Services

Whether you want to send a Christmas card to your family, ship some items back home or receive a birthday present from your loved ones, you will need to go to the post office or use one of the express mail providers that operate in China.

Express Mail Providers

For those of you that are in a rush, EMS, an express mail service run by China Post, can be a good option. It is a much cheaper alternative to using private express companies, although it's a bit slower.

Costs vary according to the country of destination. For example, if you send a parcel from China to the United States by EMS, the price is 180 yuan ($27.4) for the first 500 grams, and then 75 yuan ($11.4) for each additional 500 grams. For more detailed information, you can check their English website for reference.

Regarding domestic deliveries, EMS also offers a next-day delivery service between some Chinese cities. You can do so by calling their hotline, where they will arrange a time and date to pick up your parcel.

International companies like FedEx, DHL and UPS also have outposts in China. These companies offer a pick-up service and also have drop-off centers.

Contrary to China Post, who only factors in your parcel weight and the destination to calculate the cost, international express mail providers use the dimensional weight (based on the weight and the dimensions of your parcel) to calculate the cost.

When the dimensional weight of a shipment exceeds the actual weight, shipping charges are based on the shipment's overall dimensional weight.

You can also find online tools to calculate the cost on their websites. Their service is faster than EMS, but also more expensive.

Expat help in China

Useful Websites and Hotlines:

>China Post

- www.chinapost.com.cn

>EMS

- www.ems.com.cn

- Hotline: 11185

>DHL

- www.cn.dhl.com

- Hotline: 800-810-8000 (Toll free)