general sourcing / Buying guide
1688 shipping to the USA
No 1688 seller ships to the US. Every route goes through a consolidation warehouse in China, and what you pay from there depends far more on volume than on weight.
Air is 3–7 days plus customs. Sea is 25–45 days port to port plus inland. The crossover where sea becomes worth it is usually somewhere around 50–100 kg, depending on how dense the goods are.
In this guide
The routes
- Express air (DHL/FedEx/UPS): 3–7 days, priced on the greater of actual and volumetric weight, best under about 30 kg.
- Air freight consolidated: 7–14 days, cheaper per kg above roughly 45 kg, needs a customs broker.
- Sea LCL: 25–45 days, priced per cubic metre, the default once goods are bulky.
- Sea FCL: a whole container, only relevant at several cubic metres.
Volumetric weight is the thing that surprises people
Carriers bill on whichever is greater: actual weight, or volume divided by a dimensional factor. Light bulky goods — anything padded, foamed or boxed with air in it — bill on volume, often several times the actual weight.
This is why repacking at the warehouse matters. Removing retail boxes and recompressing goods routinely cuts a shipment’s billable weight by a third.
Duties and the de minimis question
US import rules on low-value shipments have been tightened and the previous de minimis treatment can no longer be assumed. Treat duty as payable and confirm the current position for your goods before you order, not after they ship.
Duty is assessed on the HTS classification of the goods, which is determined by what the item is, not by what the invoice calls it.
Questions & answers
Common questions
- Can I get DDP shipping?
- Yes — the shipper pays duty and clears customs, and you receive a single all-in price. It is simpler and usually more expensive than handling clearance yourself.
- What cannot ship by air?
- Lithium batteries above certain ratings, liquids, aerosols, magnets, powders and flammables. Confirm before ordering, because the seller will not flag it.
Your next step
Have a link you want checked?
Send a 1688 or Taobao product link and you get back the specification in English, the supplier check, and the landed cost to your country before you commit to anything.
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