Threshold weight for Ship by Sea or Air

[iBusiness Forums]

Lets say I have an order where I get a 109Kg delivery from China (7 boxes in total). Question is, do I ship by sea or air?

I suppose really I am asking what the threshold weight is where you should start thinking about shipping by sea. And in this example, I was quoted approx $700 by air. What would the equivalent be for by sea?

Thanks,

Jon

 

[GraemeL]

Hello Jon,

There are a few uncertainties in your notes.
The $700 -
Includes collection from factory and delivery to your door?
Is the quote from the factory or from a UK agent?
Customers clearance costs?

Just asking to ensure you compare like for like.

You will not be able to get an exact answer to your general question, as it depends on the size and weight of the load.

You could get a price for LCL quite easily from a UK FF - it will probably be a minimum charge though, as your load is small and you could ship more product for the same cost.

A good benchmark is to ask a UK based freight for the cost of a 20ft container from (say) Shanghai, delivered to your premises and including port charges.

G

 

[iBusiness Forums]

The quote was from a supplier, door to door. Not sure what you mean by customers clearance costs. Customs clearance? They said before it was a quote for shipping. Not sure where I would check if it includes clearance.

 

[GraemeL]

Sorry - yes, Customs!

its best to get your own freight cost from a UK based company and be clear about what is covered and what is not. Your factory may be genuine, but some Chinese factories will quote 'anything' to get the order and leave you to pick through the problems.

G

 

[iBusiness Forums]

I've ordered from them before and their shipping quote was far lower than a new FedEx account I opened in the UK. I'm just looking now at the possibility of lowering costs further as my margins are slim.

 

[GraemeL]

Ah, OK.

So my best advice to check on a sea freight price is to get a quote from a UK based FF for an LCL shipment. There is no general rule to know which is best method.

 

[iBusiness Forums]

Is there not a general rule about this? I mean if it weighed 1kg, would you get a quote for shipping by sea? If not, you have a rule!

 

[GraemeL]

My rule is ship by sea unless I need it very urgently. I have never needed it very urgently.
However, I import big boxes that have a relatively low value per cbm, so air freight would be prohibitively expensive.

There is a minimum charge for sea freight, which to the best of my knowledge is not published as it floats. So 0.5cbm might cost the same as 1cbm etc until the minimum is exceeded. It will vary by ship and freight forwarder and time.

Volume matters. Weight matters. Volume probably matters more.

Try @Import Expert if you want pretty unbiased guidance direct from an expert in sea freight

 

[Nisa Pan]

Hi Jon, which city of China this goods send from? what size of this 7 cartons? maybe I can check air price and sea price for your reference.
General, the MOQ by sea will be at 1CBM volume. If your goods not reach 1cbm, they will calculate the charges volume by 1cbm

 

[Maple Sourcing]

109Kg delivery from China (7 boxes in total). I was quoted approx $700 by air.

------- It's quite expensive, I send a lots of parcels every week, for this weight, the reasonable cost should be below $600, door to door.

Unless they are very bulky so volume weight (= CBM*200) is over 109 kg. Or the goods contain battery so there will be surcharges.