Shipping a haul from China to the USA
Your agent quotes several lines for the packed parcel: postal, express courier, or a special line that includes customs in the price. Freight is charged on the larger of real and volumetric weight, and since the end of de minimis every line also carries a customs cost. So compare the landed total, not the freight alone.
Written for US buyers, independent of any agent · Last reviewed
Types of lines
Three kinds of line, three ways through customs
Agents name their lines differently, but almost every US option falls into one of these. The name on the quote matters less than two questions: who files the US customs entry, and who pays the duty.
Postal lines
EMS · China Post · delivered by USPS
The parcel travels in the international mail and is handed to USPS for the last mile. Since July 24, 2026 it enters through CBP's postal informal entry, which someone has to file and pay for before the parcel is released. Ask who that is on the line you pick.
Express couriers
door-to-door, courier's own network
The courier carries the parcel the whole way and files the customs entry itself. If duties are not included, the courier pays CBP and sends you a bill — usually with its own brokerage fee on top — before or at delivery.
Special lines ("tax-included", DDP)
consolidated freight, cleared in bulk
The line ships many parcels together, clears them through its own broker, then hands each one to a US carrier. "Tax-included" means the line pays the duty and builds it into your price. It does not mean there is no duty.
The customs rules behind each of these, with official sources, are on US customs on China hauls in 2026.
Volumetric weight
Why a light box can cost like a heavy one
Carriers charge for the room a parcel takes up, not only for what it weighs. Volumetric weight turns the box's size into kilograms: length × width × height in centimeters, divided by a number the line sets, called the divisor. You pay on whichever is larger, the real weight or the volumetric weight.
Each line publishes its own divisor in its rules, so the same box can bill differently on two lines. That is one reason the cheapest line for a pair of sneakers is not always the cheapest for a puffer jacket.
What you control is the box. Removing shoe boxes and outer packaging, and vacuum-sealing bulky clothing, shrinks the volume. Most agents offer these as options when you submit the parcel.
The arithmetic, with example numbers
- Box: 40 × 30 × 20 cm = 24,000 cm³.
- If the line's divisor is 6,000: 24,000 ÷ 6,000 = 4 kg volumetric.
- Real weight on the scale: 2.5 kg.
- You are billed for 4 kg, the larger of the two.
- Same box, packed down to 40 × 30 × 12 cm: 14,400 ÷ 6,000 = 2.4 kg, so the 2.5 kg real weight applies.
Example dimensions and divisor only. Use the divisor your line states.
Consolidation
Why one parcel beats three, now more than before
Shipping always had a first-weight minimum, so a single item cost nearly as much to send as several. The end of de minimis adds a second reason. Every parcel that reaches the US is now its own customs entry, and an entry carries per-entry costs: CBP's processing fee on a courier entry, a courier's brokerage fee if it bills you, or a filing charge on a postal line. Three small parcels pay those three times. One combined parcel pays them once.
Splitting a haul used to keep each parcel under $800. That threshold no longer exists, so splitting now only multiplies the per-parcel costs. The one value line that still matters is $2,500: above it, an entry generally becomes a formal entry with a higher fee and usually a broker. Our customs page shows that fee with its source.
In practice: let items collect in the warehouse within the agent's free storage period, check each set of QC photos as it arrives, then submit everything together. If the haul is large or bulky, pay for a rehearsal so you see the packed weight and size before you choose a line.
Reading the quote
What to check before you pay for a line
We print no prices or delivery times here: they change by the week and by the parcel, and a number on this page would be wrong for yours. The agent's quote for your packed parcel is the figure that counts. Read it for these eight things.
- 1
Billable weight
Is the price on the real weight or the volumetric weight? The quote should show both, or at least the box dimensions it used.
- 2
Duties: included or billed later
If included (DDP), read what the line says happens when CBP assesses more than it collected. If not, expect a separate bill from the carrier.
- 3
Who files the US entry
For postal lines especially. Since July 2026 a mail parcel with no filer waits in CBP custody until somebody files.
- 4
What the line refuses
Batteries, liquids, powders, magnets and some branded goods are restricted on many lines. A refused item can send the whole parcel back to the warehouse.
- 5
Size and weight limits
Many lines cap a parcel's weight or its longest side. A big haul may have to go as two parcels, which means two entries.
- 6
The delivery estimate
It is the agent's estimate for that line, not a promise. Compare it between lines, not with what a forum says.
- 7
Insurance and compensation
What the line pays if a parcel is lost or seized, how much it costs, and whether seizure is covered at all.
- 8
Extra charges
Packing, vacuum-sealing, removing boxes, rehearsal, remote-area surcharges. Small on their own, they add up across a haul.
Comparing agents rather than lines? See choosing a shopping agent for US delivery. New to the words? They are in the glossary.
FAQ
Shipping to the US
What is the cheapest way to ship a haul from China to the US?
There is no single answer we can stand behind. It depends on your parcel's weight, size and contents and on what each line charges this week. Get a quote for the same packed parcel from two or three lines, add the customs cost for each, and compare those landed totals.
Should I remove shoe boxes before shipping?
It often lowers the volumetric weight, because shoe boxes are mostly air. The trade-off is less protection and no box on arrival. Most agents let you choose per item when you submit the parcel.
Why did my shipping price change after the parcel was packed?
Because the first estimate used weights from the item pages, and the final one uses the packed parcel's real weight and dimensions. A parcel rehearsal shows you the packed figures before you choose a line.
Is a tax-included line always better for the US?
Not always. It removes the bill on delivery, but you pay the duty up front inside the line's price. Compare the DDP price against the non-DDP price plus the duty and any courier fee you would owe.