Shipped from Hong Kong and Shenzhen to Japan, Israel, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and North America. Every line on the invoice explained — chargeable weight, fuel, peak season, remote area.
Most pricing disputes come down to these three, not to the rate itself.
Express divides by 5,000, consolidation by 6,000. Chargeable weight is the greater of the two, rounded up to 0.5 kg or 1 kg. Changing the lane can change the billed weight by 20%.
Fuel moves weekly; peak season is charged by destination and weight break. Both sit on top of freight. A quote without these three lines stated is not a quote.
Judged by postal code against each carrier's own list — not by country. Charges apply per kg with a per-shipment minimum, typically plus fuel.
Small and urgent goes express; bulky light cargo goes air consolidation; heavy cargo goes sea; marketplace orders go parcel or FBA first-mile. See full service details →
DHL / UPS / FedEx / EMS, door to door to commercial addresses, typically 3-5 business days. Divisor 5,000, rounded to 0.5 kg.
China–Hong Kong trucking, Hong Kong warehouse receiving, local delivery and self-pickup. Wider commodity acceptance and more flight options.
Japan, Middle East, Israel, Latin America, Europe and North America. Divisor 6,000, rounded to 1 kg, around 7-12 days.
Full container and less-than-container load with trucking to door. Billed by CBM — for oversize, heavy and bulk replenishment.
Marketplace and DTC fulfilment, billed by gram or kg, tracked, most economical under 2 kg per shipment.
Pickup, export declaration, sea or air leg, clearance, appointment booking, labelling and palletising.
| Region | Main destinations | Preferred service |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia | Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia | Express, air consolidation |
| Middle East | UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel | Express, air consolidation |
| Latin America | Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Brazil | Air consolidation, LCL, DDP |
| Europe | UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands | Express, air, sea, trucking |
| North America | United States, Canada, northern Mexico | Express, air, FBA first-mile |
| Others | Australia, New Zealand, South Africa | Express, air consolidation |
The five questions we answer most often.
Base freight (chargeable weight × rate) + fuel surcharge + peak season surcharge + accessorials (remote area, oversize/overweight, residential delivery, customs advancement). The base freight is only part of the invoice — surcharges are applied on top and change with the carrier's published indices, which is why the same shipment can price differently from month to month.
Because express carriers bill on chargeable weight, not scale weight. Volumetric weight is calculated from the carton dimensions: L × W × H in cm ÷ 5,000 for express, ÷ 6,000 for air consolidation. Chargeable weight is the greater of actual and volumetric weight, rounded up to the next 0.5 kg (express) or 1 kg (consolidation).
Not always — this is the most common source of invoice disputes. Fuel is a percentage applied to the freight and is updated weekly or monthly; peak season surcharges apply per kg or per shipment for defined destinations and weight breaks. Confirm in writing: rate includes fuel? includes peak season? billed in which currency?
Remote area status is determined by the destination postal code, not by country. DHL, UPS and FedEx each maintain their own lists, so the same address can be remote with one carrier and standard with another. Send the full postcode and city before quoting.
It depends on battery configuration and destination. Batteries contained in equipment (PI967) move on most express lanes; packed with equipment (PI966) requires declaration and has fewer options; stand-alone batteries (PI965) are refused by most express carriers and need a dedicated battery lane. MSDS and UN38.3 reports are required either way.
With these six items the quote is firm; miss one and the number is only indicative.
| Required | Why |
|---|---|
| Destination postcode + city | Determines the rate zone and remote area status |
| Pieces, dimensions (cm) and actual weight (kg) per piece | Drives volumetric and chargeable weight |
| Commodity description and end use | Sets HS classification, battery / brand / liquid status |
| Transit time requirement | Decides express versus consolidation |
| Incoterm | DDP or DAP — who pays duty, who clears customs |
| Battery / branded / liquid / wooden crate | Determines lane eligibility and documentation |
Send these six and you get a firm quote with fuel and peak season stated. Contact details are in the footer, or see Contact.