I ship 800kg of goods to the US & EU every week. Here is why I completely ditched sea freight for planes.
Hey everyone,
I run a business selling B2B and D2C goods, from clothes to electronics, to the US and Europe. My products are made in China, and like many business owners, I always thought shipping by air was way too expensive and would ruin my profits.
But over the past few months, my business grew. I am now shipping around 700 to 800 kg of goods every single week. When I looked closely at my shipping bills, I was very surprised looking at the rates for air. Because I work with a great shipping broker who gets me amazing rates, air shipping is actually very cheap right now. It made so much sense that, therefore, I have switched to just air shipping for all my products.
Here are the real numbers I am seeing with DHL through my broker:
- Cost per item: I can ship a t-shirt directly to a customer's house in the US or Europe for just $2.00 to $4.00.
- Speed: It takes only 3 to 6 days to arrive.
- Bulk shipping (B2B): It is even cheaper per item when I ship larger quantities directly to my warehouses overseas.
I compared these numbers to shipping by sea. On paper, boats look cheaper. But when you look at how a business actually runs, air shipping wins for three big reasons:
- Better Cash Flow: With sea shipping, your money is trapped in inventory sitting on a boat for 30 to 45 days. With air shipping, the goods are delivered in less than a week. You get paid faster and can reuse that money immediately to grow.
- Easier Inventory Control: Guessing what you will sell 6 weeks from now is a nightmare. Air shipping lets you keep less stock on hand. You can just reorder quickly based on what is actually selling right now.
- No Bad Surprises: Sea shipping has too many problems you cannot control, like port strikes, blocked canals, and bad weather. DHL through my broker gets it there in 3 to 6 days, no matter what.
The Verdict: If you sell very cheap items or has a low profit margin, stay with the ocean. But if your products have a decent profit margin, air shipping gives you fast cash flow and peace of mind.
Happy to answer any questions in the comments!