Shipping is usually 30–60% of your total landed cost when buying from Chinese agents. Get the wrong shipping line and your $50 hoodie becomes a $90 hoodie.
This guide cuts through the marketing fluff. We'll go through real per-kg rates, transit times, and when to pay extra for premium lines.
Skip the reading? Type a weight and destination — we'll sort live rates for you.
How shipping pricing works
Every agent charges by chargeable weight, which is the larger of:
- Actual weight — what your bundle physically weighs
- Volumetric weight — calculated from box dimensions: (L × W × H in cm) / 6000 = kg
If your box is 50 × 40 × 30 cm but only weighs 4 kg, the volumetric weight is 60,000 / 6000 = 10 kg, and you'll be charged for 10 kg. Air freight rules — bulky items pay more even when light.
Each line then has:
- Base fee — flat $0–3 charge per parcel
- Per-kg rate — usually $5–20 per kg depending on line and destination
Real rates by region (per kg, USD)
Numbers below are typical mid-2026 rates from major agents. Use our live shipping calculator for the current price for your weight + destination.
North America (US, Canada, Mexico)
- Economy lines: $8–10/kg, 25–45 days
- Standard air: $12–14/kg, 15–25 days
- Express (DHL/FedEx): $17–22/kg, 10–18 days
- Tax-free lines: $11–13/kg, 8–15 days (cheaper for shoes/clothing — bypasses some import duties)
UK, Western Europe
- Economy lines: $8–10/kg, 25–40 days
- Royal Mail / EUR-P-H: $11–14/kg, 10–19 days (best balance of price + speed)
- Express: $17–20/kg, 10–18 days
Australia, New Zealand
- Economy: $10–12/kg, 25–40 days
- Standard air: $14–16/kg, 14–22 days
- Express: $19–22/kg, 12–20 days
East Asia (Japan, Korea, Singapore, etc.)
- Economy: $5.50–7/kg, 10–18 days
- Standard: $8–10/kg, 6–12 days
- Express: $11–13/kg, 5–10 days
East Asia gets the cheapest rates because Chinese agents have direct logistics partnerships in the region.
When to pay for faster shipping
The standard answer is “use economy unless you're in a hurry.” Real-world advice:
- Use economy when ordering basics (T-shirts, accessories, low-value items). Saving $30 over 3 weeks is worth it.
- Use standard air when ordering for a specific event or season. The 15-day window is predictable.
- Use express only when you've had a previous shipment lost or stuck in customs and want tracking that actually updates daily. Otherwise it's overpriced.
- Tax-free lines are worth it for clothing/shoes. Customs is a coin flip — bypassing it is real value.
Bundle aggressively. Don't ship one-at-a-time.
Each shipment has a base fee + minimum charge. Two 1 kg parcels cost roughly twice what one 2 kg parcel costs.
Storage at the agent's warehouse is free for 60–90 days on most agents. Use it. Buy your stuff over 4–6 weeks, QC each item as it arrives, then bundle and ship together when you're ready.
Use our haul builder to plan multi-item shipments and see total landed cost for the whole bundle.
The costs nobody mentions
- Domestic shipping: seller → agent warehouse, ~¥10 per item (~$1.50). Most agents add this automatically.
- Payment processing fee: 3–4% surcharge on credit card / PayPal. Bank transfers avoid it.
- Service fee: 0–10% depending on agent (CNFans/Kakobuy/ACBuy = 0% on Taobao; Superbuy starts at 10% for cheap items).
- Customs duties: depends entirely on your country. Tax-free lines reduce risk but don't eliminate it.
- Extra services: extra packaging ($1–2), removing shoeboxes (free–$1), priority processing ($1–3).
Our cost estimator includes all of these per agent.
Real ways to save on shipping
- Bundle more items. Per-kg rates barely change — you're paying mostly for weight, not number of parcels.
- Remove packaging at the warehouse. Most agents will pull shoes out of boxes for free, halving the volumetric weight on a sneaker haul.
- Use Zone 4 (East Asia) lines if you're close to China. Singapore/Japan/Korea customers pay almost half what US/EU customers pay.
- Compare 3 agents before checkout. Same haul can cost 25% more on the wrong agent. Use our converter to test all 11 in one click.
Quick FAQ
Will my agent ship to my country?
All major agents (CNFans, Sugargoo, Kakobuy, ACBuy, Superbuy) ship to ~200 countries. The only exceptions are countries under sanctions or with strict import regulations.
What about lithium batteries / liquids?
Most lines refuse them. If your haul includes electronics, ask the agent before paying — they'll either route through a special line ($$$) or reject the parcel.
What happens if the parcel is lost?
Most agents offer paid insurance ($2–5 flat). Without insurance, lost parcels are "your problem." Recommended for hauls over $200.
How accurate are these estimates?
Our calculator uses real rates from each agent's public calculator, calibrated against community-reported actual costs. Expect ±10% variance from the real charge at checkout.
Last updated April 2026. Shipping rates change quarterly — verify on the agent's site at checkout. Haulkit is reader-supported through affiliate links.