International express delivery is different from domestic express delivery in terms of distance, delivery time, and requirements. Many friends who are sending international express for the first time may wonder why the cost is so expensive? How is the international express shipping cost calculated? How can we save shipping costs? Today we will talk about these issues.Before discussing how to calculate shipping costs, let’s first introduce a few concepts.Weight typeGenerally, express delivery billing is measured by weight, and in the international logistics industry, there are three types: actual weight, volumetric weight, and chargeable weight.Actual Weight, abbreviated as A-W or AW, refers to the actual weight, usually Gross Weight, which is the weight of the goods themselves plus the weight of the packaging materials used for the item.Volume weight: When the cargo volume is large but the actual weight is light, it is limited by the carrying capacity of the transportation vehicle, which can load the volume of the item.The value obtained by calculating the volume of the cargo using a certain conversion factor is the volumetric weight. Goods with a volumetric weight greater than their actual weight are often referred to as light objects.Chargeable Weight: As the name suggests, it is the weight used to calculate shipping costs. Generally speaking, the chargeable weight is the larger of the actual weight and the volume weight.Of course, using real weight and bubble counting methods do not meet this point.◆Billable weight unitIn international express delivery, packages with a chargeable weight of less than 21kg are considered international small packages, with a billing unit of 500 grams (0.5kg).Parcels with a chargeable weight of 21kg or more are considered international large packages and are charged per kilogram.First weight and subsequent weightThe first weight and additional weight of international packages are actually the same as domestic express delivery. The first weight refers to a chargeable weight of the goods, which is the first kilogram, and the additional weight refers to each subsequent chargeable weight, which is each kilogram after deducting the first weight.Sending 10KG international express, the first weight is 1KG, followed by an additional 1KG. The billing method is the first weight fee+additional weight fee: 1 first weight+9 additional weights.However, please note that depending on the weight of the goods and the company, the first and second weights may also be charged at 0.5 kilograms or other rates.Packaging feeGenerally speaking, express delivery companies provide customers with free packaging materials for free packaging, such as cardboard boxes, bubbles, etc. But for some valuable and fragile items, in order to ensure the safety of the delivery, the courier company will carry out targeted packaging.If customized wooden boxes are used, the courier company will charge a certain packaging fee. (Note that packaging costs are not included in the discount range)Remote expensesRemote surcharges are a common charge in international express delivery, which are incurred when international express mail packages due to remote areas.Why is there this expense? Because the normal freight calculation only covers the freight cost to major cities.Delivery service providers charge additional fees in addition to shipping fees to compensate for the additional costs incurred in delivering to remote areas (which may also affect delivery time in remote island countries to varying degrees).Customs declaration feeIn international express delivery, there is no need for separate customs declaration. International express delivery will have centralized customs declaration. If export tax refund is required, you can pay for customs declaration and there is a customs declaration fee. If a package is sent normally, there is no customs declaration fee, which is included in the shipping cost.International express general freight calculation formula(1) Actual heavy cargo: Actual weight greater than volumetric weightWhen the actual weight of the item to be shipped exceeds the volume, the freight calculation method is: first weight freight+(weight in kilograms) × 2-1) × Renewal freightFor example, if 7KG of goods is calculated based on a first weight of 20 yuan and an additional weight of 9 yuan, the total freight cost is: 20+(7 × 2-1) * 9=137 (yuan)The above is all the content shared by Baiyun Network in this issue. If you have any international logistics service needs, please consult Baiyun Network’s professional international logistics consultant.
