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Janio provides shipping services between key shipping origins such as Shenzhen and Hong Kong to Singapore.
Both Sea and Air Freight mid-mile options exist all the way to-door last mile delivery in Singapore. Contact us today via the link in the banner or via contact@janio.asia to find out our rates and SLAs.
Singapore’s strategic location in Southeast Asia makes it a key port and distribution hub for many. It’s strong spending power also makes it a popular eCommerce market. You can check out our collection of Singapore insights here to find out more.
If you’re looking to find out more about how Janio can help you ship from origins like Guangdong or Hong Kong to Singapore we’ve got you covered.
For urgent or time-sensitive deliveries, air freight is the way to go. A flight from Hong Kong or Shenzhen airport to Singapore’s Changi Airport will take around a day at most. Bear in mind that certain direct-consumer (B2C) air freight shipments need to be transhipped via Hong Kong Airport depending on the item. Sea freight could take around 5 days or more from port to port depending on the schedule.
Sea freight saves you money if your order is larger than 2 cbm. However, you don’t get those economies of scale for items that aren’t that big like small cartons that take up between 0.5 to 0.9 cbm since you’re paying for unused space. This is where air freight can be more economical than sea freight.
If cost is your key constraint, sea freight is the way to go since it usually has lower rates than air freight. This is barring any unforeseen events such as port disruptions or capacity issues.
It’s worth noting that air freight can be cheaper than sea freight below a certain order volume. To understand this, it helps to see how air freight rates are calculated.
For air freight, rates are charged to the order’s volumetric weight (how much space it takes up) or its actual weight depending on which is greater. For less-than-container-load shipments, sea freight tends to be charged by volumetric weight, with a minimum chargeable volume being 1 cubic metre (cbm).
Fortunately, you don’t need to work all of this out on your own. Logistics service providers like Janio can help advise you on whether air freight or sea freight is better suited to your current leg of the supply chain and also offer you both shipping modes for your orders. To find out more, reach out to us below:
When choosing between air freight and sea freight, consider the following:
Air freight is fast, but can be limited in terms of what you’re allowed to ship. Bulky or oddly-sized items, or items too dangerous to meet air freight’s restrictions on what can be shipped generally should use sea freight instead.
For instance, these products generally can’t be shipped via air freight: products containing gases, all things flammable, toxic or corrosive items like batteries, magnetic substances like speakers, perishable items and more. If you’re shipping these, it makes more sense to use sea freight.
The logistics supply chain from Guangdong Province or Hong Kong to Singapore can vary depending on your requirements and location. However, shipping from Hong Kong to Singapore would usually be done in these steps.
In international shipping, first mile delivery refers to when your order leaves your origin address. The origin address can be a storefront, office, or warehouse belonging to either you or your supplier. Prior to your goods leaving your storage facility, the products have to be packaged and labelled appropriately to facilitate smooth cross border shipping.
If you’re shipping with Janio, you can drop off your shipment at our Shenzhen or Hong Kong warehouses. If you have B2B volumes, you can arrange for pick up with us.
If you are shipping loose parcels, they’ll be consolidated at your shipping partner’s warehouse into pallets for air freight or in a container if you were shipping an LCL (less-than-container load) sea freight order.
While transporting your goods, your packages may go through bumpy rides from events like turbulence. Thus, having extra padding is recommended especially for fragile items, like using bubble wrap and packing peanuts. This is to prevent your goods from bouncing around in the packaging or getting deformed during shipping. To learn more about the best practices in packaging your goods, we’ve covered this topic in a previous article.
On top of that, you need to ensure that your shipping labels and customs documents are labelled clearly and accessible for customs inspection. Check out the best practices in labelling your shipments which you can also find in our B2C Southeast Asia shipping resources, too.
Once your orders are consolidated, they will be delivered to your logistics service provider’s air cargo agent’s warehouse for air freight or one of your service provider’s warehouses at the port. Your order will then be inspected by either China’s or Hong Kong’s customs officials.
If you are shipping via air freight, the airport your goods will be shipped from will differ depending on the type of goods you are exporting. If you aren’t shipping dangerous goods (DG) or certain items restricted for export by Chinese authorities your goods will depart from Shenzhen Airport (SZX). Otherwise, your goods will be shipped from Hong Kong Airport (HKG). The destination airport in Singapore, if you’re shipping with Janio, will be Changi Airport (SIN).
Sea freight shipments can be shipped from ports in Shenzhen or from Hong Kong to the Port of Singapore (SG SIN).
