r/alibaba
Shipping price for a small lightweight package
User complains about high shipping and customs fees for a small order on Alibaba, suspecting a scam.
- High shipping and customs fees for small orders create a poor user experience and may deter buyers.
- Users suspect the platform's sellers of overcharging, damaging trust in the ecosystem.
Trying to order a large 800 quantity of small cheap items. The total is $452 USD. The shipping price they quoted me is $220 for shipping and custom duty fees. This seems pretty high for me but this is my first alibaba order? I assume they are trying to hustle me? Package should be around 4 pounds in a 8 x 8 x 8 box. China to US
The specific products are subject to tariffs ranging from 20% to 50% for most of them.
Then ask for a EXW price and get your own shipping agent? Note that you will be liable for import costs. So you will need to do some calculations and see the difference.
Aliexpress purchases use different freight channels than Alibaba.
could u share me the pics?maybe i can give u a precise quote
I can I go fetch it for a fee
You can use Fulfillbot; they can consolidate your goods and ship them to you together. Since your shipment volume is small, the process is simple and shipping costs won't be high—you can use their dedicated shipping line service. Delivery to the US takes approximately 7–15 days.
Often, shipping for small lightweight packages can feel disproportionate to the item cost. Many suppliers on Alibaba still rely on courier tiers that push the fees up. Therefore, consolidation or checking multiple listings sometimes helps, but pricing rarely stays consistent across sellers from these platforms.
for small packages like yours, sellers usually default to express shipping (like DHL/FedEx), which can run $40-60 per kilo plus a flat customs clearance fee, so $220 isn't crazy if they bundled duty in. DDP terms mean the seller handles customs, but they sometimes pad the quote to cover risk or minimum shipment costs. if you see lower shipping on aliexpress, it's because they use subsidized e-packet or postal rates, which aren't available on Alibaba bulk orders. sellers do sometimes quote higher shipping for small orders to discourage them, but you can ask if they'll ship via postal to lower cost.
quick fyi, all the checks around business registries and customs export records are baked in by my AI sourcing agent SAM before any supplier pops up, so the 40k+ chinese options you see are pre-vetted for basics. if you want a peek at how those filters actually run, agenceocto.com has the details.
You can also ask for the freight from some freight forwarders,I can recommend a one to you if you'd like it.
Yes! Definitely hustling you. Those aren’t the best rates. Ask them if they are able to do China post or dhl for cheaper
Thank you, I will ask. Do you know the ballpark on what the price should be? These are basic small electronic buttons. I was expecting around $100 but $220 seemed kinda high.
That’s definitely on the higher end but since the package is only 4kg I’m not sure if sea freight is an option. Which is usually 3-4 usd per kg. Air can be anywhere from 30-45 usd per kg but there should be cheaper options
what product u buy？