Shipping from China to Mexico | Sea & Air Freight | April 2024 Shipping Update
When Shipping from China to Mexico, a product manufactured in China reaches the customer in Mexico. Have you ever wondered what the journey is like? Let’s dive into this topic—shipping in the China-Mexico trade. This article explores these shipping methods, costs, and time, examines the latest trends, and provides essential cross-border business information for businesses and everyday buyers.
Shipping Methods from China to Mexico
We can provide cost estimates and discuss the pros and cons of each shipping method based on your specific situation. The main options include express shipping by courier service, airfreight, and sea freight. Here’s a brief overview of their work and their PROS and CONS.
Express shipping from China to Mexico
Express shipping is the fastest option for shipping goods to Mexico, with delivery typically taking 3-7 business days. Well-known carriers such as DHL, UPS, TNT, FedEx, and EMS offer reliable door-to-door services, ensuring your merchandise reaches its destination swiftly. These carriers can conveniently pick up your inventory from your door or factory and deliver it to a designated address, whether it’s a warehouse in Mexico or directly to your Mexican customers.
| Feature | Detail | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | 2 to 4 days | Ideal for urgent shipments |
| Reliability | High | Ensures timely delivery |
| Tracking | Comprehensive | Enables real-time shipment monitoring |
| Cost | $5 to $10 per kg | Varies with package details generally higher |
| DDP Option | Available | Simplifies customs ensures faster delivery |
Pros:
Speed: Express shipping provides the quickest delivery way.
Convenience: The door-to-door delivery service saves you effort.
Cons:
Higher cost: Express freight is generally more expensive than alternative shipping methods such as airfreight or sea freight.
Air freight from China to Mexico
One of the primary benefits of air freight is its speed. Shipments from China to Mexico can be delivered within 5-8 days, making it the ideal choice for time-sensitive shipments. This is particularly advantageous for high-value items, as they spend minimal time in transit. However, it’s essential to consider that this speed may come with inevitable trade-offs.
Pros:
Speed: Airfreight is the fastest shipping option, ensuring quicker delivery of goods from China to Mexico.
Ideal for high-value items: The shorter transit time reduces the risk of damage or loss of valuable goods.
Cons:
Higher cost: Airfreight tends to be more expensive than sea freight due to its speed and convenience.
Restrictions on size and weight: Airlines have restrictions on the weight and volume of cargo, making airfreight more suitable for smaller items.
Ocean Freight from China to Mexico
Ocean Freight is widely used for shipping items from China to Mexico due to its versatility and reliability. Unlike air freight, which has certain limitations, sea freight can accommodate almost all types of goods, including large and heavy items like cars. However, the primary drawback of ocean shipping is the time it takes. While other shipping methods can deliver goods within a few days, ocean freight usually requires several weeks. Depending on the type of shipment and the specific departure and arrival ports, items typically take 15-40 days to reach their destination.
FCL & LCL
Ocean freight operates under two container systems: FCL and LCL
- Full Container Load (FCL): FCL is suitable for shipments where a single company owns and fills an entire container.
- Less-than-Container Load (LCL): LCL involves packing multiple shippers’ items into a single container. This option is preferable when your shipment volume is insufficient to fill an entire container.
Shipping costs from China to Mexico
| Shipping Mode | Cost Range | Suitability |
|---|---|---|
| LCL | $1.5 – $3 per kg | Smaller shipments, flexible but slower |
| FCL (20 ft) | $1,800 – $3,200+ | Less demanded routes or off-peak season; more for popular routes or high season |
| FCL (40 ft) | $2,500 – $4,000+ | Normal conditions; significantly higher during high demand |
| Express Shipping | >$6 per kg | High-speed, suitable for urgent shipments |
| Air Freight | $4 – $7 per kg | Faster than sea shipping for moderate loads |
The transit time of shipping from China to Mexico
Transit duration can vary significantly depending on the chosen mode of transportation, which includes sea freight (LCL and FCL), air freight, and express shipping.
| Shipping Mode | Transit Time (Days) |
|---|---|
| Sea Freight (LCL) | 39 to 43 |
| Sea Freight (FCL) | 27 to 35 |
| Air Freight | 7 to 12 |
| Express Shipping | 4 to 6 |
Door-to-door shipping from China to Mexico
Door-to-door shipping is a convenient service provided by freight forwarders, where they collect goods from designated locations (such as warehouses, factories, residential or business addresses) determined by the shipper or consignee and deliver them to the final destination. Unlike door-to-port or port-to-port shipping, the door-to-door approach involves transportation that begins and ends at specific addresses.
