In today’s globalized business wave, the European market has always been a “sweet spot” in the eyes of many cross – border merchants. Recently, the European logistics industry has been even more volatile and bustling. As the European e – commerce market continues to boom, consumers’ demand for goods is becoming increasingly diverse, which also makes the importance of logistics and transportation more prominent. At the same time, the continuous adjustment of customs policies in European countries is like the unpredictable wind and waves at sea; the frequent fluctuations in fuel prices are like the undulating undercurrents in the market.

These factors have brought many uncertainties to the international logistics industry. Against this complex and ever – changing background, the European air parcel express has become the focus of attention for many merchants with its unique advantages. So, what key points do we need to know about the European air parcel express? Next, let’s delve into the three key points of suitable goods, delivery time, and advantages.

1. Suitable Goods

1.1 Pain Point Case: A Cross – border Enterprise Suffered Losses Due to Goods Mismatch

Once upon a time, there was an ambitious cross – border enterprise mainly dealing in various fashionable accessories. They keenly perceived the huge demand for fashionable accessories in the European market. Considering that the price of the European air parcel express was relatively reasonable, they didn’t hesitate to choose this transportation method to ship their goods to Europe.

However, they ignored the characteristics of the goods during the decision – making process. Many of these accessories were fragile, like delicate flowers that needed careful care. But during transportation, without proper protection, just like a pedestrian running naked in a storm, a large number of goods were damaged when they reached Europe.

Moreover, although these accessories were light in weight, they were large in volume. According to the charging method of the European air parcel express, the cost was not low. Eventually, due to the goods mismatch problem, this enterprise not only lost a large amount of goods, just like losing ammunition on the battlefield, but also increased the transportation cost, and the profit dropped significantly, like a ship losing its way in the wind and waves, falling into a difficult situation. Has your freight forwarder helped you carefully consider the characteristics of your goods when recommending a transportation method?

In fact, the enterprise used ordinary carton packaging for the goods without adding enough cushioning materials, which greatly increased the probability of the accessories being damaged due to collisions during transportation. Moreover, when choosing a freight forwarder, they didn’t fully understand the freight forwarder’s experience and safeguard measures for transporting such fragile goods, and only focused on the price factor.

This series of oversights ultimately led to their heavy losses. According to incomplete statistics, the value of the goods lost by the enterprise in that shipment was as high as hundreds of thousands of yuan. They also faced a large number of customer complaints and refund requests, which had a great negative impact on the enterprise’s reputation.

1.2 Specific Goods Analysis

The European air parcel express is like a precise key and is more suitable for some light and small goods. For example, among electronic products, earphones, chargers, etc. These products are light in weight and small in volume, like lively elves. They can reach the European market quickly through the European air parcel express, and the transportation cost is relatively low. Take earphones as an example. Their average weight ranges from dozens of grams to hundreds of grams, and their volume is also small. They occupy less space during transportation and can fully utilize the advantages of the air parcel express.

Another example is clothing items such as T – shirts and socks. These goods are light in texture and have certain requirements for transportation time. The European air parcel express can meet their timeliness needs like a timely rain. The weight of an ordinary T – shirt may be between 100 – 300 grams. European consumers often hope to receive the clothing they purchased as soon as possible so that they can wear it in time. The fast transportation of the air parcel express well meets this demand.

In addition, some small household items, such as creative ornaments and small lamps, are also suitable for transportation in this way. These small household items are not only light in weight but also unique in shape, which are very popular among European consumers. The air parcel express can quickly deliver them to consumers, improving consumers’ satisfaction.

According to relevant data statistics, in the European e – commerce market, the proportion of sales of light and small goods has been increasing year by year. In the past five years, the proportion of sales of light and small goods has increased from the initial 30% to more than 50% today.

This also shows that the transportation demand of the European air parcel express for such goods will be increasing, just like the dry land’s longing for rain. Moreover, as European consumers’ demand for personalized and fashionable goods continues to increase, high – value – added light and small goods such as customized mobile phone cases and small digital accessories will also become the main transportation objects of the European air parcel express.

2. Delivery Time

2.1 Standard Delivery Time

Generally speaking, the normal delivery time of the European air parcel express is about 7 – 15 days. This mainly depends on the distance between the departure place and the destination, the frequency of flights, and the speed of customs clearance. For example, when shipping from the eastern coastal cities of China to the central cities of major European countries, under all – favorable conditions, the goods can be delivered within 7 – 10 days, just like a fast relay race.

Specifically, if the departure place is Shanghai, China, and the destination is London, UK, usually, after the goods are checked in at Shanghai Airport, it takes 1 – 2 days of flight to reach London Airport. Then, it takes 1 – 2 days for the customs clearance process at the airport, and finally, 2 – 3 days for delivery to reach the customer. Of course, this is just a rough time range, and the actual delivery time will also be affected by various factors such as flight schedules and weather conditions.

2.2 Delivery Time Changes in Special Circumstances

However, in some special circumstances, the delivery time will change. For example, during European holidays, the number of customs officers decreases, and the customs clearance speed slows down. The goods may be delayed by 3 – 5 days, just like a congested road during rush hour. Taking Christmas as an example, December every year is the peak shopping season in Europe and also a period with concentrated holidays. During this time, the workload of the customs increases significantly, while the number of staff decreases relatively, and the customs clearance efficiency is significantly reduced. Many goods may be backlog at the customs for several days or even longer, resulting in delayed delivery.

