How Long Does Shipping from China Take? (By Method)
Whether you're ordering from AliExpress, Shein, Temu, or a wholesale supplier directly, delivery times vary enormously depending on which shipping method was selected at checkout. Here's a realistic breakdown.
Standard / Economy Shipping
The cheapest and most common option for small orders. Typical delivery window: 15–45 days, though it can stretch longer during peak shopping seasons (November–January) due to global shipping congestion.
ePacket
A postal partnership designed specifically for small, lightweight e-commerce packages heading to certain countries. Typical delivery window: 10–25 days. Note that ePacket availability and speed vary significantly by destination country.
Expedited / Express Shipping (DHL, FedEx, UPS)
The fastest and most expensive option, often used for higher-value or time-sensitive orders. Typical delivery window: 3–7 days.
Sea Freight
Used almost exclusively for bulk or wholesale orders rather than individual e-commerce purchases. Typical delivery window: 25–50 days, but at a fraction of the cost per kilogram compared to air shipping.
Why the same shipping method can vary so much by destination
Delivery speed depends heavily on the efficiency of the destination country's own postal or customs system, not just the international leg of the journey. A package can cross the ocean in a matter of days, then sit in a local customs queue or last-mile depot for a week or more before reaching your address.
What actually adds the most delay
- Customs processing — the single biggest source of unpredictable delay, especially for countries with strict import inspection processes.
- Peak shopping seasons — major sales events create massive volume spikes across the entire shipping chain.
- Incomplete address details — missing information can trigger manual review and re-routing.
- Last-mile courier capacity — some regions have limited local delivery infrastructure, creating a bottleneck even after the package has technically "arrived" in-country.
How to actually know where your package is right now
Estimated shipping windows are useful for setting expectations, but the only way to know exactly where a specific package is at any given moment is to check its live tracking history. You can paste any tracking number into Trace24h to see its current status and full checkpoint history, regardless of which carrier is currently handling it.