First of all, we need to understand the process of FBA shipping from Shanghai to the United States.
Cargo consolidation – Customs declaration – Loading – Sailing – Sea freight – Arrival at port – Customs clearance – Container pickup – Sorting – Delivery – Warehousing
The shipping destination port from China to the United States may be different for FBA, resulting in different timeliness.
West Coast ports: Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, San Francisco, Seattle, and Tacoma.
East Coast ports: Portland, New York, Norfolk, Savannah, Charlestown, Baltimore, Houston, Wilmington, New Orleans, Miami, Jacksonville.
Shipping from China to the US West Coast via the Pacific Ocean typically takes 13 to 16 days by regular vessel, though the time varies depending on the shipping company and price. To reach the US East Coast, regular vessels transit the Pacific Ocean, then the Panama Canal, taking approximately 25–28 days. Alternatively, goods can be shipped to the West Coast and then transported inland to the East Coast via a small road-bridge (MLB) route, which takes about 21–23 days, but is more expensive than ocean freight.
Amazon FBA shipping provides two modes:
Haipai (sea shipping + express delivery): double customs clearance and tax included. After the goods are cleared at the destination port, the container will be delivered to the Amazon FBA warehouse by express delivery. This model does not require an appointment to enter the warehouse.
Different shipping channels have different time limits. CZL provides three major shipping channels: EMC ships take 13-15 days to ship, MATSON ships take 8-10 days to ship, and ZIM ships take 9-10 days to ship.
Ocean freight (sea freight + truck): tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive, after the goods arrive at the destination port and clear customs, they will be picked up, unpacked, sorted and then delivered to the Amazon FBA warehouse by truck. Truck delivery requires an appointment with the Amazon warehouse.