Just been quoted $96 for shipping samples from china factory. Is this normal?

[mit74]

Purchasing some samples from china on alibaba and they come to $40 but shipping $96 for about 5kg box 1.5ft sq. Is this normal rates for alibaba? First time I've used this company so a little wary.

 

[MBE2017]

Normally sample costs are credited if you go on to order, the transport cost does not seem excessive to myself.

 

[MOIC]

Get other quotes and compare.

Alibaba makes money at every stage, so you should get better.

 

[Deleted member 335660]

Yes that is about right. I just paid $108 for 8kg but it was for electrical item that included lithium batteries so I think that has an extra cost.

 

[david.zucker]

At present, logistics costs in China continue to increase because of the effect of covid-19.International logistics is generally cheaper when there is more goods. Small quantities such as sample orders can be very expensive. This is the reason why many businesses now do not order goods from Chinese manufacturers.

 

[paulears]

The shipping cost for low priced items is crazy now - you might get the samples at a special price but they still need shipping. There are alternatives to Fedex and UPS for smaller/lighter items but it might bring a $100 shipping fee down to $70 - not much money off and lots of extra shipping time.

 

[MBE2017]

More important than the cost is too concentrate on finding the right supplier, quality, service etc. MOIC a member who posted above might be worth talking too, he sources goods for people.

 

[adam102]

Normally sample costs are credited if you go on to order, the transport cost does not seem excessive to myself.

Hello, I am a freight forwarder in China. The express freight is determined by the product name and channel

 

[CHUKTC]

96 usd sounds a little high unless there are batteries as mentioned above but it really depends how they ship and some routes would cost that much. There is very little if any profit in it for the supplier - as others have said its a small price to pay if you have the right manufacturer and the goods are of the right quality and price for your needs - in the long run that is by far the more important thing than saving a few dollars on shipping samples.

 

[paulears]

I suspect the size of the package is the trouble here - 500mm3 is a fairly large package with the current shipping firms. I tried that size and weight on UPS within the UK and see how much that costs as a comparison - cheapest £13 most expensive £52 - that's for ten miles!

 

[Red Wood]

It's a sample, if it's a low cost freight charge, is there really any difference between 50,75,100? Speed of shipment is where the value is, don't worry too much about the other bits at this stage.

 

[Maple Sourcing]

It sounds normal to me. You may check with other agents.

 

[Ray272]

i Just ordered a 'gamble' from china a moment ago, $3.50 per unit for 100 units and the item is tiny, the automated alibaba shipping costed the shipping at $258, totalling $608. I messaged the supplier advised the rate was excessive and the total cost is now $515.00. Automated system is easy but very expensive, always push the matter to a human.

 

[MOIC]

Alibaba makes money on everything . . . . . .for convenience it's fine, but you'll always find cheaper, if you're prepared to work a little . . . . products, service, quality, prices, shipping.

 

[Directimport]

In view of these recent 14 posts I want to provide a cautionary note about payment of freight when buying samples and also small orders. It is very common for Chinese suppliers to ask for your air courier account number in order to "make it easy" for you.

I strongly advise against complying with such a suggestion, because if you do they will send the parcel on a "freight collect" basis. It might sound easy, but in real life you will find that unless you have already negotiated a substantial discount with your air courier they will charge you what is known as schedule rates. Those rates are only for dummies who don't know that they are only a starting point for negotiation of realistic rates.

 

[Casually made]

I import a lot from china cost me $75 dollars to import 5KG last week.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

$230 for 29kg via Fedex!

 

[Kimiy_LIU@outl]

This is too expensive. I'm a freight forwarder from China. Usually, a 5KG package only costs $50 for transportation. Many Chinese businessmen will profit from freight. I'm a freight forwarder from China. If you deliver the goods to me, you can save a lot of money. You can ask the merchants to send the goods to our warehouse in China, and we can send them directly to your country. This is worthwhile and can save a lot of money.