Nowadays, most of the world is experiencing post-Covid lifestyle changes. With hybrid working mode becoming the new normal, eCommerce will continue to go strong.
If you are looking to scale up your business even further to 8 or 9 figures, you need to have a solid shipping plan to ensure efficiency, especially during Q4. The shipping line options we offer at EcommOps are a mix of the best options for different countries, products, and times of the year, designed to satisfy your fulfillment needs.
We at EcommOps specialize in high volume direct from China fulfillment worldwide with millions of packages shipped to date. We have tested various shipping lines throughout the years and optimized our shipping options based on the best combination of cost, efficiency, and any specific requirements of the product shipped.
Different couriers and service lines have specific strengths for certain countries, types of products, and even times of the year. While you may be accustomed to using specific services (eg YunExpress or 4PX), there is not one single perfect courier that is suited for all needs. We utilize our proprietary systems to constantly optimize the best solution for our clients.
We offer consolidated shipping options based on cost, delivery time expectations, and any specific product requirements as shown in the specific grouping of shipping options below.
Please note that worldwide shipping is still affected by the lingering impacts of the pandemic and is facing varying delays. The delivery time estimates below are based on CURRENT data in light of these delays and are expected to improve.
General Use Lines
These are the most commonly used shipping lines and offer the best combination of speed and cost-efficiency. We strongly suggest that you focus your marketing on countries offered through these lines.
Express Lines
These are the fastest consumer package lines available for China fulfillment but are generally more expensive. This option is best used if you want the most reliable shipping to your customers, particularly during periods like the Q4 holidays when the shipping time is critical.
One downside is that there are limited countries available, though we are constantly evaluating additional options.
Express line Countries and shipping times (in Calendar Days)
· United States Express: 4 to 10 days
· United Kingdom Express: 4 to 8 days
· France Express: 5 to 10 days
· Germany Express: 5 to 10 days
· Italy Express: 5 to 10 days
· Spain Express: 5 to 10 days
· Canada Express: 7 to 18 days
Sample couriers used
· YunExpress Express
· 4PX Express
· UBI Express
Additional benefits
· Tracking in English and using local last mile (eg USPS, DHL) labels once customers receive packages
· Can ship products with batteries in them (but NOT single, separate batteries)
· Stays very consistent during busier periods (great choice for Q4 shipping)
Limitations
· More expensive, especially at higher weights
· Cannot ship most liquid products
· Size limitation of 60cm in one dimension OR 90cm all dimensions added together
· Weight limitation of 2kg to 5kg depending on the country
· Volumetric weight may apply (see below on Volumetric lines for more details)
· Cannot ship to US states of Hawaii and Alaska, or other territories outside of the 48contiguous states (those addresses require ePacket)
· Cannot ship to certain remote islands of Spain (those addresses require ePacket)
Regular Lines
These lines are the best balance of delivery speed and reasonable cost for high-volume eCommerce fulfillment. The primary choice of the majority of our clients, they are best used to achieve a great customer experience while at cheaper costs than the Express lines.
These lines are available to ~35 countries, including most of the main eCommerce markets.
Countries and shipping times (in Calendar Days)
· United States: 6 to 14 days
· United Kingdom: 5 to 10 days
· France/Germany / Austria / Italy / Spain / Netherlands: 6 to 12 days
· Other EU countries: 7 to 18 days
· Australia:7 to 18 days
· New Zealand: 6 to 12 days
· Singapore/ Malaysia: 5 to 12 days
· Canada: 7 to 24 days
· UAE /Saudi Arabia / Israel: 7 to 20 days
Sample couriers used
· YunExpress Battery Line
· 4PXBattery Line
· UBI Regular
Additional benefits
· Tracking in English and using local last mile (eg USPS, DHL) labels once customers receive packages
· Can ship products with batteries in them (but NOT single, separate batteries)
Limitations
· Cannot ship most liquid products
· Size limitation of 60cm in one dimension OR 90cm all dimensions added together
· Weight limitation of 20kg to 30kg depending on the country
· Volumetric weight may apply (see below on Volumetric lines for more details)
· Cannot ship to US states of Hawaii and Alaska, other territories outside of the 48contiguous states (those addresses require ePacket)
· Cannot ship to certain remote islands of Spain (those addresses require ePacket)
Ordinary Lines
These lines are the most economical options while still delivering at a good level of consistency and speed. These lines are typically used as the “standard” option for most china fulfillment agents or similar to CJ Ordinary.
While these are our most affordable options, these lines are still satisfactory in performance – we do NOT use less reliable lines like ePacket within this option.
These lines are available to ~20 countries, including most of the main eCommerce markets.
Countries and shipping times (in Calendar Days)
· United States: 8 to 17 days
· United Kingdom: 7 to 14 days
· France /Germany / Austria / Italy / Spain / Netherlands: 7 to 16 days
· Other EU countries: 9 to 21 days
· Australia:7 to 20 days
· Canada:15 to 40 days
Sample couriers used
· YunExpress Basic Line
· 4PX Basic Line
Additional benefits
· Tracking in English and using local last mile (eg USPS, DHL) labels once customers receive packages
Limitations
· Can be less consistent than Express and Regular lines during busy periods (eg Q4)
· Cannot ship products with batteries in them
· Cannot ship most liquid products
· Size limitation of 60cm in one dimension OR 90cm all dimensions added together
· Weight limitation of 20kg to 30kg depending on the country
· Volumetric weight may apply (see below on Volumetric lines for more details)
· Cannot ship to US states of Hawaii and Alaska, other territories outside of the 48contiguous states (those addresses require ePacket)
· Cannot ship to certain remote islands of Spain (those addresses require ePacket)
ePacket
We avoid using ePacket except for unique situations, notably for the US states of AK and HI where typical lines are not available, some special countries, and special circumstances such as liquids(liquids section below).
ePacket is not reliable and is no longer as affordable as it was before, mainly due to the current COVID pandemic.
