Overview of Cross-border Logistics
Cross-border logistics refers to the process of transporting legally compliant goods from one country or region to another by air, land, or sea.
Cross-border logistics is also known as international logistics, which includes three types: postal logistics, commercial express, and dedicated logistics. Each type of cross-border logistics has different delivery costs and delivery times depending on the destination country or region. Currently, the most commonly used in cross-border logistics are various types of postal parcels (surface mail/registered mail) in postal logistics, followed by dedicated logistics and commercial express.
Introduction to Postal Logistics
Postal logistics covers postal parcels, postal parcels, e-mail, EMS, etc. in China and other countries or regions.
5.2.1 China Post International Parcel
China Post Air Mail refers to the air mail product launched by China Post for small items under 2kg, with a delivery range of 241 countries or regions around the world.
China Post Air Parcel is also known as China Post Parcel, China Post International Parcel, or International Parcel, China Post Parcel, Postal Parcel, Air Parcel, etc. In different regions of China, logistics service providers (freight forwarders) in different regions will add different regional names to the China Post Parcels provided by China Post branches in different regions for the convenience of regional distinction, making them more popular names.
China Post International Parcel will not incur customs duties or customs clearance fees when it leaves the country, but may incur import duties when it is imported into the destination country or region, which varies according to the provisions of the customs tax laws of each country.
Compared to commercial express delivery, China Post Parcel can avoid tariffs to the greatest extent. In the field of cross-border e-commerce export retail in China, China Post Parcel is the most used logistics channel.
1. Service Type
China Post International Parcel includes two services: registered and ordinary mail. The standard names are China Post Registered Air Mail and China Post Ordinary Small Packet Plus.
2. Delivery requirements
China Post International Parcel has certain restrictions on the weight and volume of parcels.
China Post International Parcel has the following requirements for the types of goods.
1) Prohibited items cannot be shipped
Prohibited items refer to items that are prohibited from being sent by national laws, mainly including:
? Various weapons and ammunition. Such as guns, bullets, shells, grenades, mines, bombs, etc.
? Various explosive items. Such as detonators, dynamite, firecrackers, etc.
? Various flammable items, including liquids, gases and solids. Such as gasoline, kerosene, tung oil, alcohol, raw lacquer, diesel, aerosol, gas lighters, gas cylinders, phosphorus, sulfuric acid, matches, etc.
? Various corrosive items. Such as pyrosulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, organic solutions, pesticides, hydrogen peroxide, dangerous chemicals, etc.
? Various radioactive elements and containers. Such as axle, radium, etc.
?All kinds of strong poisons. Such as blunt, cyanide, arsenic, etc.
?All kinds of anesthetic drugs. Such as opium (including poppy shells, flowers, bracts, leaves), morphine, macaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, ephedrine and other products.
?All kinds of biochemical products and infectious items. Such as charcoal disease, dangerous pathogens, medical waste, etc.
?All kinds of publications, propaganda materials, printed materials, etc. that endanger national security and social and political stability and are obscene. ·All kinds of items that endanger public health. Such as corpses, animal organs, limbs, unnitrated animal skins, unmedicated animal bones, etc.
Articles that are expressly prohibited from circulation, delivery or entry and exit by national laws, regulations, and administrative rules, such as state secret documents and materials, national currency and counterfeit currency and securities, imitation weapons, controlled knives, precious cultural relics, endangered wild animals and their products, cigarettes, etc.
?Improper packaging, which may endanger personal safety, pollute or damage other mail items and equipment.
?Items prohibited from being imported by the destination countries (regions).
?Other prohibited items.
2) Battery Shipping Restrictions
Electronic products such as mobile phones, tablet computers, electronic watches and other items with batteries, various mobile power supplies and various pure batteries (including button batteries) cannot be shipped.
3) Restrictions on declared product names
English declaration names such as “Gif”, “Accessories” and “Sample” that do not meet customs requirements shall not be used. It is necessary to fill in the declaration information in a standardized manner and declare with the name of the actual sold goods.
4) Common security inspection returned items
?Cosmetics: including powder, oil, lipstick, mascara, etc.
?Electronic products: including USB flash drives, USB Hubs, chargers, power banks, motors, electronic products with batteries (including button batteries) (electronic watches can be passed if they are not found in customs random inspections).
?All knives, etc.: including controlled knives, blood thorns, etc.
?Imitations and infringing goods of well-known international brands: Samsung mobile phones, LV bags, high-imitation Apple mobile phones, etc.
?Other items that cannot pass security inspection:
Casino chips, matches, keyboard cleaning mud, 3D lenses (radioactive during security inspection), glasses with lights, ironing rods (containing lithium batteries), infrared devices, telescopes with batteries, rhinestones with adhesive or too many boxes in the same package, mobile phone stickers, nail stickers, multiple or battery-containing light bulbs in one package, LED lights, lights with batteries that can be used without electricity, etc.
3. Rates
1) China Post Registered Small Parcel Rates
China Post Registered Small Parcel freight is charged according to the weight of the package, starting from 1g, and the weight limit of each single package is within 2kg. The registered service fee is 8 yuan per order (package).
2) China Post Ordinary Small Parcel + Rates
China Post Ordinary Small Parcel + Freight is charged by weight according to the weight of the package. The freight for packages weighing 30g or less is calculated according to the standard of 30g, and the freight for packages weighing more than 30g is calculated according to the actual weight. The weight limit of each single package is within 2kg, and no registration fee is required.
Notes:
The above registered and ordinary mail rate tables are for reference only. There are certain differences in the rates in different regions, and different logistics service providers (freight forwarders) also have different discounts. The specific quotations of logistics service providers in various places shall prevail.