To get your goods cleared for export, your shipment usually needs to have the following documents ready:
If you are exporting parcels to B2C customers from China or Hong Kong, you won’t need an export permit or exporter of record.
Exporting in bulk from China requires you to have an export permit or exporter of record before you can ship your goods out. Additionally, if you’re shipping any restricted goods, you’ll need to apply for a special export permit for these goods before it can be exported. You can check the Ministry of Commerce Republic of China’s website to find out more on how to apply for the export permit.1 We’ve provided a site with an English translation in our references as well.2
To check if your goods fall under the restricted goods category, you can look up China’s Customs website.3 B2C exports from China don’t need export permits or exporters of record.
As for exports from Hong Kong, you can check out the official list of documents to import and export from Hong Kong on the official Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department website.4 Certain items have restrictions on trade and may need further documentation. You can check the lists for these on the Hong Kong Strategic Commodities Control System website.5
If you’re ever unsure about what kind of steps you need to take to export your goods from China, you can always check with our customs clearance experts if you’re unsure of which documents to apply for and how to declare your goods.
After checking these documents and clearing your shipments for export, your shipments can be loaded onto a vessel to either Port of Singapore (SGSIN) or Changi Airport (SIN).
Your shipment will be transferred to a customs warehouse as soon as it arrives in Singapore’s airport or port.
B2B imports require more documentation prepared than shipments to individuals (B2C).
To get import clearance into Singapore, you or your shipping partner would generally need to provide the following documents:
In Singapore, imports are valued using the CIF method, which means that the shipment’s customs value includes the cost of the goods and the cost of insurance and freight of the shipment. Singapore has a de minimis value of SGD 400, which in Singapore means that orders shipped via courier below this value are eligible for GST relief.6
If you’re shipping in bulk, you’ll need more documents prepared:
For bulk imports (also known as B2B shipments, your importing party must first register for a UEN with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) in Singapore and activate its customs account prior to importing into Singapore.7 Then, you’ll need to apply for an Inter-Bank GIRO with Singapore Customs so that you can pay for the relevant import duties, taxes and other fees to Singapore Customs directly.
Once your importing partner’s UEN and Inter-Bank GIRO are set up, the company will need to apply for a customs import permit via TradeNet. This can be done by the importing party or through a declaring agent or freight forwarder. To see different types of import permits or cases where import permits aren’t needed, you can check out Singapore Customs’s official website.8
The de minimis rate refers to a price threshold where no duties and taxes are charged if the shipment’s CIF value is below that point. The CIF value includes your good’s price, shipping fee, and insurance costs if any. But this exemption only applies to deliveries made via air freight, so shipping via sea freight still requires you to pay duties and taxes.
However, if your goods exceed Singapore’s de minimis threshold of SGD400, you’ll need to pay import duties and GST to Singapore’s customs. Singapore’s GST is at 7%, and the import duties depend on the product category as declared by the harmonised systems code (HS code). You may find out the percentage of your import duties paid through Singapore’s Customs website.9
If you’re shipping a B2C parcel, you can choose to either pay for the import duties and taxes yourself or let your customers pay for the import duties and taxes. This is determined by the incoterms Delivered Duties Unpaid (DDU) and Delivered Duties Paid (DDP). While we strongly encourage you to opt for DDP to keep your shipping experience smooth for your B2C customer, it helps to familiarise with what these arrangements mean.
After customs clearance is done, your shipment will be sent to your logistics service provider’s Singapore warehouse where it will undergo sorting and distribution.
Once your shipment has cleared Singaporean customs, it will enter the distribution stage. If your shipment is B2B, a truck will take it from the airport or port straight to its destination, otherwise, B2C shipments will have to be first sorted at a transportation hub before the last mile delivery.
Your B2C parcels in the last mile delivery stage will be sent from your partner’s local warehouse to your consignee’s address via vans or trucks. During the last mile delivery stage, your logistics service provider will ensure that your shipment is received by your consignee with a few delivery attempts.
International shipping from China and Hong Kong to Singapore involves quite a number of steps which each require their own logistics expertise. Whether it’s timely distribution and last mile delivery or experienced customs clearance in China, Hong Kong or Singapore you’ll need trusted partners each step of the way.
If you’re looking for an air freight solution, a sea freight solution or even both to Singapore, Janio’s flexible, end-to-end delivery solutions have you covered from the first mile to the last. To find out more about our services and customs clearance expertise, contact us via the button below.
Looking to ship throughout Southeast Asia? Contact us to find out how.
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