How to save the Alibaba shipping cost

Let’s talk about alibaba shipping cost. Alibaba is one of the biggest eCommerce stores to sell and buy online which offer drop shipping facilities. When you start drop shipping from Alibaba, many sellers send products to your customers directly. That’s how you make money there. But when we purchase from the buyer, they always charge a high amount. We bought many products from China, and later we learned that Alibaba sellers charge more. That is the reason why we should follow some basic steps while making any purchase from Alibaba.

Before moving further, understand why alibaba shipping cost is expensive and shipping between USA and China(The main cities where people buy and sell online.)

Why is alibaba shipping cost so expensive?

Drop shipping from Alibaba buyers typically uses ePacket services, which are reliable and cost-effective. But ePacket can be used only if a product weighs 5 to 10 lbs. Moreover, this method is relatively slow. Because of the long-distance from China, the shipping is expensive.

But if the product has more weight than mentioned you have to pay more money per pound. The sea freight shipping method costs less than Air freight, and air freight costs less than the carrier. That’s why it’s best to make a purchase using sea freight or air freight, especially while buying heavy products. These are the reasons why the shipping cost from Alibaba is high.

Does Alibaba ship from China to the USA?

The answer to this question is yes! Alibaba has many sellers, and people doing drop shipping from Alibaba can easily pick and choose. You can contact multiple sellers and select the one which suits you depending on your conversation. Plus, consider the shipping cost from China to the USA for Alibaba, the shipping medium, and routes.  

Before understanding how to minimize shipping costs from Alibaba, let’s know how does the shipping process work?

Does the shipping cost from Alibaba fixed?

No, the Alibaba shipping cost is not fixed. Because no matter which eCommerce platform you are working on, shipping costs always depend on certain factors. It depends upon which products you want to buy. Plus, it also depends upon the weight and volume of the product. Fast delivery and the medium of shipping also play an essential role.

Understanding of shipping process will help us better understand shipping costs for Alibaba. What’s more, we can know how to save on shipping costs alibaba.

Factors help in minimizing shipping cost from alibaba:

• Weight of products
• Size of products
• Delivery time

Products with more weight cost more. Fast delivery time will also charge more.

Average shipping cost Alibaba:

No method can help us in calculating the average shipping cost. Instead, we have mentioned some factors which cause affect average shipping cost.

Alibaba shipping involves the following steps.

• Product packaging
• Loading the product on the truck and driving to the airport
• Clear export custom
• Load products on the boat
• Drive product to another country (where you sell it)
• Placing products to destination port
• Clear import custom
• Drive the development to the purchaser’s warehouse.

Different ways of shipping from Alibaba to the U.S:

There are many different ways you can consider drop shipping from Alibaba.

1. The supplier will manage the shipping process:

This is a more straightforward method where you buy products from the supplier, and the supplier itself will handle all shipping processes. New sellers generally follow this method.

Pros:

• This is an easy method.
• Managing products with this method is fear-free.

Cons:

In this method, the supplier is doing a shipping job too, which is why he costs more. This is how the average increase more than needed to do the job.

2. Work with the freight forwarder of your own company:

Most forwarders have their own office in China, and working with them can cost you less. But there’s a condition where forwarders do not have their office in China, and they will contact a based forwarder in China. That’s how the commission of both freight forwarders costs you more.

Pros:

It can be a reliable method.

Cons:

Can cost more if your forwarder has an office in China. You need to confirm the charges.

3. Work with a freight forwarder in China:

In this method, the China based forwarder works closely with your supplier. This is the most effective and reliable method. Here, the forwarder can inform you about every step. This can be the best way to ship from Alibaba.

How to lower Alibaba shipping costs:

The most frequently asked question about Alibaba shipping is, how to get lower shipping on Alibaba?

We have mentioned here the methods to be followed to get desired results.

1. Optimize packaging to get lower shipment cost

As we discussed earlier, the Alibaba shipping cost depends on the package weight and volume. You must pay more if your package has more weight or occupies more volume.

Do you ever notice that some products leave space in your package? If you figure it out, you know that you are paying for your product volume, which is empty too. You can save this money by choosing products that leave no space or optimizing that space. You can maximize space utilization by purchasing products covering this space. Later you can give offers on your main product using the space optimization product. You can also offer a buy one get one free offer too.

2. Consolidate products to reduce shipment:

Suppose you order a smaller quantity of goods, then it’s best to consolidate them because a single large shipment always charges less than multiple smaller loads. So always plan the delivery of your product in such a way that there are fewer shipments.

For this purpose, you can contact some international consolidators who will help you in this process. Or you can plan how to consolidate your products to lessen the shipping cost from Alibaba.

3. Contact to best shipping provider:

You can hire the best shipping provider from China who will ensure all the processes of managing to ship, including clearing import and export customs. Every eCommerce platform has its local suppliers with their warehouses. The same goes for Alibaba. Alibaba has many suppliers with their warehouses. These suppliers send your products directly. This method has made drop sipping from Alibaba an easy task. Plus, there’s less risk of fraud too.

4. Plan and optimize the route of your shipment:

There must be different routes that can destine your product to its final destination. Logistics is a process in which you figure out the most effective transportation mode and best way. You can research which Alibaba shipping mode is most effective with economical cost.

5. Use the calculator the calculation online shipping effectively:

There are online shipping calculators that people use to calculate the Alibaba shipping cost. These calculators calculate online shipping costs based on your shipping requirements.

 6. Compare different shipping costs to decide final one:

Most people do research and check out different freight forwarders to choose the one which is the best fit. You should contact multiple forwarders, compare their price, and compare the services and ease they provide you during the whole process of shipment. Plus, consider which forwarder will help you and guide you during the process if you are in trouble.

Do not always choose a person who offers low prices because there are chances that they use any wrong method and end up leaving you in complete trouble. Moreover, many freight forwarders overestimate weight or volume and create delays in your delivery. That’s how you can save on shipping costs on Alibaba.

7. Mix-and-Match method:

How long does it take to ship from Alibaba? What are Alibaba shipping methods prices? Is there any way which takes less time and costs us less? Yes!

Mix-and-Match is a method where you get on-time delivery, and it costs you less.

In this method, almost 10 percent of your shipment is delivered using the air express method, and the remaining will be delivered to you by sea freight or sea freight.

It means you will receive some of your stock immediately and the rest of the store later. With this method, you can start selling directly, and the shipment process will also cost less.

Different ways to ship from China to the U.S

There are four shipping methods to ship from China to the U.S:

• Regular post
• Air express
• Air freight
• Sea freight

Regular post:

Regular post is the cheapest option that helps you drop shipping from Alibaba. It is the most affordable option to drive your shipment from China to the U.S. But this method takes 15 to 35 days.

Air Express:

Air express is the fastest method which costs you premium free. The companies are DHL, FedEx, and UPS. If you need products quickly, choose this method to support your drop shipping from Alibaba.

Air Freight:

Air freight is the best option if your shipment weighs more than 100kg. It takes only 5 to 10 business days to ship your products.

Sea freight:

Drop shipping from Alibaba isn’t an easy task. Sea freight is a drop shipping method that costs less money than regular post. It’s effective for large shipments. It generally takes 30 to 60 days.

Summary:

Suppose you are a person who wants to build your business by drop shipping from Alibaba, then it’s essential to find a method that lessens the shipping cost from Alibaba. We have mentioned various precautions you can take to minimize the cost.

Most importantly, always research and figure out which shipment method costs less money with more facilities. Do not always go with a process that costs a minimum amount and leaves you in other troubles.

We can help you find the best way to ship from alibaba.