Update on August 6, 2021
Shipping options
You can choose from these 4 shipping options* or arrange your own transportation:
- United Parcel Service (UPS) courier – Express Saver shipping option
- Fedex courier – International Priority shipping option
- Express Mail Service (EMS) by Korea Post**
- Registered Airmail by Korea Post**
* To some countries we can only offer UPS shipment.
** Delivery in most countries is governed by the country’s own postal administration.
Comparison
| UPS | Fedex | EMS | Registered Airmail | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shipping time | 2-3 days | 2-3 days | 7-10 days *** | 1-3 weeks |
| Shipping cost | Cheapest for large orders | Similar to UPS | Good deal for small shipments | Cheaper than EMS |
| Extra fee | Extra fee starts at $13.49 and quickly gets more expensive for complex orders. | Similar to UPS | Extra fee usually between $11.24 and $33.73 | Same to EMS in most cases |
| Customs | Very strict | Similar to UPS | Less strict than UPS and Fedex | Less strict than EMS |
About the shipping time
*** The following countries are known to usually take more than 10 days to deliver with EMS: Pakistan, U.A.E., Bangladesh, Qatar, Nigeria, Russia, Cameroon, Colombia, Guatemala, Myanmar, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile, Czech Republic, Brazil, Uzbekistan.
EMS and Registered Airmail use cargo space from commercial airlines. During the COVID-19 pandemic the number of those flights has decreased. As a result it can sometimes take a bit longer before the shipment can depart Korea. UPS and Fedex don’t experience these delays since they use their own airplanes. We therefore recommend using UPS and Fedex instead.
About the shipping cost
More information and example rates here.
About the extra fee
The extra fee is usually a disbursement fee. The transporter may prepay duties, taxes and other government charges on behalf of the receiver. The extra fee is to compensate the transporter for this service.
For EMS and Registered Airmail the extra fee is charged per parcel. One parcel can usually contain about 120 regular clothing products. For UPS and Fedex this fee is charged per shipment, which may contain one or more parcels.
UPS can charge additional cost for additional services, like storage in an UPS warehouse when delivery isn’t immediately possible. The most common extra UPS charge has to do with variety of products you ship. If your shipment contains products with more than 5 different HS-codes, you pay an extra fee of about €8.50 EURO per extra HS-code. An HS-code is a harmonized number that classifies traded products so that it is recognized customs authorities around the world. To illustrate: all cotton-based leggings will have the same HS-code, but polyester-based leggings will have a different code. And a knit cotton dress will have a different HS code from a woven cotton dress.
The exact fee depends on the destination country. Visit the website of the transporter, or contact their customer service, in your country to find out the exact fees. So for an EMS shipment to Belgium you should contact BPost and inquire about ‘customer clearance fee for EMS’. And for an UPS shipment to Denmark you visit the Danish UPS website and search for ‘disbursement’ or ‘disbursement fee’ and ‘additional tariff line’ fee.
About customs
Not all shipments get the same customs treatment and different rules may apply for different shipment methods.
UPS and Fedex shipments undergo a strict customs clearance process. For EU customers this shouldn’t give any issues, although a VAT- or EORI-number will be required. But for UPS shipments to China, Taiwan, Russia, and the Middle East we experienced that the receiver often pays more in fees and taxes than with other transporters. UPS and Fedex shipments to China and Russia will even require additional paperwork from the receiver to pass customs which will delay the shipment.
EMS shipments and Registered Airmail can sometimes pass customs without taxation even when the parcel value is over the official tax free limit. Especially EMS shipments to China and Taiwan have previously passed customs without taxation or extra fees. And the same has been the case for small EMS shipments to Russia and New Zealand. Please note that it is not certain that EMS shipments to these countries always pass customs without taxation, but it seems more common based on our experience.
