Shipping from China: times and lines
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Which lines you can use, and what they cost, depends on your country: LitBuy's shipping estimator shows them for your address. The rules for the price are the same everywhere: you pay for the larger of the real and volumetric weight, and bigger parcels cost less per kilogram. Below, LitBuy's lines to Bulgaria serve as an example: there, DHL tax-free lines travel about 12–17 days after DHL takes the parcel.
| Line | Working days | 2 kg | 10 kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| SF-DHL-BG-1tax-free, up to 20 kg | 14–19 | €36 | €120 |
| JSF-DHL-BG-1tax-free, up to 20 kg | 12–17 | €37 | €122 |
| SD-DHL-BG-1tax-free, up to 20 kg | 14–19 | €38 | €127 |
| JD-DHL-BG-1tax-free, up to 20 kg | 16–21 | €39 | €132 |
| XB-DHL-BG-1tax-free, up to 30 kg | 14–19 | €48 | €168 |
| HF-EMS-BGduty paid on delivery, up to 30 kg | 12–25 | €64 | €213 |
| JD-DPDMAX-BG-1tax-free, up to 30 kg | 10–16 | €103 | €224 |
| HF-EUB-BG-1duty paid on delivery, up to 2 kg | 12–25 | €34 | – |
Prices for LitBuy's lines to Bulgaria, as an example, with the -40% coupon for new accounts. From LitBuy's calculator, checked on 27 Oct 2026; "–" means the line does not take that weight.
The lines for your country
The table above shows LitBuy’s lines to Bulgaria as an example. For your own country, enter your address in LitBuy’s shipping estimator: it lists the lines that go there, their working days and prices.
TODO(mirydor): say which countries other than Bulgaria have DHL tax-free lines, if you know.
How long it takes
- To the warehouse: items reach LitBuy’s warehouse in China in 2–7 days. A seller can be slow, so 4 days is not unusual.
- Packing: after you create the parcel, LitBuy packs it. In busy periods the status “Awaiting packing” can stay longer (in September 2026 there were delays because of typhoons and the start of the school year).
- To the door: depends on the line and your country. To Bulgaria it is 15–25 days from sending; DHL lines travel 12–17 days after DHL takes the parcel, and after the status “processed in the export parcel center” about 7–10 more days remain.
The working days in the table are the times LitBuy gives for each line to Bulgaria.
How the price is worked out
You pay for the larger of the real and the volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is the box’s length × width × height in centimetres, divided by a number that depends on the line: on the lines to Bulgaria, 8000 for DHL and 6000 for EMS, EUB and UPS. A 50 × 40 × 30 cm box, for example, is 7.5 kg of volumetric weight on DHL: if it holds 4 kg, you pay for 7.5 kg.
Weight guide: a T-shirt is 0.2–0.3 kg, a sweatshirt 0.6–0.8 kg, jeans about 0.88 kg, a puffer jacket about 1.32 kg, and a pair of shoes about 1 kg without the box and 1.65 kg with it. Volume is paid for too, so remove the boxes.
How to pay less
- One parcel instead of several. Everything in the warehouse can go together, even if you paid for the items separately.
- A bigger parcel, up to 20 kg. Small parcels cost much more per kilogram. Over 20 kg, split the order.
- A smaller box. Choose Remove Shoe Boxes and Vacuum Seal when packing. Shoe trees and stretch film add a little weight.
- Up to 5–6 pairs of shoes per parcel. More is possible but costly.
- Check if the price looks high: the currency (USD or EUR), the line, the volumetric weight and the box size.
When to order
Order by mid-November (10–15 November) to avoid Christmas delays and price rises. Around Chinese New Year, at the start of February 2027, warehouses and lines are slower too.
Lines with duty
On EMS and EUB the recipient pays the duty: the parcel clears customs in the destination country, the postal service may ask for documents or duty, and if the duty is not paid the parcel goes back. More in Customs and duty on parcels from China.
Protect the parcel
Add Purchase Protection (under Paid Services, when you choose the line). If the parcel is held, you get a full refund. For long delays LitBuy has compensated about 25% of the shipping.
