一、International Commercial Express
DHL is well-known for its fast and reliable service. Generally speaking, it takes 2-4 working days for parcels from China to major cities in developed countries such as Europe and the United States, such as New York, London, Paris, Berlin, etc. For neighboring countries and regions in Asia, such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, etc., it usually takes 2-3 days to reach the recipient. However, if there are special circumstances such as customs inspections, there may be a slight delay. With a wide range of routes and an efficient logistics processing system, DHL is a good choice for urgent and time-sensitive international express needs.
2. FedEx Express
FedEx’s international express service is also quite good. Its international priority express service can be delivered in about 2-3 working days when sent to the United States, Canada and other North American regions. For Europe, the delivery time is usually 3-5 working days. FedEx has a strong transportation network and advanced logistics technology around the world to ensure fast and accurate transportation of goods. However, like DHL, if there is a problem in the customs clearance process, it may affect the final delivery time.
3. UPS Express
UPS has efficient express delivery services for major commercial areas around the world. Express deliveries from China to the United States can arrive in about 2-3 days under normal customs clearance procedures. In European countries, delivery is generally completed in 3-4 days. UPS’s advantage lies in its global supply chain management capabilities and its high efficiency in handling commercial packages, but in some special periods, such as changes in trade policies or enhanced customs inspections, the delivery time may fluctuate.
二、International Postal Express
1.China Post International EMS
EMS also has a certain market share in international express delivery. Its delivery time is relatively stable. It usually takes 3-5 days to deliver to Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea. It usually takes 5-7 days to deliver to European countries, and about 7-10 days to deliver to the United States, Canada and other countries. The advantage of China Post International EMS lies in its extensive domestic collection network, which can easily receive parcels from all over the country. In addition, in some countries, EMS has a good cooperative relationship with the local post office, which helps the parcels to pass customs and be delivered smoothly. However, compared with commercial express delivery, the transportation speed of EMS may be slightly slower in some cases.
2. China Post International Parcel
International parcels are mainly suitable for cross-border transportation of light and small items, such as some low-value commodity samples, small accessories, etc. Its timeliness is relatively long. It usually takes 15-30 days to send to European countries, and it may take 10-25 days to send to the United States. The specific time depends on the postal processing efficiency of the destination country and the transportation distance. The price of international parcels is relatively low, but because its transportation priority is low and it may go through multiple transit links during transportation, the timeliness fluctuates greatly.
三、Dedicated logistics
1.Dedicated lines for specific countries or regions
There are many dedicated logistics services for specific countries or regions, such as the China-US dedicated line, the China-Europe dedicated line, etc. These dedicated logistics usually combine local logistics resources with domestic collection and transportation capabilities. Taking the China-US dedicated line as an example, the general delivery time is 7-10 days, and the China-Europe dedicated line is about 8-12 days. Dedicated logistics has found a good balance between transportation costs and delivery time, and because they are more familiar with specific markets, they may have unique advantages in handling customs affairs and last-mile delivery, but their coverage is relatively narrow and only targets specific destinations.
四、Truck Delivery
The transportation cost of truck Logistics is relatively low, especially for the transportation of large quantities of goods. The overall timeliness of cross-border truck logistics from China to the United States is about 15-36 days. If it is to the eastern United States, the overall timeliness is about 22-40 days. Truck delivery can transport goods of various types and sizes, and there are relatively few restrictions on goods. During the transportation process, the number of sorting and transfer of goods is relatively small, and the loss rate is low. Compared with other modes of transportation such as air transportation, Truck Logistics’ cargo transportation information tracking system is not perfect, and the sea transportation time is longer. For some goods with high timeliness requirements, it may not be the best choice.
五、Rail transport
Railway transport has a large capacity, and a freight train can carry a large amount of goods. Taking the China-Europe Express as an example, the transportation time from China to major European cities is generally around 12-20 days. Cross-border railway transport between China and Central Asian countries, such as to Almaty in Kazakhstan, is relatively short, usually around 7-10 days. For long-distance and large-volume transportation of goods, cross-border railway transportation has certain advantages in terms of cost. Railway transportation has fixed tracks and operating schedules, and the safety of goods during transportation is relatively high, but it is not as flexible as road transportation that can be extended to every corner. Although faster than sea transportation, cross-border railway transportation still takes longer than air transportation.
六、Sea Transportation
The time efficiency of sea transportation is mainly composed of the sea transportation time and the terminal delivery time. From China to major ports in Europe and the United States, the sea transportation time is generally about 15-35 days. After the goods arrive at the destination port, the terminal delivery time is usually about 1-7 days. If it is delivered by express delivery, it can generally be delivered in 1-3 days to major cities in developed areas of Europe and the United States; sea transportation is one of the lowest unit costs among all modes of transportation. For large quantities, heavy weights, and large volumes of goods, cross-border sea transportation can give full play to the cost advantages of sea transportation and significantly reduce logistics costs. During sea transportation, severe weather conditions such as typhoons, heavy rains, tsunamis, and heavy fog will pose a threat to the safety of ship navigation, thereby seriously affecting the time efficiency of transportation.
七、Factors affecting timeliness
1. Customs inspection
Customs inspection is an important factor affecting the timeliness of international express delivery. Packages need to be inspected by customs when they are imported or exported. If the contents of the package are not clearly declared, the value is inconsistent, or there is a customs inspection, the package may be detained at the customs for a period of time ranging from a few days to a few weeks. The customs clearance policies of different countries and regions, the efficiency of customs work, and the nature of the goods will all have an impact on the customs clearance time. Some regions require a tax number, such as EU countries, and the customs clearance time will be extended without a tax number.
2. Public holidays and local logistics operations in the destination country
Different countries have different public holidays and logistics operation modes. During important holidays in some countries, such as Christmas and Easter in Europe and the United States, logistics transportation may slow down or even stop. In addition, the local logistics infrastructure construction and operation efficiency will also have an impact on the final delivery time. If the logistics distribution network in the destination country is not well developed, it may cause delays in the last mile delivery of the package.
3. Transportation distance and mode of transportation
The longer the transportation distance, the longer it will take. At the same time, different modes of transportation, such as air transportation and sea transportation (some dedicated logistics may involve sea transportation), have very different speeds. Air transportation is fast but expensive; although sea transportation is low-cost, it takes a long time to transport, which will also affect the overall timeliness to a certain extent.