We ship our products through two services, air express and sea freight. Each will affect the time it takes to receive a shipment differently.
Air Express
Obviously, shipping by air will be much quicker than shipping by sea. Generally, an air shipment takes about 6-8 business days to arrive. Air express uses a courier service like DHL, UPS, or Fedex. It can be advantageous to ship small or lightweight parts by air.
Sea Freight
Shipping by sea will generally take 4-6 weeks. There are various factors that can delay transport such as weather, customs inspections and truck transport, but generally one month is average for the shipping time.
Incoterms
It’s also important to understand the incoterm that you want to use with the seller. Incoterms are a set of rules and expectations for the responsibilities and the deliveries of goods. The more commonly used ones are CIF and FOB. CIF stands for the cost, insurance, and freight to ship to the port of your choosing. The freight forwarder is responsible for damages during shipping under CIF terms. FOB, or free on board, means that the buyer is responsible for shipping the goods from the factory to the destination of their choosing.
Duty Delivery Paid (DDP) means that the seller is responsible to ship the product from the factory to the door of the client. This will include freight from the port to the buyer’s address.
Contact us for any questions, speak with china sourcing agents that can help you understand the shipping process and terms.