China has grown as a global market where you can buy higher quality goods at cheaper prices and get them delivered to you at your doorstep. While it is a lot easier for consumers to get delivery at their doorstep, it isn’t that simple for businesses. Different businesses look for shipping from China to Europe solutions that can take care of most things for them.
Due to higher fuel costs due to inflation and other political reasons, businesses now want optimized shipping from China to Europe price points while reducing time to save costs. In this article, we intend to discuss and alleviate these pain points. Let’s begin.
| Table of Content |
Part 1. Why Ship from China to Europe?
The success of any business is first based on saving costs and enhancing profit margins. When it comes to shipping from China to Europe, three major factors contribute to the high demand.
- Cost savings
- Quality
- Variety
As long as the business is getting goods at the best pricing and the shipping from China to Europe time is short, they can attract more customers. That’s why tons of items in the EU provide next-day delivery on many items that they can source directly from China. The more a factory produces, the cheaper it becomes for it to produce it from mass production. They then provide the consumer with cheaper pricing as well.
Part 2. Methods of Shipping from China to Europe
In this section, we discuss different methods of shipping from China to Europe, where it’s easier to see Express would be the fastest method of shipping. But that would also be the highest cost of shipping. So let’s explore why you would choose one over the other, with some pros and cons to make it more clear.
Tip: If you want to find a shipping solution from China to Europe, you can rely on 3PL services like NextSmartShip.
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Sea Freight
Compared with the other two, Sea Freight is the slowest, but when shipping from China to Europe, China excels at providing multiple ports. It can directly transport products from the factories to the port and then on to the world. This direct connection and the ability to ship as much as you can gives it the cheapest pricing point.
Now, depending on whether you are importing goods in a large quantity or not, you need to choose between FCL or LCL. If you have a lot of goods, it is better to choose Full Container Load or FCL because you get flat rates and cheaper pricing. Furthermore, FCL saves more time on already slow shipping.
On the other hand, LCL or Less than Container Load will share with other suppliers, though cheaper takes more time than FCL. This time delay is due to the goods being consolidated from the origin and again from the destination.
Pros of Sea Freight
- Cheapest mode.
- Can transport large amounts of goods and items
- Best for heavy loads
Cons of Sea Freight
- 2-8 weeks of delivery time
- Pricier if item quantity is low
- Subject to bad weather and piracy
Air Freight
If you are not stringent on saving tons of money and want your goods to be delivered at quicker times, Air Freight is the one for your business. Most businesses that work with the Next-Day delivery model will try to squeeze as many goods through air freight as possible. This method is a sweet spot if you want less shipping from China to Europe time while significantly saving.
You do need to be careful, though, that air freight doesn’t allow all goods like batteries or heavier goods to travel.
Pros of Air Freight
- A great bargain on reasonable pricing with faster times
- Great for quicker delivery business models
Cons of Air Freight
- The type of goods that can be transported through this model is limited to air freight rules.
- Pricing varies based on the products you want to ship.
- No heavy items can be shipped.
Express Shipping
Most businesses use express shipping from China to Europe if they want the fastest delivery of goods, which prioritizes air freight and a shipping carrier. The most common shipping carriers used for express shipping are UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc. These goods can be in the hands of the consumer in less than 7 business days of dispatch directly from the factory.
Unfortunately, it is the most expensive mode and is used chiefly for either goods in short supply or some critical item that needs delivery. Again, the air freight rules apply here as well, so you can’t deliver everything using this method.
Pros of Express Shipping
- Fastest delivery method with shortest shipping from China to Europe time
- Sometimes, the shipping cost is included in the pricing based on the demand, so it can still save for more profit
Cons of Express Shipping
- A shorter time means higher costs to make fulfillment. Not everyone can bear the higher costs of delivery.
- Air freight rules limit many items that cannot be delivered this way, so we must look to other ways to deliver those items.
Part 3. How Much is Shipping from China to Europe?
If you are wondering about shipping from China to Europe price for each method, let’s discuss them here. Furthermore, we will share when one mode is better than the other based on the average cost of each method.