Moreover, weather conditions can also affect the transportation time. If there are severe weather conditions such as heavy rain or blizzards, flights may be delayed, and the transportation time of the goods will also be extended accordingly, as if a ship has lost its way in a storm. In winter, some parts of Europe often experience blizzard weather. The airport runways need to be cleared of snow, which greatly affects flight take – off and landing. Sometimes, flights may be delayed for several hours or even cancelled, making it impossible for the goods to reach the destination on time. In addition, sudden public health events or policy adjustments may also lead to unstable delivery times.

For example, during the COVID – 19 pandemic, European countries adopted strict epidemic prevention measures. The customs inspection process became more rigorous, and the number of flights decreased significantly. This had a great impact on the delivery time of the European air parcel express, and the transportation time of many goods was extended by several weeks or even months.

The following is a simple flow chart showing the normal transportation process of the European air parcel express:
Warehouse at the departure place → Airport check – in → Flight transportation → European airport → Customs clearance → Delivery → Customer at the destination

3. Advantages

3.1 Cost Advantage

Compared with other transportation methods, the European air parcel express has certain cost advantages. For light and small goods, the charging method is usually based on the larger value between weight and volume. Moreover, due to the relatively short transportation time, the inventory cost and capital occupation cost of the goods can be reduced. According to industry data, for some low – value but high – timeliness goods, using the European air parcel express for transportation can reduce the comprehensive cost by 10% – 20%, which is like saving a considerable amount of money for the enterprise.

Take a batch of light and small electronic products worth 100,000 yuan as an example. If transported by sea, although the sea freight is relatively low, the transportation time may be as long as 30 – 45 days. During this period, the enterprise needs to bear the inventory cost of the goods, including warehousing fees and interest on capital occupation. However, if the European air parcel express is used for transportation, the transportation time is shortened to 7 – 15 days, and the inventory cost is greatly reduced. At the same time, since the goods can reach the market faster, the enterprise can achieve sales and receive payment faster, accelerating the capital turnover and further improving the enterprise’s economic benefits.

3.2 Service Advantage

Professional freight forwarders for the European air parcel express usually provide a series of high – quality services. For example, there will be a dedicated person to track the transportation status of the goods and timely feedback information to the customer, just like a considerate housekeeper. Freight forwarding companies use advanced logistics tracking systems to monitor the location and transportation progress of the goods in real – time and timely convey the information to the customer via text messages, emails, etc.

In terms of customs clearance, they also have rich experience and can help customers pass through customs smoothly, just like a guide familiar with the road conditions. The professional staff of freight forwarding companies are familiar with the customs policies and regulations of European countries and can accurately prepare the documents and materials required for customs clearance for customers, avoiding delays in goods due to customs clearance issues.

In addition, some freight forwarders also provide value – added services such as warehousing and packaging, providing customers with a one – stop logistics solution, making customers worry – free and labor – saving. For example, freight forwarding companies can provide temporary warehousing services for customers, classify, sort, and package the goods according to customers’ needs, ensuring the safety of the goods during transportation. Moreover, freight forwarding companies can also provide flexible delivery solutions according to customers’ order situations to meet different logistics needs of customers.

4. Common Misunderstandings

4.1 Ignoring Goods Restrictions

Many merchants ignore the restrictions on goods when choosing the European air parcel express. Europe has strict regulations on imported goods, and some items are prohibited or restricted from import. For example, electronic products containing batteries need to meet specific safety standards, and food products need to have corresponding health permits. If merchants do not understand these regulations, the goods may be seized at the customs, resulting in unnecessary losses, just like touching the customs blacklist, which is like the credit score in the logistics industry.

Once, a merchant exported a batch of small electronic devices containing lithium – ion batteries to Europe. Since they did not understand the regulations on the transportation and import of lithium – ion batteries in Europe in advance and did not carry out corresponding safety treatment and declaration for the goods, the goods were seized at the customs. The customs required the merchant to provide relevant safety certification documents and re – package and process the goods, which not only caused delays in the delivery of the goods but also increased the merchant’s additional costs. Eventually, the merchant had to spend a lot of time and money to solve this problem, which also affected the cooperation relationship with customers.

4.2 Underestimating Transportation Risks

Some merchants underestimate the transportation risks of the European air parcel express. They think that as long as they choose this transportation method, the goods will definitely arrive on time and safely. However, as mentioned above, factors such as weather, holidays, and policies may affect the transportation time and the safety of the goods. If no countermeasures are taken, once problems occur, it will affect customer satisfaction and the enterprise’s reputation, just like a single bad apple spoiling the whole barrel.

Some merchants do not purchase enough freight insurance when transporting goods. When the goods encounter unexpected situations during transportation, such as flight delays or goods damage, they cannot get corresponding compensation and have to bear the losses themselves. Moreover, since the goods cannot reach the customers on time, customers may cancel orders or request refunds, which will have a great impact on the enterprise’s reputation and economic interests.

5. Extended Thinking

How can we better utilize the advantages of the European air parcel express? This is a question worthy of in – depth consideration for merchants. Merchants can reasonably select suitable goods to be transported via the European air parcel express according to their own business needs. At the same time, they should maintain close communication with freight forwarders, timely understand the transportation dynamics, and make preparations for dealing with unexpected situations. In addition, by paying attention to policy changes and consumer demands in the European market and continuously optimizing the transportation plan, merchants can gain an advantageous position in the fierce market competition.