Freight
China shipping cost calculator
Freight is the number buyers ask for before anything else, and it is the number that decides whether a product works. Enter the destination, the weight and the box, and this page checks the parcel against the carrier rate files we ship on.
Estimate a parcel
How freight is actually calculated
Four inputs decide the price of a parcel: destination, weight, dimensions and the route you accept. Everything else is a consequence of those four.
Weight is the input people get wrong. Carriers charge on whichever is greater — the actual weight on the scale, or the volumetric weight derived from the box. Volumetric weight is length × width × height in centimetres divided by a divisor, typically 6,000 for standard parcel channels and 5,000 for some express ones. A light but bulky item is therefore billed as if it were heavy, which is why a box a few centimetres smaller can cost meaningfully less.
Destination decides which routes exist. There is no universal rate table: the channels available to the United States, to Germany and to Brazil are different sets, with different handling, different transit times and different restrictions on batteries and liquids.
Transit time is a choice, not a specification. The same parcel on the same day can be quoted at 4–7 days and at 7–14 days at different prices. Neither is a promise; both are the carrier's estimate for the movement itself.
What the calculator does not cover
- Remote-area surcharges. Applied by postcode, quoted separately, not predictable from country.
- Battery and liquid handling. Some channels refuse them outright; others add a handling fee.
- Oversize and over-weight rules. A parcel above a channel's limit is re-rated or refused.
- Duty and tax at destination. Collected by customs or the carrier, not part of freight.
That is why a calculator gives you a working number rather than a final one, and why the price on an order is confirmed in writing with the route named.
Consolidation is the other lever
Freight has a fixed component per parcel and a variable component per kilogram. Two items in one box therefore cost far less than two parcels: the second item adds weight and almost no fixed cost. For a dropshipping programme where a customer orders several items, combining them before dispatch is usually worth more than negotiating a few percent off the rate.
Questions
Why does the same parcel have several prices?
Because several routes serve the same destination with different transit times. A fast express channel and a slower consolidated channel can differ by 30% or more on the same box on the same day.
Is the calculator price the final price?
It is a freight estimate for the parcel as described. The order price is confirmed in writing with the destination, the chargeable weight and the route named — because surcharges, battery handling and oversize rules change the number.
What is volumetric weight?
A weight calculated from the box rather than the scale: length × width × height ÷ divisor. Carriers charge whichever is greater, so a big light parcel is billed above its scale weight.
Can you guarantee a delivery date?
No. Transit times are the carrier's estimate and customs can add days. What can be committed to is the dispatch date and the route.
Want the exact number? Send the destination, the items and the quantities — freight comes back in writing with the route named.
Request a quote