In most cases, door-to-door shipping is considered the most reliable and efficient method for transporting goods since it ensures a seamless pickup and delivery process to the final destination.
Benefits of door-to-door Shipping
Flexibility: With door-to-door shipping services, you can choose any address within Mexico, including ports or airports. This provides greater freedom in trip planning and shipment organization.
Cost-effectiveness: Opting for door-to-door shipping services can save costs, especially if multiple shipments go to various locations in Mexico. These services often include customs processing fees, helping you reduce expenses.
Customs clearance: Door-to-door shipping services handle the customs clearance process on your behalf, eliminating the need for you to worry about paying duties or taxes when your shipment arrives in Mexico.
Door-to-door container shipping service to Mexico
Our comprehensive door-to-door container services offer convenient delivery of your cargo to various inland cities in Mexico, including Cusco, Trujillo, Arequipa, Iquitos, Tarapoto, Piura, and many more.
To ensure efficient transportation, we will select the most suitable ports in Mexico, such as Callao, Paita, and Matarani, based on the destination city.
The estimated transit time for shipping a container from China to Mexico, from door to door, falls within 30 to 40 days. The duration will depend on the chosen service route and the sailing schedule.
DDP Shipping from China to Mexico
DDP reduces shipping costs and eliminates the need to worry about taxes and duties, saving time and money. This can be accomplished through sea or air freight. Ensure your Chinese factory prepares the necessary export documents for a smooth shipment process.
NewSmartShip’s DDP shipping service process
DDP (Door-to-door D2D) is a popular shipping method from China to Mexico. In this method, the consignee receives the shipment directly at their doorstep, free from additional charges.
To ensure a smooth delivery, the consignee must be available at the designated delivery address and provide a signature upon receipt. The shipping company is responsible for any damages or losses during transit, making DDP a highly secure shipping method.
Before export, the cargo undergoes customs clearance in China. You can send it to our warehouse in Shenzhen, or we can arrange to pick up your goods directly from your China factory. In Mexico, our customs clearance agent partners act as importers for import declarations, eliminating your need for VAT and EORI registration. We handle all customs clearance procedures, managing the process seamlessly between China and Mexico. For the final delivery, reliable courier services like UPS, GLS, and DPD will be provided to ensure prompt and efficient last-mile delivery.
DDP shipping suits Amazon FBA shipping and business and private addresses.
Shipping from China to Amazon FBA in Mexico
Shipping goods to an Amazon FBA warehouse involves more steps than standard shipping. Your products must meet Amazon’s requirements and be correctly labeled and packaged. Your freight forwarder can assist you in navigating through this process, ensuring a seamless delivery to the Amazon FBA warehouse.
Documents required to import from China to Mexico
- Commercial Invoice: This document details the imported goods, including the item description, quantity, value, and total cost.
- Packing List: It itemizes the contents of each package or shipment, specifying the quantity, weight, and dimensions of each item.
- Bill of Lading (B/L) or Airway Bill (AWB): These documents provide proof of shipment and information about the carrier, the origin and destination ports, and the consignee.
- Import License: In some cases, specific goods or industries may require an import license or permit issued by the relevant authorities in Mexico.
- Certificate of Origin: This document verifies the country of origin of the goods and may be required to qualify for preferential trade agreements or determine applicable customs duties.
Import tax and duties to Mexico
Import taxes and duties, which comprise VAT and customs duties, have the potential to impact your overall shipping expenses substantially. These taxes are determined by the product’s value, shipping costs, and insurance, utilizing the CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) method for calculation. It is crucial to consider these factors as they can significantly contribute to the total shipping cost.
For instance, importing $10,000 worth of electronics with $2,000 in shipping costs could result in over $3,200 in taxes. These calculations consider a 10% duty and 16% VAT, with the actual rates dependent on the HS code classification of the goods.
FAQ
What’s the cheapest way to ship from China to Mexico?
Ocean freight is the most cost-effective shipping option from China to Mexico. However, it’s important to note that prices for Full Container Load (FCL) and Less-than-Container Load (LCL) shipments vary.
If choosing NewSmatrtShip as my forwarder, how do I start work?
It’s a straightforward process. You need to email your China manufacturer and copy our email address to inform the supplier that NewSmartShip will be the shipper for the shipment. We will act as your freight forwarder. Please also confirm the preferred shipping method after we offer you the shipping. Once confirmed, we will proceed to coordinate the next steps.
