Freight is often a larger part of a packaging order than buyers expect. Empty boxes weigh little and take up a lot of room, and carriers charge for whichever is greater.
How each is charged
Sea freight is priced by volume, in cubic metres, or by the container. Air freight is priced by chargeable weight: the actual weight or the volumetric weight, whichever is higher. For assembled boxes the volumetric weight is almost always the one that counts.
Transit times to plan around
| Sea freight to main ports | 18 to 35 days, plus customs and delivery |
| Air freight | 5 to 8 days door to door |
| Courier, for samples | 3 to 5 days |
What to change in the packaging
- Ship flat where you can. Cartons, mailers and bags always ship flat. Rigid boxes can be made collapsible, which cuts volume to about a fifth.
- Nest what cannot fold. Lift-off lid boxes in graduated sizes ship inside each other.
- Split the order. Send the quantity you need for launch by air and the rest by sea.
- Fill the container. The price per box drops sharply once an order fills a 20-foot container, so it can be worth rounding up.
When air is worth it
Air makes sense for a launch date that cannot move, for a small top-up order, or for high-value boxes where freight is a small share of the price. For repeat orders, a sea shipment planned eight weeks ahead is almost always cheaper.