4. Collection Method
China Post Mail Processing Centers or Logistics Service Providers (Freight Forwarders) in nearly 100 cities or regions such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou provide collection services. The collection methods are as follows:
? Door-to-door collection: Within the agreed area, free door-to-door collection is available only when a certain number is reached.
?Self-shipping: No limit on quantity, you need to send the processed parcels to the China Post Mail Processing Center or the collection and delivery point of the logistics service provider (freight forwarder) by domestic express or logistics at your own expense.
?Self-shipping: No limit on quantity, you need to send the processed parcels to the China Post Mail Processing Center or the collection and delivery point of the logistics service provider (freight forwarder) by yourself.
Before collection, merchants need to apply for account opening or sign a contract before filling in the waybill, printing the waybill label, shipping and collection, etc. In addition, some post offices in second- and third-tier cities do not provide international parcel collection and delivery services, and merchants need to consult and confirm. Relatively speaking, due to regional differences, some non-post office logistics service providers (freight forwarders) can provide more affordable discount rates and better services, and merchants can give priority to them according to their needs.
Notes:
?Some post offices have higher account opening conditions due to their large business, such as requiring company qualifications to open an account and requiring 80-100 tickets (parcels) to be collected each time. Merchants who cannot meet these conditions can choose other logistics service providers (freight forwarders).
?Door-to-door collection is greatly affected by the traffic environment and it is difficult to reach the agreed location on time for collection. Merchants with high requirements for timeliness can choose to deliver by themselves, and large customers can negotiate with the post office to seek more reasonable collection methods and collection times.
5. Timeliness of delivery
Normal situation: 15 to 35 days to reach the destination.
Special situation: 36 to 60 days to reach the destination (90 days in Brazil), special situations include: holidays, policy adjustments, insufficient capacity during peak seasons, delays due to snowstorms, remote destinations, etc.
6. Logistics information query
1) Label number format
Registered: R+letter code+number+CN. For example, Guangzhou small parcel registered RS528485625CN, Wuhan small parcel registered RN650700143CN.
Surface mail: digital code+number. For example, Guangzhou small parcel ordinary mail is 89098578008, Wuhan small parcel ordinary mail is 42011576845.
2) Logistics information details can be tracked nodes
China Post registered parcel provides information such as domestic collection, sealing, delivery and destination country delivery. Some destination countries do not provide any delivery information due to policy reasons. For destination countries that do not display logistics information, you can submit a tracking confirmation application to the post office. The tracking confirmation cycle is generally 1-3 months.
China Post ordinary parcel + provides domestic collection, sealing, delivery and planned delivery information, but does not provide foreign tracking information. China Post ordinary parcel + in some areas does not provide any logistics tracking information, nor does it provide tracking services for destination countries.
3) Logistics information details query platform
China Post official website: http://intmail.11185.cn.
17TRACK:http://www.17track.net.
AfterShip:https://www.aftership.com。
7. Shipping Label
There are two types of China Post International Small Parcel Labels: one is China Post International Small Parcel Label + Customs Declaration, and the other is China Post International Small Parcel Label and Customs Declaration combined into one integrated label.
Instructions for filling in the customs declaration are as follows:
①Tick the type of mail.
②Fill in the name and quantity of the mail.
③Fill in the weight of the mail.
④Fill in the value of the mail.
⑤Total weight of the mail.
⑥Total value of the mail.
⑦Handwritten signature of the sender.
8. Return Instructions
If the foreign recipient address of China Post International Parcel is incorrect, the recipient refuses to accept, or the security check fails, the mail can be returned from abroad to the sender’s address. Generally, no postage will be incurred when mail is returned, but the postage incurred when mail has already been sent out will not be refunded. The return period is generally 1 to 6 months, and in some countries it may even exceed one year. Mail is generally returned to the post office or logistics service provider (freight forwarder) to which the sender’s address belongs, and the sender can go to the post office or logistics service provider (freight forwarder) to pick up the mail. If you go to the post office to pick it up, you need to provide the logistics order number, ID card, mobile phone number and other information.
9. Claims Insurance
After problems such as lost items occur in China Post’s international parcels, the current common compensation instructions are fixed.
Some logistics service providers (freight forwarders) or e-commerce platforms have their own insurance services and cooperation agreements, providing additional compensation, which shall be subject to their respective compensation instructions. Before compensation, it is generally necessary to submit an application for inspection and confirmation to the post office. Compensation can only be made after the post office has checked and confirmed that the lost items are true. In most cases, the probability of obtaining compensation for problems such as lost items is very low due to the difficulty in proving them.
In addition, China Post International Parcel can provide additional insurance services. You can apply for insurance from the post office. The rate is low and the procedures are convenient. The specific rates and claims standards are subject to those provided by the post office. Some logistics service providers (freight forwarders) have applied for insurance services, and the logistics service providers (freight forwarders) can apply for claims.
10. Disclaimer
? Loss or damage caused by inherent defects or essential components of the consigned goods; customs detention and customs clearance delays caused by the customs authorities at the destination due to suspected illegality of the goods; wrong commodity descriptions, wrong declarations, too low wrong declarations or other reasons leading to the confiscation, destruction, confiscation or detention of goods.
? Improper packaging leading to delays or damage to the goods.
? Changes to the recipient’s name or address or the re-posting of unsuccessfully delivered returned goods resulting in delivery delays and failure to complete this additional service.
?The mail is well packaged and has no signs of being tampered with when it is delivered, and the recipient has signed for it according to the prescribed procedures, but the recipient later finds that the contents are missing or damaged.
?Delays, losses or damages caused by natural disasters, political factors, labor unrest, nuclear explosions or wars.