Shipping to the Chinese Consumer
The shipping times to China are around (from the UK);
- Airmail – 5 to 7 days
- Air freight – 5 to 7 days
- Train (EU) – 3 weeks
- Sea freight EU – 5 weeks
Shipment to Chinese consumers is by airmail/air freight.
Shipping goods to China is not as well established as shipping goods from China. The exception is the services offered by the Chinese e-Malls, i.e., TMall, Taobao, JDbuy, etc.
The Chinese e-Malls have the following procedures for overseas purchases;
- Goods are ordered/purchased from the overseas
- Goods are dispatched to China to a central clearing centre, e.g., Hangzhou, for Taobao / TMall.
- The goods clear customs and duties and local taxes paid
- Goods are despatched to the consumer in China
- If goods are returned, they are returned to the central clearing centre. Forwarding from there will depend on instructions from the seller.
Once the goods arrive at the clearing centre in China, the consumer can track the shipment process on their mobile apps.
When purchasing international goods, the typical delivery time on the e-Mall sites is 15 days.
The central clearing centres are in specific zones within major cities. Within these zeros, Chinese Customs offers fast clearing services for imported goods by having the goods pre-registered with Customs. Customs issue you with “yellow” clearing labels for each product line so they can scan each package and record the import against your Custom account.
This way, Customs can quickly track and control the import process and collect duty and local taxes.
Most products in Chinese e-Malls are the net price to the consumer. Given the processes above, calculating the net costs of suppliers is straightforward.
Anyone can send a package to a Chinese consumer from outside, and Chinese consumers will often purchase goods from overseas websites.
Issues of postage, customs clearance, fees, etc., will arise. These are typically paid directly by the Chinese consumer.
We believe the Chinese consumer will not purchase less from overseas websites as Chinese e-mail “net pricing” is preferable.
Our recommendation is to talk to your local shipping / postal services companies. Use the Chinese e-Mall process above as your checklist.
We will update this web page/report with more information as new shipping services become available.
Our other recommendation is not to store your stock overseas. If the goods do not sell, you must arrange for them to be returned. Often, this results in damaged goods and additional time and costs.
last modified V3.3: June 2019