bulk cargo (Goods quantity is less than container load), the price will generally be around $10 -$30/CBM.
It depends on the distance from the factory to the port, and the volume of the goods.
Smaller the volume, expensive the freight will be. China export cost: It includes booking costs, export operating costs and customs documents costs. It is generally around $100-$300.
If it is LCL (bulk cargo, less than one container) the cost will be $100-$200.
However, if it is FCL (Full container load), the cost is about $300.
So, if you have 5CBM bulk goods the cost in China will be:
($10-$30) x 5CBM+($100-$200) ≈ $150-$350
Cost for ocean freight is the cost from Chinese port to America port.
China Shipping
China Shipping
Similarly to air freight, the ocean freight is quoted by the shipping company, and the price is not fixed.
For a real-life example, when you book an air ticket, you're most likely to get a 50-60% discount if most of the seats on the plane are vacant.
But, in the peak season, tickets are quite expensive (Full price).
Also, the price of the shipping cost to the United States east, middle and west of the different ports are different.
As there are more than 100 ports in the US, it'll be difficult to give all the prices.
Below is the list of the prices of Los Angeles and New York.
The actual cost depends on the real-time quotation by the shipping company.

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SFUC—Sea Freight UPS Combined
Generally, the shipping time for sea freight is about 30-45 days. Besides the shipping time on the sea, the local logistics in the USA is also quite slow.
Now, the question arises, is there a faster and cost-effective way than traditional sea freight?
Indeed, there is! To remedy this problem, many Chinese freight forwarders are providing such shipping method.
They will help you ship the goods to the nearest port to you in the same way as traditional sea freight.
But, unlike traditional sea freight, UPS is responsible for the local logistics in the US.
It means transporting goods to your address as soon as the goods arrive at the port.
This makes the whole shipping process at least 10 days faster than the traditional sea freight.
SFUC is one of the main shipping methods directly from China to Amazon FBA because of its fast shipping time and efficient customs clearance.
Shipping from China to Amazon FBA
Shipping from China- to Amazon FBA
AFUC—Air Freight UPS Combined
Although express is fast, it's very costly.
So, many importers ask – "Is there a cheaper mode of transportation than Express but won't take much longer than the express?"
Of course, there is a way.
Like SFUC, UPS is also responsible for the local delivery of goods within the United States after your goods arrive at the airport.
It is called Air Freight UPS Combined.
Air Freight UPS Combined
Air Freight UPS Combined
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