Tue. Mar 19th, 2024
shipping from China to the UK

Most of the businessperson desires to stretch their business within the National or International boundary. If you are into business and looking forward to keeping your mark at nearly all the geographical areas, you need to know the business strategies to establish. These strategies include importing goods at a cheaper rate, having quality products, and purchase in bulk. In any large business, import and export should be hassle-free as it has a great impact.

We understand how COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many businesses. Despite this pandemic situation, ship from China to the UK continued. There were initial delays in the shipment due to lockdown, but China has regained its place in this new normal situation.

You must consider all the possible ways for shipping, so we have gathered all the necessary information as such choice of mode of shipping, costs, time, and other aspects required to look for shipping from China to the UK. 

Here are the details as follows:

1. FCL Shipping

This is a widespread mode of shipping for import and export business. The full form of FCL is the Full Container load. It is generally associated with Ocean shipping. As per the full form, it does not mean the container is filled with the entire shipment. FCL is a way of shipping, which means you can only use it as a single shipment or a part of it but not the full item. If you are interested in shipping single items from China to the UK, then this option has no other alternative.

Often it happens that a single shipment or some parts of a shipment gets damaged or lost. The possibility of damage or loss of an item gets reduced with this method. Another amazing benefit of using FCL is that their transit time for any shipment is quicker. In addition, it becomes the cheapest if the volume of the consignment covers 75% of the smaller container.

2. LCL Shipping

LCL is known as Less than container load is also a method used for Ocean shipment. This way of shipment is used for those goods which take less than the whole space of a full container. LCL is alternatively known as ‘groupage’ means grouping different items altogether in a single container. Since this shipment involves sharing a container, it becomes logistically intricate and requires much better communication to ensure that everything goes hassle-free.

If all goes well, LCL shipment takes the same time as FCL shipping. You may face a little delay while waiting for other shipping items to get their cargo ready. If any error in the paperwork is discovered, your entire container will be held back by the customs. Hence, we recommend you to double-check your paperwork to avoid any delay.

There are a few more checkpoints that are essential such as-

  • The pricing of the LCL depends totally upon volume and not the weight of the cargo.
  • LCL shipping is not used for motor vehicles
  • More accurate paperwork is required depending upon your goods and your allotted destination.
  • As the container will be shared, your cargo may get hampered in transit if other goods are not properly packed.
  • Due to bad weather, your cargo may also get damaged. The packaging of your cargo must be well to prevent rough-handling.

3. Shipping from China to Amazon FBA

We understand when Amazon FBA is the most trusted logistics in the UK, you would like to clear all your doubts regarding the shipment, packaging requirements, labeling, and many more. It is not that difficult to ship from China to the UK through Amazon FBA. This process is more complicated as it demands the suppliers to stick a label on their shipment and sent it to Amazon Warehouse.

If you are a newbie in shipping from China to the UK, you can choose Amazon FBA as it will help you to avoid making any error in your shipment being unaccepted and sent back to China.

Which is better? Shipping Directly or third party logistics?

Understanding the deadline becomes crucial when it comes to shipping goods from China to Amazon FBA. Direct shipping from China to Amazon FBA can be done if the physical amount of goods is little and below $800. If you have prior experience of shipping from China to the UK, this can result in a cheaper process than relying on a third-party logistics company.

Suppose you have previously encountered this process with your preferred supplier, or on your own, or you have used a third-party logistics company in China. In that case, direct shipping can be useful.

Determining the right use of a third-party logistics company

Before choosing a third-party logistics company, let us seek more understanding about it. Third-party logistics providers include courier companies, sellers, and other companies offering outsourcing logistics and transport services. Hertz and Alfredsson have described four categories of third-party logistics providers.

  • Standard Third-party Provider– This is considered to be the most basic form of a third-party provider. Their job includes picking and packing, dropping the shipment at the warehouse, and distribution. However, for most of these firms, their activity is more than the basic.
  • Service Developer- This type of 3PL providers are much integrated than the basic. To offer better customer experience, they provide value-added services like tracking and tracing shipment, cross-cocking, packaging as per requirement, or providing a special security system. They have a strongly built IT foundation, which helps them manage such tasks.
  • The customer Adapter- These 3PL companies take the request of the customers and generally take over the company’s logistics. The customer base of 3PL companies is small.
  • The customer Developer- This is the highest level for any third-party logistic provider can achieve with all the processes and activities. These providers will have some of their customers and take over the full logistics department. They provide extensive services and perform detailed tasks.

