China to UK shipping times
Discussion
tim1830 said:
so i'm guessing free delivery?
you never know, it might turn up earlier than expected, and if it's a bargin, it's worth the wait
Well there is no such thing as free delivery as it is included in the price, though I rarely ever see an option for paying more on delivery from over seas. you never know, it might turn up earlier than expected, and if it's a bargin, it's worth the wait
Shipping from China can vary immensely and I've found it works differently depending on what you're buying and the postage option.
I buy a fair lot of electronic tech from China and this is my experience.
1 - Surface shipping by boat = the supplying warehouse waits until they have a container load worth of orders to go to the destination, 3rd party in destination county receives shipment and the item is eventually unpacked and then subsequently re-labelled with postage to buyer. (delivery time could be anything from 4weeks to 4 months depending on how close to full the shipment is when you place your order)
2 - Airmail economy = multiple goods are sent by plane to a 3rd party in destination country and they are then subsequently re-labelled with postage to buyer. (usually takes 3-4weeks)
3- Priority airmail - Item is sent directly to the customer (usually items arrives in 8-12days)
I buy a fair lot of electronic tech from China and this is my experience.
1 - Surface shipping by boat = the supplying warehouse waits until they have a container load worth of orders to go to the destination, 3rd party in destination county receives shipment and the item is eventually unpacked and then subsequently re-labelled with postage to buyer. (delivery time could be anything from 4weeks to 4 months depending on how close to full the shipment is when you place your order)
2 - Airmail economy = multiple goods are sent by plane to a 3rd party in destination country and they are then subsequently re-labelled with postage to buyer. (usually takes 3-4weeks)
3- Priority airmail - Item is sent directly to the customer (usually items arrives in 8-12days)
Edited by CrunkleFloop on Wednesday 22 December 12:56
CrunkleFloop said:
Shipping from China can vary immensely and I've found it works differently depending on what you're buying and the postage option.
I buy a fair lot of electronic tech from China and this is my experience.
1 - Surface shipping by boat = the supplying warehouse waits until they have a container load worth of orders to go to the destination, 3rd party in destination county receives shipment and the item is eventually unpacked and then subsequently re-labelled with postage to buyer. (delivery time could be anything from 4weeks to 4 months depending on how close to full the shipment is when you place your order)
2 - Airmail economy = multiple goods are sent by plane to a 3rd party in destination country and they are then subsequently re-labelled with postage to buyer. (usually takes 3-4weeks)
3- Priority airmail - Item is sent directly to the customer (usually items arrives in 8-12days)
How are you getting these options? Are you looking through multiple listings just to find one with better postage facility?I buy a fair lot of electronic tech from China and this is my experience.
1 - Surface shipping by boat = the supplying warehouse waits until they have a container load worth of orders to go to the destination, 3rd party in destination county receives shipment and the item is eventually unpacked and then subsequently re-labelled with postage to buyer. (delivery time could be anything from 4weeks to 4 months depending on how close to full the shipment is when you place your order)
2 - Airmail economy = multiple goods are sent by plane to a 3rd party in destination country and they are then subsequently re-labelled with postage to buyer. (usually takes 3-4weeks)
3- Priority airmail - Item is sent directly to the customer (usually items arrives in 8-12days)
Edited by CrunkleFloop on Wednesday 22 December 12:56
TBF Aliexpress do say if the seller offers 10 day delivery or not. If they do it normally arrives within 10 days. You are not going to get 10 day postage included in a £8 item though. Spend a bit more and they tend to offer it. Ebay also estimate postage which is generally realistic.
Mouse Rat said:
Containers taking around 14-16 weeks at the moment.
Oh.. Well I've been lucky getting some last minute Christmas shopping on amazon for next day delivery. Got my brother a computer game, some ceramic olive oil Dispenser for the sister, treats for the dog and booze for me. IAmTheWalrus said:
Hi,
I was aware there were global shipping delays however I ordered an item on eBay from China on the 25th November and its estimated delivery is 23rd Feb, I didn't think they were that long, is anyone else here getting three month waits for items from China?
Depends on the level of shipping service.I was aware there were global shipping delays however I ordered an item on eBay from China on the 25th November and its estimated delivery is 23rd Feb, I didn't think they were that long, is anyone else here getting three month waits for items from China?
Basic economy shipping will be consignment shipping by sea (which is how they sell stuff so cheap with free shipping, the 'per item' cost of a fully loaded 40' container is miniscule). Sea freight is around 5-6 weeks China to UK, not including China side domestic shipping, consolidation, container loading, ship scheduling, offloading, Customs clearance, breakdown of loaded container, repackaging, processing, onward internal shipping (also at the most efficiency/slow. 12 weeks doesn't sound too unreasonable really.
We (a High Street retailer) work on Full Container Loads (FCL's) taking 30 to 35 days port to port, China to UK. Less-than-container loads LCL's will take a bit longer, but we don't tend to do them. But it's all a bit broken at the moment. There's Xmas stuff still sloshing its way over that a month ago we decided it was just going straight to storage for next year, because it was already delayed by a couple of weeks back then. It wouldn't surprise me, given the dates you have, that they're not even thinking of shipping it till after the holiday season and Chinese New Year, but I hope you're pleasantly surprised 
If you ever get terminally bored you can look up routes and ships and schedules and stuff. For instance, the Moscow Maersk is going to leave Shanghai en route for Felixstowe on the 31 December. It's scheduled to arrive 50 days later on the 18 Feb. Exciting times
If you ever get terminally bored you can look up routes and ships and schedules and stuff. For instance, the Moscow Maersk is going to leave Shanghai en route for Felixstowe on the 31 December. It's scheduled to arrive 50 days later on the 18 Feb. Exciting times
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff