由 caicai8478 A detailed analysis of the low-cost customs clearance solution: China Postal Parcel vs. International Express for your reference:
Low-cost customs clearance solution: China Postal Parcel vs. International Express
I. Comparison of customs clearance modes
Items China Postal Parcel (such as EMS, ePacket) International Express (such as DHL, FedEx, UPS) Customs clearance subject Postal customs clearance (batch customs clearance, loose mode) Commercial express customs clearance (separate customs declaration, strict inspection) Declaration process is uniformly declared by the post office, no separate customs declaration is required (low-value parcels are subject to postal tax) Complete commercial invoices and declaration materials are required, and tariff prepayment inspection rate may be low (postal channel random inspection) High (commercial express must inspect high-value goods) Tax processing The recipient pays by himself (if incurred) It may be paid by the courier company (handling fee is required ）
II. Cost comparison
Project China Post Small Parcel International Express Basic freight Low (charged by gram, suitable for light and small items) High (charged by volume/weight, suitable for urgent items) Tariff risk Low (tax exemption for travel and mail: RMB 50) High (commercial declaration is easy to trigger tariffs, no tax exemption) Surcharge No fuel surcharge, remoteness fee Fuel fee, remoteness fee, storage fee, etc. may be added Return cost Low (postal return is free or low cost) High (full freight must be paid for return)
III. Applicable scenario suggestions
China Post Small Parcel
Suitable for: low value (≤$50), small volume, non-urgent goods (such as e-commerce small items, samples).
Advantages: simple customs clearance, controllable costs, and use of postal tax exemption to reduce tariff risks.
Note: Slow timeliness (7-30 days), need to ensure that the declaration information is true (false reporting may lead to customs deduction).
International Express
Suitable for: high-value, time-sensitive goods (such as contract documents, high-end goods).
Advantages: fast delivery time (3-7 days), full traceability, high customs clearance efficiency (but high cost).
Note: It is necessary to predict the tariff cost. It is recommended to check the tax rate of the destination country before shipment (such as European VAT, US$800 tax exemption).
IV. Low-cost customs clearance skills
Reasonable declaration value
Postal parcel: Declared value ≤ $20 can avoid tariffs in most countries (must comply with the regulations of the destination country).
International express: delivery by separate tickets (single ticket is lower than the tariff threshold), but it is necessary to avoid “breaking the whole into pieces” to be identified as tax evasion.
Optimize product descriptions
Avoid sensitive words (such as “Gift” and “Sample”), and declare according to the actual product name (such as “plastic toys” instead of “toys”).
Choose special channels
Postal channels: ePacket (China-US special line), China-Europe train parcels (railway customs clearance is cheaper).
Express channel: DHL eCommerce (30% cheaper than standard DHL, suitable for e-commerce small items).
Prepaid tariff service (such as DDP)
Prepay tariffs at the time of shipment (optional for international express delivery) to avoid return of shipment due to refusal of payment by the recipient.
V. Risk Warning
Postal parcel: Postal customs clearance efficiency in some countries (such as Brazil and Russia) is extremely low and may be delayed.
International express delivery: High-value goods need to confirm the HS code in advance to avoid fines due to incorrect classification.
Summary
The lowest cost solution: China Post Parcel (suitable for non-urgent, low-value goods).
Balanced solution: Postal EMS (more cost-effective than commercial express delivery, and some countries enjoy priority customs clearance).
High-end solution: International express delivery + prepaid tariffs (strong compliance, suitable for high-value B2B orders).
If further optimization is required, the solution can be customized according to specific countries, commodity types and cargo volumes (for example: mixed delivery reduces overall costs).
I hope the above analysis is helpful to you!