Advantages Of Hiring A Third-Party Logistics

  • Cost-effective and time-saving – Most of the 3PL providers have better experience in producing and selling companies. They have more networks worldwide, which helps them to provide a better experience at a cheaper rate. These companies are constantly evaluating, adapting, and updating their resources to stand up to their customer’s requirements and their customer’s suppliers. If you are looking forward to shipping from China to the UK, you may consider this reason to choose a good third-party logistic provider.
  • Update in focus – Logistics outsourcing allows the company to focus on its business with a handful of logistics experts.
  • Normalizing the flexibility –If you are facing hassle in shipping from China to the UK as you are not getting flexible shipping facilities, you can consider hiring third-party logistics as they oath to cover most of the areas in the UK. Postal services and private couriers work as a barrier in the way of calculating the cost of shipping.

You can decide to use a third-party logistics company when you have a bulk amount of goods to ship from China to the UK. FNSKU labeling, bubble wrapping, poly bagging, etc. in the Chinese warehouse, will save your costs effectively.

Packaging and labeling the goods for shipping from China to Amazon FBA

Amazon has a set of particular requirements for the goods that are being packaged, labeled, and stored. We will walk you through these guidelines to ensure your suppliers understand those requirements and work accordingly, for your goods to be undamaged and ready for intake to the Amazon FulfillmentCenters.

You can decide to do the packaging on your own, but it will require a lot of time and involve high risks as you might end up making huge mistakes. This can cause rejection from the Amazon FulfillmentCenter, and once they send your goods back, it will cost you a lot of money and time.

Amazon Packaging Guidelines:

Outer Packaging

  • Size: Your package will not be rejected if you are using the boxes measuring 6 x 4 x 1 inch with weight at least 1lb.
  • Weight: The standard weight for a box is 50lb. The value should not exceed unless the material inside is an oversized item that alone weights 50lb. You need to attach a label that specifies “ Team Lift” on the sides and top of the box. If the weight of the item is more than 100 lb, you need to attach a label that shows “Mechanical Lift” on the sides and top of the box. The weight of the boxes for the jewelry and watches should not be more than 40 lb.
  • Material: The most commonly used packaging for shipping products overseas are regular slotted containers or six-sided boxes with intact flaps.

Amazon Labeling rules:

Amazon will likely remove your goods to its networking areas if your packaging and labeling fall under their guidelines. This will make them ship soon to sell faster and reach your customers sooner.

  • FBA Shipping Label: You have to make sure that each box has a unique FBA shipping label, you can get it printed from your shipping center.
  • FNSKU: Every product requires a barcode, which is easy to scan. Each FNSKU must correspond to one different product, including assorted types, such as size or color. When you ship from China to Amazon FBA multiple cases are packed in a master carton. You must apply the unique shipping label on the master carton.

Putting Amazon label on your products

Thinking about the best possible way to put labels on your product?

There are 3 ways, and you can choose one of them according to your suitability.

  • Ask your Chinese suppliers to label your product

You are now aware of how Amazon is particular when it comes to labeling your goods. You can ask your Chinese supplier to label your product as per the requirements. If needed, you can even ask them to send you pictures of their packaging to double-check.

  • Labeling the good by yourself

You can label the goods by yourself if you are aware of all the guidelines followed by Amazon. The goods must be shipped to your address first in the case. Also, consider having an ample amount of time and consideration if the order is large.

  • A package labeled by a third-party Prep Service company

If you plan to choose any of the third-party Prep Service companies, you must ship your goods to that company you are working with. These companies have a professional FBA team that knows FNSKU labeling and other requirements. As a reminder, the cost of labor in America is high, 5 to 6 times more than in China. For instance, labeling one product in China will cost up to $0.02, whereas, in America, it will be $0.1.

Express transportation to Amazon FBA

If you are looking for hassle-free shipping from China to the UK, we recommend you to consider this option. Expressing shipping is one of the most reliable and convenient ways for your receivers. All your receivers need to do is the sign for the shipment upon arrival. This company also handles the import processes.

If the weight of your goods is up to 1000 lbs, you can choose this company. The estimated delivery time is usually between 3 to 7 days for the goods to arrive, depending upon the location. Delivering shipment by air and sea is suitable for a larger volume of goods. Both modes of transportation have fixed fees involved, results in spending more money than on express shipping.

Air Transportation to Amazon FBA

You would require a freight forwarder like China Freight, who will take care of all the documents, customs clearances, taxes, and fees involved if you choose this mode of shipping. The estimated delivery time may vary from express shipping, and the total shipping price will drop by 10%-20%.

 

  • This mode of transportation can be used if you are in a hurry, and the volume of your goods is over 1000 lbs.
  • Each item will cost the import processing fee, no matter how small it is. This will lead to a higher cost than express shipping. So, it recommended that you ship goods which weight under 500kg using express shipping and sea transportation.
  • Dimensional weight will decide the freight cost.

In this article, we have tried to gather all the possible information that you will need to ship from China to the UK. You can hire a reliable freight forwarder like China Freight to aid you in taking care of all the necessary formalities and documentation for a smooth shipping process. They can speed up the Amazon shipment process too.

China Freight aims to provide you with all the sources that will help you provide a safe and no delay in delivery with a better experience.

By admin

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