Fireworks.org – The World’s Fireworks Community › Forums › Transportation › Is it cheaper to ship fireworks by sea or by air from China?
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Been looking into getting a small container from China for next season. I know most people say sea freight is the way to go, but I’m wondering if air freight ever makes sense for smaller quantities. Like if you’re only getting a few hundred cases, is the speed worth the extra cost?
I got quoted $4k for a 20ft container by sea from Yantian to Long Beach — that seems reasonable. But then there’s customs clearance on this end and the trucking from port to my place. Anyone done the math on what air shipping actually runs per kg?
Yeah I’ve been looking at a freight forwarder in Shenzhen. They quoted $5.50/kg for air vs like $1.20/kg by sea. The math pretty much does itself unless you’re real impatient lol.
I’ve done both. Air freight is faster but you pay through the nose. Plus you gotta make sure your freight forwarder knows hazmat regs for air – not all of them do. Sea is the standard for a reason. $4k for a 20ft from Yantian sounds about right. Add another $800-1200 for trucking from port to your door depending on distance.
Good breakdown here. One thing I’ll add – air freight for hazmat (div 1.4G) is possible but the paperwork is different from sea. You need an IATA-compliant shipper’s declaration and a lot of forwarders just don’t bother with it.
If you’re new to importing, there’s some useful info in the Fireworks Guide about what documentation you’ll need on the US side: https://fireworks.org/category/fireworks-guide/
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