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Question about a particular shipping method, ground from China

LPPC

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Hello all,

I'm importing this batch of products from China to Germany and as you already know, shipping is super expensive. My supplier is offering a shipping method that cost 6k USD instead of the 10k USD that my forwarder is asking for sea shipment. But the way of the shipping is peculiar and I don't know whether the shipping time is as they promise. They promise 60 days shipping in total. My supplier says that it's mainly by truck and it goes from China to Poland by truck, then to Hungary for Customs clearance and then to Germany via DPD.

Now my question is to you guys, do you have any experience with this kind of shipping method and is it to be trusted? Especially the lead time I'm worried about and since it's as fast as sea shipping it might be worth it if its true what they promise. Lead time is important because I will be out of inventory soon.

The supplier itself can be trusted.

Thanks in advance.

@Walter Hay, maybe you can chime in too?
 
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Walter Hay

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@Walter Hay, maybe you can chime in too?
Thanks for asking. Yes, road freight from China to Europe is well established and has some benefits over rail. It is usually lower cost, and is currently more available due to rail freight being heavily booked.

A very big advantage is that provided the carrier or forwarder adheres to the TIR Convention, the containers are sealed and are not opened for inspection at any point. This minimizes delays.

The biggest disadvantage is the weather in winter. This can cause long delays.

Your question prompts me to post an update on this subject in my thread:

UPDATES on SOURCING, IMPORTING & LOGISTICS while the upheaval lasts

Walter
 
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LPPC

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Thanks for asking. Yes, road freight from China to Europe is well established and has some benefits over rail. It is usually lower cost, and is currently more available due to rail freight being heavily booked.

A very big advantage is that provided the carrier or forwarder adheres to the TIR Convention, the containers are sealed and are not opened for inspection at any point. This minimizes delays.

The biggest disadvantage is the weather in winter. This can cause long delays.

Your question prompts me to post an update on this subject in my thread:

UPDATES on SOURCING, IMPORTING & LOGISTICS while the upheaval lasts

Walter
Hello Walter, this is immensely helpful! My mind is put to rest and it's good to have found a cheaper freight option since everything else is so expensive.

So if I understand correctly, 60 days shipping time from China to Germany is achievable and not overly underestimated?

Thank you very much!
 

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Wow, from China to Poland via roadway… now that sounds like a road trip that could be hellacious, or terribly exciting.
 
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Walter Hay

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Hello Walter, this is immensely helpful! My mind is put to rest and it's good to have found a cheaper freight option since everything else is so expensive.

So if I understand correctly, 60 days shipping time from China to Germany is achievable and not overly underestimated?

Thank you very much!
Yes I believe it is not an exaggeration for your supplier to quote 60 days, but snow and ice could be a factor that might slow the trip.

Walter
 

Walter Hay

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Wow, from China to Poland via roadway… now that sounds like a road trip that could be hellacious, or terribly exciting.
Maybe once I might have found it exciting, but not now at my age.

I have driven in 20 countries, and some of those trips have been very long. One that I enjoyed most was meandering from LA to NY and then to Québec. I had my family on board, although it was a business trip, and they all loved what we found in the USA.

The most perilous trip was around Israel in 1978 . Our timing was bad, as the whole country was in turmoil and we were stopped at numerous road blocks. At each one a soldier reached through the window and poked the muzzle of his Uzi machine gun, with finger on the trigger, into my stomach while another interrogated my children, asking "Is this your father?"

I was grateful that the one with the gun in my stomach didn't sneeze.

After seeing a bomb explode in Jerusalem we decided to cut short our visit, and got an early flight home.

Walter
 

LPPC

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Thanks for asking. Yes, road freight from China to Europe is well established and has some benefits over rail. It is usually lower cost, and is currently more available due to rail freight being heavily booked.

A very big advantage is that provided the carrier or forwarder adheres to the TIR Convention, the containers are sealed and are not opened for inspection at any point. This minimizes delays.

The biggest disadvantage is the weather in winter. This can cause long delays.

Your question prompts me to post an update on this subject in my thread:

UPDATES on SOURCING, IMPORTING & LOGISTICS while the upheaval lasts

Walter
Thanks Walter, very good to know. Could you say anything about how much delay is probable from China to Germany? It will go through cold countries like Poland and Hungary. I don't know how many days delay I should expect. My supplier says 60 days and possible 7 days on top of that for possible delays. It will depart around 5th of january 2022.
 
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Walter Hay

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Thanks Walter, very good to know. Could you say anything about how much delay is probable from China to Germany? It will go through cold countries like Poland and Hungary. I don't know how many days delay I should expect. My supplier says 60 days and possible 7 days on top of that for possible delays. It will depart around 5th of january 2022.
The weather is too difficult to predict, but I know that sometimes even trains have been held up for very long periods due to snow blocking the line. It could be worse for road traffic.

Your supplier's guess of 7 days is as good as any.

Walter
 

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