由 caicai8478 Transportation time
China-Europe Express: Usually it only takes 12-18 days to complete the transportation1. The transportation time of some railway-to-door (double-clearance and tax-inclusive, European EU countries) services is about 15-30 days3.
Ocean Shipping: The transportation time is long, usually 20-60 days, and the voyage is about 30-40 days (including port customs clearance) is more common3.
Transportation cost
China-Europe Express: The transportation price is generally higher than ocean shipping, but its cost is also affected by many factors, such as the weight, volume, transportation distance and specific routes of the goods. However, for some high-value-added tea, due to the product premium brought by its timeliness, the comprehensive cost may be within an acceptable range.
Ocean Shipping: Low freight, suitable for large-volume tea transportation, can effectively reduce transportation costs3. Especially for ordinary tea with large volume and heavy weight, ocean shipping has obvious advantages in terms of cost.
Cargo safety
China-Europe Express: Less affected by the natural environment, relatively stable operation, can reduce unstable factors such as container abandonment and delays during foreign trade transportation2. At the same time, the mature application of cold chain container technology can also keep tea, which is more sensitive to temperature and humidity, in an ideal environment during transportation, reducing quality loss1.
Ocean transportation: The transportation time is long, and the risk of goods during transportation is relatively high. For example, encountering bad weather, pirates, etc. may affect the safety of goods3. In addition, if the ventilation and moisture-proof measures of the cargo hold are not in place, the tea is prone to moisture and mold3.
Customs clearance convenience
China-Europe Express: Some railway-to-door (double-clearance tax package, European EU countries) services can provide more worry-free customs clearance services. The logistics provider is responsible for handling the customs clearance procedures, and customers do not need to worry too much3.
Ocean transportation: Ocean transportation to the port requires the consignee to do customs clearance and pick up the goods at the port by himself. The procedures are relatively cumbersome, and there are certain requirements for the consignee’s customs clearance ability3. However, the sea freight to door (double clearance and tax included) service can provide customers with one-stop customs clearance and transportation services, without the need for customers to worry about customs clearance issues3.
Transportation flexibility
China-Europe Express: The service scope is mainly limited to some European countries and cities. Although its routes are constantly expanding, it still has certain limitations compared to sea freight. In addition, the transportation capacity is limited compared to sea freight, and it may be difficult to meet the demand for ultra-large quantities of tea.
Sea freight: Sea freight routes cover a wide range and can reach many ports in Europe, with high flexibility for cargo transportation to different destinations. Moreover, sea freight has strong transportation capacity and can meet the transportation needs of large quantities of tea. Whether it is a few tons or dozens of tons of goods, it can be easily arranged for transportation.
In summary, if the exported tea is high value-added and has high timeliness requirements, such as Mingqian Longjing, top Pu’er tea, etc., or is a new tea that is urgently needed to seize the market, and the cargo volume is relatively not particularly large, China-Europe Express is a better choice, which can ensure that the tea arrives in the European market quickly with good quality and obtain product premium1. If it is ordinary bulk tea, the timeliness requirement is not high, and you hope to reduce the transportation cost, then sea transportation is more suitable, which can meet large-scale transportation needs under the premise of controlling costs3.