How long does AliExpress take to deliver? It depends on the shipping method you choose. Let’s get straight into it.
What are the common AliExpress shipping methods?
A variety of shipping methods are available on AliExpress. I’ll break them down into 4 categories, each with details on delivery time, costs, and tracking availability.
Economy shipping type
This is the cheapest type, including shipping methods of Cainiao Super Economy, China Post Ordinary Small Packet Plus, SunYou Economic Air Mail, Yanwen Economic Air Mail, Correos Economy, etc.
When shopping on AliExpress, you’ll often see Chinese sellers use these methods for free or cheap shipping of small, low-value parcels under 2kg. Usually, it takes 20-60 days to deliver packages, and tracking isn’t available.
Note: Cainiao Super Economy for Special Goods is similar to Cainiao Super Economy, but tracking is available. As shown in the screenshot, a small package under $1 takes 20-30 days to be delivered from China to the US using this method.
Saver shipping type
This is also affordable small-package shipping. Common choices include Cainiao Saver Shipping for Special Goods, as AliExpress Saver Shipping was discontinued in May 2022.
Cainiao Saver Shipping is similar to Cainiao Super Economy in delivery time (30 to 50 days), but it offers better tracking. You can track key stages like customs clearance, international transport, and delivery to the destination post office on the order details page using tracking No.
Standard shipping type
This standard shipping type is faster than saver and economy options, with delivery times typically ranging from 10 to 45 days, and full tracking is available.
Common standard shipping methods include AliExpress Standard Shipping, Cainiao Expedited Standard, China Post Registered Air Mail, ePacket, Special Line-YW, etc.
The delivery times and costs vary depending on the specific logistics service provider, as shown in the attached screenshot.
Standard shipping is much cheaper than commercial couriers like DHL, making it a good choice for buyers seeking a balance between cost and speed.
Reddit user review on AliExpress shipping
Express shipping type
Express shipping is the fastest and most expensive option, with common choices including AliExpress Premium Shipping, DHL, EMS, e-EMS, UPS, FedEx, GATI, DPEX, etc., as shown in the attached screenshot.
Delivery time: 5 to 10 days to major countries like the USA, UK, France, Germany, etc. It’s suitable for shipping high-value items like electronics and for buyers who prioritize speed and efficiency over cost savings.
Reddit user review on AliExpress shipping
In summary, shipping options can vary between different product orders and AliExpress sellers. When adding items to their cart, you’ll see all available shipping methods and can choose the one that best fits your budget and time preferences.
Why does AliExpress take so long to ship?
The main reason is the choice of an economical shipping method. The most common option is China Post Air Mail. It may take over 60 days to receive parcels for those buyers in remote regions. And consumers couldn’t check the delivery information in the destination country. The worst situation is that the parcel is lost in transit. Here are 6 main reasons.
1. Some unqualified parcels.
During the China Post security check process, they usually check the entire bag of goods directly rather than unpack the bag. If there are some unqualified goods in the bag, there will be many more additional procedures, such as unpacking the bag to test and refilling the bag.
Due to the small size of the postal parcel, a whole bag contains many packages, and it is time-consuming to unpack the bag for tests and repack the bag. This is also an important factor affecting the clearance time of international logistics.
2. The delay of transfer flights.
Most flights need a transfer. If it needs 2-3 conversions, it will take a long time. Besides, in case of bad weather or other unexpected situations, the time of transportation will be longer.
3. A long time for the full aircraft logistics warehouse.
Because of the high air shipping cost, logistics companies won’t deliver your parcel until the aircraft logistics space is full. Hence, it may take a relatively long time to collect packages.
4. Low efficiency of customs clearance.
The postal cooperation between China Post or other logistics companies and the other countries’ postal services is the cheapest international logistics method. 70% of the international e-commerce parcels are delivered by postal service. Additionally, customs clearance and delivery are conducted by the public officials of each country.
Because of the limited financial budget, many countries are reluctant to put in extra manpower to assist the customs clearance process. The direct influence is that there will be quite a long time for customs clearance and delivery, especially small postal packages. If you want to speed up the customs clearance process, you can pay extra money to choose special line logistics.
5. The need to change the customs checkpoint.
If a customs checkpoint suddenly declares they don’t receive a large number of international parcels, these parcels will be transshipped to another customs checkpoint. In this phase, there will be some other accompanying problems. For example, it will take a long time to rearrange flight and customs clearance.
6. Major holidays & major shopping days & major events.
During major holidays, customs staff or logistics and distribution personnel also will be on holiday. Hence, it will take more time to operate customs clearance and deliver parcels.
Generally, there will be many parcels being piled up in the airport and customs warehouse after every shopping node, and logistics will obviously slow down accordingly.
Besides, during the period of some international events, like the globally sweeping COVID-19 in 2020, most international flights were forced to be canceled and many staff just stayed at home. Therefore, if you bought products on AliExpress in February or March, it would be quite a long time for you to receive parcels.
Why is there no track info or AliExpress track info not updated in time？
On AliExpress, 60% of small packets are sent via economy shipping methods. This works essentially on China Post and the logistics services together with other country’s postal services. Postal services are the cheapest option with the widest reach, covering most countries and regions.
Tracking within China is available. But once the parcel leaves China, you might only know when it arrives in the destination country and the expected delivery date, without full tracking or real-time updates.
Comments on AliExpress economy shipping
This is because each country’s postal service levels are different due to unique national conditions, especially in delivery efficiency and logistics tracking. In developed countries like those in Europe or the Americas, delivery and tracking are usually more efficient. But in more remote areas, it’s harder to track and deliver packages on time, and some may even get lost in transit or during security checks.
Additionally, cross-border logistics involves the cooperation of delivery providers between China and other countries. It is hard to realize the seamless connection, such as the immediate sorting and end distribution once parcels arrive at the destination country. This also affects the logistics information update.
Things have been improving in recent years, as governments worldwide have been working to enhance postal services and strengthen logistics infrastructure to improve the efficiency of cross-border shipping.
What should you do if you don’t want to wait so long?
For low-value small items (≤$5) on AliExpress, sellers often use economy shipping, especially when it’s marked as free shipping. Once you select this option, all you can do is wait until the delivery date, which is usually up to 60 days. The reason is that the seller can’t track the parcel either and can only ask you to wait a little longer.
Comments on AliExpress economy shipping
Usually, many consumers buy from AliExpress because the products are very cheap, and they’re generally willing to wait for delivery.
Comments on AliExpress economy shipping
However, if you don’t want to wait, you can pay a bit more for faster options like AliExpress Standard Shipping or special line logistics, such as Special Line-YW (for Russia, the US, Brazil, and many other countries in Europe and the Americas).
Special lines are much faster than postal parcels. Compared to commercial express, they are a bit slower but much cheaper. Because it works by collecting and consolidating packages in Chinese warehouses, then shipping them directly to the destination country, followed by customs clearance and final delivery through partner logistics companies.
Or you can find a supplier who has a warehouse in your country. Some big sellers opt for the overseas warehouse mode to tackle the pain point of long-time delivery. As shown in the screenshot, you can choose to ship from the US.
In the abovementioned situations, the price is not necessarily the lowest. At this point, you can search for the same product on Temu, eBay, and Amazon, and make a comparison with AliExpress. When prices are almost the same, you can just choose the faster one.
To Wrap It Up
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