China is one of the world’s largest economies and who knows, it “may be” a superpower sometime in the future. The world is completely different in China than it is in other parts of the world, particularly if you come from Europe or America. There are things that the Chinese won’t mind and there are things that they will not take lightly. China contains roughly a seventh of the world’s population. It is only natural that businesses and individuals will at one point or another find themselves shipping stuff over there, and perhaps regularly. As such, it is beneficial to know the most efficient and affordable means for sending your parcels to this community. Here are a few hints.
Research
If you want affordable prices, your best bet is research. Look around online and see the prices courier services are offering. Target the best carriers in the world like FedEx, DHT, and the like. Even better, there are websites dedicated to connecting you to the best postage services such that you can compare quotes from different world-class postage services in one place; how convenient? This will save you time and enable you to determine the most affordable service to use for shipping your parcel to China. But then again, to discover such websites, you still have to do some research because there are several of them. Once you find a few, it is only a matter of time before you have a favorite.
Furthermore, it pays to know a little about China. The fact that you are reading this is an indication that you are already in the research phase. Let me reward you with a little information about China. All parcels sent to China are subject to customs and tax, excluding documents. They may also be subject to import duty; items above $70 are subject to import duty. Shipping or courier websites may offer to provide all the documents required to ensure that your cheap parcel to China reaches its destination. I hope you can see that doing research and finding the best services online is the surest approach of ascertaining that you discover and, therefore, use the most affordable postage services available.
Restrictions
Well, part of sending cheap parcels is not wasting money. If you find the cheapest postage service only for your parcel to be rejected, destroyed, confiscated, or put you on the radar of government bodies, you will have wasted money. Even a penny wasted is expensive. That’s why I think it is important for you to know the things that you will not be allowed to import in China. They are:
- (Believe it or not) CDs or Compact Disks
- Computer Parts
- Ivory or rhino horns
- Tobacco/ tobacco leaves
- Media – digital, printed, VCR tapes
- Used Electric Equipment
- Diplomatic mail
Essentially, you know the Chinese have a rich culture; therefore, anything that can disrupt or goes against their culture, morals, economy, or politics is unwelcomed. To be on the safe side, check with the postage service that you intend to use to determine the items you can safely send to China.
Size Matters
As a safety net, it would be nice to avoid sending heavy parcels to China unless there is no other way. The heavier it is, the more expensive it is likely to be and the more it is likely to be subject to import duty and tax, and the more you’ll pay in customs.
To recap, do your homework first to determine the best options you have in terms of postage or courier services. Avoid sending items that are illegal or that may be offensive to the Chinese community. If possible, keep your parcels within a reasonable size or do whatever you can to stay below the $70 dollar mark to avoid unnecessary charges. Finally, find an online courier/ postage website that will take care of the shipping and documentation at an affordable price to save yourself both time and money.
