Shipping shoes from China to the USA: cost and delivery time
Prices from our live rate card, updated
A carton of 10 boxed pairs of shoes costs $233.23 to ship from China to a US address by air, door to door, in 6 to 12 working days, with US customs and import duty included in that price. A single boxed sample pair is $37.63.
Shoe boxes are mostly air, so volume drives the price early. From about 30 pairs, air consolidation takes over, and from 100 kg of billed weight sea is cheaper: 120 pairs are $708.87 by sea (30 to 40 days, duty included) against $934.53 by air plus duty.
What it costs to ship shoes from China
Prices from our China warehouse to a US address, with duty included where the row says so. Billed weight is the actual weight or the carton volume (length x width x height in cm, divided by 6,000), whichever is higher. Sea prices are shown from 100 kg; below that, ask for a sea quote.
| Shipment | Billed weight | Air | Sea (indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| One boxed pair (sample)1.2 kg, 35 x 25 x 13 cm | 1.9 kg | $37.636 to 12 working days, duty included | ask for a sea quote |
| 10 boxed pairs, 1 carton9 kg, 65 x 40 x 35 cm | 15.2 kg | $233.236 to 12 working days, duty included | ask for a sea quote |
| 30 boxed pairs, 3 cartons27 kg, 3 x 65 x 40 x 35 cm | 45.5 kg | $531.9810 to 14 days, plus US duty at import | ask for a sea quote |
| 120 pairs, 12 cartons105 kg, 12 x 65 x 40 x 35 cm | 182 kg | $934.5310 to 14 days, plus US duty at import | $708.8730 to 40 days, duty included |
Real shoes requests, priced today
Shipments people recently asked us to price, with names removed, re-run through today's rates. Where no carton size was given, the price uses actual weight, so bulky cartons would cost more.
| Shipment | Billed weight | Air | Sea (indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 boxes of shoes6 kg | 6 kg | $96.836 to 12 working days, duty included | ask for a sea quote |
| Sandals in boxes8 kg | 8 kg | $126.596 to 12 working days, duty included | ask for a sea quote |
| Shoes from Yiwu240 kg, 20 x 60 x 40 x 35 cm | 280 kg | $1,211.5410 to 14 days, plus US duty at import | $1,060.8630 to 40 days, duty included |
How long it takes
Air, door to door
6 to 12 working days
from the day it leaves our China warehouse, up to about 35 kg, duty included
Air consolidation
10 to 14 days
from about 50 kg, duty paid at import
Sea, door to door
30 to 40 days
priced from 100 kg, duty included
Add the time your supplier needs to get the cartons to our China warehouse by domestic courier. That leg is your supplier's and is not in our price. Full shipping time breakdown ›
What changes the price for shoes
Shoe boxes bill on volume
You pay for the actual weight or the carton volume, whichever is higher, and boxed shoes almost always bill on volume. A carton of 10 boxed pairs weighs 9 kg but bills as 15.2 kg, and 30 pairs weighing 27 kg bill as 45.5 kg.
Boxes or no boxes
Shipping shoes without their retail boxes, nested and bagged, can cut the billed weight sharply. That only works if you sell them unboxed or source boxes in the US, so decide before the supplier packs.
Duty is in the air price up to about 35 kg
Footwear duty depends on what the upper and sole are made of, and some rubber and plastic shoes carry among the highest rates in the US tariff. On our door-to-door air service (up to about 35 kg of general goods) and on sea, that duty is inside the price. On air consolidation, for heavier air loads, the customs entry is in the price and the duty is paid at import.
Branded sneakers ship too
Plain, unbranded shoes ship on the general rate. We legally ship branded shoes and sneakers on our dedicated branded channel at a higher per-kg rate, with an instant price like any other shipment.
US rules for importing shoes
Shoes are classified in chapter 64 of the HS code, and the exact code turns on the upper material (leather, textile, rubber or plastic), the sole, and sometimes the value per pair. That is why two similar-looking sneakers can pay very different duty. We classify the goods and file the entry; you do not need your own customs broker. How HS codes work.
Ask your supplier for the material breakdown of the upper and outsole before you order. It is the single most useful document for getting the classification and the landed cost right.
- Origin marking: each pair needs a permanent "Made in China" mark, usually on the insole, tongue label or sole, and the box should carry it too. Origin marking rules.
- Children's shoes: footwear for kids 12 and under falls under CPSIA, which covers limits on lead and certain chemicals and can require third-party testing and a Children's Product Certificate.
- Exotic leather: shoes made from real python, crocodile or other wildlife skins need wildlife permits and a US Fish and Wildlife Service declaration, so check with us before buying them.
- Personal use or resale: both ship the same way, but tell us which, because it changes what customs expects on the invoice.
Packing shoes to pay less
- Ask for slim shoe boxes and no oversized gift packaging; the box size is what you pay for.
- Fill every carton to the top with boxes laid flat and tight. Our warehouse measures cartons as they arrive, and empty space still bills.
- Remove stuffing paper and shoe trees you do not need for shape; they add weight without protecting much.
- If you sell unboxed, have pairs bagged and nested heel to toe, which can fit roughly twice as many pairs per carton.
Get your exact price
Tell us what you are shipping, the weight and carton size. The instant offer uses the same rates as the tables above.
Common questions
How much does it cost to ship a pair of shoes from China to the USA?
A single boxed pair billed at 1.9 kg is $37.63 by air, door to door with duty included, in 6 to 12 working days. Per pair it gets cheaper as you ship more in one carton.
Is it cheaper to ship shoes by air or by sea?
Under 100 kg of billed weight, air is the practical option. Once boxed shoes pass 100 kg billed, sea is cheaper per kg: $3.89 per kg on 120 pairs, against $5.13 by air before duty, but it takes 30 to 40 days.
Why is my billed weight higher than what the shoes weigh?
Because shoe boxes are light and bulky. Billed weight is the higher of actual weight and carton volume (length x width x height in cm, divided by 6,000). A 9 kg carton of boxed pairs bills as 15.2 kg.
Can I combine shoes from several suppliers?
Yes. Have each supplier send their cartons to our China warehouse by domestic courier and they travel as one shipment with one customs entry. How to combine suppliers.
When do I pay?
After your cartons arrive at our China warehouse and are counted and weighed. The invoice uses the measured numbers, you pay by ACH from any US bank account with no fee, and nothing is due at delivery.