Sea Freight
The pricing for sea freight is as follows:
- $0.75- $5 for each kg
- $200-$300 for each cubic meter if LCL
- $1,300-$2,000 in case of FCL
The price here is at least eight times less than what you would pay for air, but it would take up to 45 business days to reach the customer. If you aren’t strict on timing, shipping is the way to go most of the time. Furthermore, most of the time, LCL is the best option for bulk shipping.
Air Freight
The typical average pricing for air freight is $4-8 per kg, but the time is a lot shorter than shipping. So, if you want the goods delivered within one week and the cost isn’t an issue, air freight is the way to go.
Furthermore, air freight trumps all other modes of transportation when you cannot delay the shipment of goods, such as perishable goods, medicine, critical tools, etc.
Express Shipping
Typical air freight above is $4-8 per kg, but Express will cost $5-10 for each kg. The increase in cost is, in most cases, affordable if you want to provide next-day shipping. The variation in the cost is based on what you are transporting, especially if they are valuable or fragile items.
The same rules apply to express as typical air freight if you need fast delivery; it is the way to go. Most businesses provide this facility to regular customers as well, but it comes at a premium.
So, if you can wait a few extra days, regular air freight is the way to go. But if you want your product the next day, definitely go for express air shipping.
Part 4. How Long Is Shipping from China to Europe?
Let’s now hop onto what shipping from China to Europe time is like in the case of the following modes of shipping.
Sea Freight
The typical time of shipping through sea is 30-40 business days because of the slow ship speeds. The speeds are further slowed when the liners want to save on fuel, which makes the products the cheapest.
The 2nd significant delay can come at destination ports when the products need to go through clearing, customs, or in some cases due to bad weather.
Air Freight
Depending on which service you use, the time to deliver your goods through this mode can typically take between 5-10 business days. The time delay is due to regulations on customs and certain goods coming through air freight.
Express Shipping
Most express shipping will take 3-4 business days for delivery, and some higher premium ones can provide the next-day shipping. The only delay you might face here can be due to the weather complications.
Part 5. What Is The Cheapest Shipping From China To Europe?
Now that you have read through the article and understand many nuances of shipping methods, their pricing, and what would cause delays, these aspects can be cumbersome for some.
| Examples of Shipping from China to Europe | ||||||
| There are 2 pieces of clothes in the package, gross weight of the package is 800g, size :10*25*30cm
Volume weight：10*24*30/8000*1000=900g（8000） |
||||||
| Charge cost base on | Channel Type | Chargeable weight | Cost -1 Extra handling fee/order |
Cost -2 Shipping cost from China to destination countries |
||
| United Kingdom | France | Germany | ||||
| Volume weight | Normal-Economic | 900 g | 2 product, handling fee$ 0.55+0.1*1 | $6.64 | $9.73 | $7.63 |
| Volume weight | Normal-Expedited | 900 g | 2 product, handling fee$ 0.55+0.1*1 | $8.32 | $10.62 | $9.47 |
| Volume weight | express （DHL） | 1440g | 2 product, handling fee$ 0.55+0.1*1 | / | / | / |
| Volume weight | express （UPS） | 1440g | 2 product, handling fee$ 0.55+0.1*1 | $28.80 | $28.80 | $28.80 |
| Volume weight | express （FEDEX） | 1440g | 2 product, handling fee$ 0.55+0.1*1 | $29.92 | $29.92 | $29.92 |
In that case, it is best to consult and take the services of a 3rd party logistics that can manage most of these things for you. The best part is that the cost is so affordable that it almost seems free, making it the most economical shipping.
NextSmartShip is one of the logistic managers who have extensive experience in shipping. Contact today and discuss with their experts so that you can choose the best option and grow your business.
Conclusion
China has emerged as a significant economic power, allowing businesses to make more profit by supplying the best quality products worldwide. In this article, we discussed three major methods and how they differ based on your preference.
If you want to grow your business while worrying less about shipping times and logistics, the best and most affordable option is using NextSmartShip fulfillment services.