“Other” Countries Without Reliable Lines
Many countries simply do not have reliable shipping lines – most South American countries, most African countries, and many parts of Asia as examples.
While there are usually shipping lines to ship anywhere in the world, they can be both slow and also expensive.
There is a very good reason why there are no reliable options to these countries: they are simply not very well performing Ecommerce countries and/or they have local logistics issues that prevent efficient shipping.
We strongly suggest that you exclude any countries that we do not offer a consistent line to. However if you once in a while get an order to one of these countries we will charge a general “Other countries” price, as part of the ePacket pricing (we don’t necessarily use Epacket,depending on the country, but there are too many possible lines to list).
Unfortunately, the shipping times can be extremely unpredictable.
Special Situation Lines
Certain products require the usage of situation lines, which we offer if your product needs it. These are summarized in this section.
Volumetric Lines
Most lines have limits on how large (in terms of volume) the package can be in relation to its weight. The most consistent lines we offer use freight planes to get packages to the destination country, which tends to be limited in space and will calculate what is called a “volumetric” weight cost.
The calculation for volumetric weight is Height *Width * Length (cm) divided by 5000 to 8000 depending on the line.
For example:
YunExpress divides the calculation by 8000.
Say you have a package that only weighs 500g but takes up a LOT of volumes (a large stuffed animal perhaps?).
This package might have a measurement of 20 X 30 X30 CM, divided by 8000 would equal a volumetric weight of 2.25kg.
If you were to send this product via YunExpress you would be charged for the weight of 2.25kg rather than 500g, which will be a LOT more expensive.
For these products, we offer our volumetric lines. They are slightly more expensive than Regular lines, however still MUCH cheaper than if you were charged volumetric weight for these types of products.
Volumetric line Countries and shipping times (in Calendar Days)
· United States: 8 to 17 days
· United Kingdom: 7 to 14 days
· France /Germany / Austria / Italy / Spain / Netherlands: 7 to 16 days
· Other EU countries: 9 to 21 days
· Australia:7 to 20 days
· Canada:15 to 40 days
Sample couriers used
· YunExpress Volumetric
Additional benefits
· Tracking in English and using local last mile (eg USPS, DHL) labels once customers receive packages
· Can ship products with batteries in them (but NOT single, separate batteries)
· Much cheaper than volumetric weight costs if your product will hit the threshold
Limitations
· More expensive than regular lines
· Cannot ship most liquid products
· Size limitation of 60cm in one dimension OR 90cm all dimensions added together
· Weight limitation of 20kg to 30kg depending on the country
· Cannot ship to US states of Hawaii and Alaska, other territories outside of the 48contiguous states (those addresses require ePacket)
Liquid Lines
Our standard liquid line uses YunExpress’ cosmetic and liquids special line. When available, this is the best option for sending liquids, and has the same benefits as YunExpress and Ordinary lines, with speed similar to the Ordinary lines.
There are, however, some notable limitations in terms of the countries offered, as well as a limit on alcohol content in the product, so please check with us if your product can ship on this line.
Liquid lines Countries and shipping times (in Calendar Days)
· United States: 8 to 17 days
· United Kingdom: 7 to 14 days
· France / Germany / Austria / Italy / Spain / Netherlands: 7 to 16 days
· Other EU countries: 9 to 21 days
Sample couriers used
· YunExpress Cosmetic / Liquids
Additional benefits
· Tracking in English and using local last mile (eg USPS, DHL) labels once customers receive packages
· Can ship liquids reliability with all the benefits of YunExpress
Limitations
· More expensive than regular lines
· Can be less consistent than Express and Regular lines during busy periods (eg Q4)
· Cannot ship oils or liquids with alcohol content
· Size limitation of 60cm in one dimension OR 90cm all dimensions added together
· Weight limitation of 20kg to 30kg depending on the country
· Volumetric weight may apply (see below on Volumetric lines for more details)
· Cannot ship to US states of Hawaii and Alaska, other territories outside of the 48 contiguous states (those addresses require ePacket)
· Cannot ship to certain remote islands of Spain (those addresses require ePacket)
ePacket Liquid Lines
For liquid products and/or countries that cannot use our main liquids lines we will have to use ePacket Liquid.
While we do suggest that you stick to products and/or countries where the main liquid line is available, we do still offer this option for your convenience. However, we are unable to guarantee consistent delivery speeds on these lines, particularly in light of COVID disruptions on many of them.
Liquid lines Countries and shipping times (in Calendar Days)
· Countries where offered: 10 to 30+ days
Sample couriers used
· ePacket Liquids
Additional benefits
· Fully tracked end to end
· Can ship most liquids reliability
Limitations
· More expensive than regular ePacket lines
· Still cannot ship oils or liquids with very high % of alcohol content
· Can be slow and unreliable to most countries
· Packages use ePacket style labels
