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Guide · Package forwarding
What is package forwarding from China?
Package forwarding from China is a service that gives you a receiving address inside China, so you can buy from Taobao, Tmall, 1688, JD, Pinduoduo and other stores that only deliver domestically. The forwarder receives your parcels at its warehouse, combines them into fewer boxes, and ships them to your home country. It is also called parcel forwarding, package consolidation, a China shipping agent, or 集运 in Chinese.
WooliiPorter is a China package forwarder with a warehouse in Guangzhou. You buy and pay the seller yourself; WooliiPorter receives, records, consolidates and ships the parcels, and quotes international shipping from the measured box before you pay. Buying on your behalf is a separate, optional service.
How package forwarding from China works, in five steps
Buy from Chinese sellers
Order from as many stores as you like. Each seller ships to the forwarder’s warehouse inside China, usually within a few days.
Pre-alert the domestic tracking numbers
Tell the forwarder which parcels to expect, using each seller’s China courier number rather than the store order number. Arrived parcels wait at the warehouse; at WooliiPorter they are photographed and stored free with no time limit.
Choose and consolidate
When the parcels you want have arrived, choose which ones ship together. The warehouse combines them, removes excess packaging where that is safe, and weighs and measures the final box.
Pay the measured quote and track
International shipping is quoted from the packed box. After payment the parcel ships, and one tracking number follows it to your door.
What package forwarding is called in English
The same service goes by several English names depending on the country and the community. Package forwarding is the usual North American term and parcel forwarding the British and Commonwealth one; shipping agent and Taobao agent are community shorthand that can also mean a buying service.
| Name | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| package forwarding | The usual US and Canadian name: a company gives you an address in another country, receives your online orders there and ships them on to you. |
| parcel forwarding | The same service in British, Irish, Australian, New Zealand and Singapore English. |
| package consolidation / parcel consolidation | Combining several seller parcels into fewer international boxes before they leave the warehouse, so you pay for one shipment instead of many. |
| shipping agent / Taobao agent | Community shorthand (Reddit, Discord, haul videos) for any service that ships Chinese marketplace orders abroad. It often means a shopping agent that also buys for you, so check which of the two you are getting. |
| shopping agent / buying agent / daigou | A service that places and pays for the store order on your behalf, then ships it. Package forwarding without buying is a different, narrower job. |
| China warehouse address / China forwarding address | The domestic Chinese delivery address a forwarder assigns you, used at checkout on stores that only ship inside China. |
| reshipping / mail forwarding | Older or broader names. Mail forwarding usually means letters and documents, not marketplace parcels. |
| freight forwarder | Usually a business service for pallets, containers and commercial cargo. Individual shoppers sending a few parcels are normally looking for package forwarding instead. |
What package forwarding is called in other languages
Shoppers search for package forwarding from China in their own language. These are the everyday names in the markets WooliiPorter ships to; WooliiPorter’s account and support run in English and Chinese.
| Market | Local name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese speakers | 集运 | Consolidated shipping: parcels from several sellers are collected and shipped abroad together. The most common term among overseas Chinese shoppers. |
| 转运 | Forwarding: a parcel is received in China and sent on to an overseas address. | |
| 淘宝集运 | Taobao consolidated shipping, the everyday name for shipping Taobao orders abroad together. | |
| 代购 | Buying on someone’s behalf (daigou), a separate service from forwarding. | |
| France | réexpédition de colis | Parcel forwarding. |
| groupage de colis | Grouping several parcels into one shipment (consolidation). | |
| adresse de réexpédition en Chine | A Chinese forwarding address. | |
| Germany | Paketweiterleitung aus China | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| Sammelversand | Combined or consolidated shipping. | |
| Lieferadresse in China | A delivery address in China. | |
| Austria | Paketweiterleitung aus China | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| Sammelversand | Combined or consolidated shipping. | |
| Switzerland | Paketweiterleitung aus China | Parcel forwarding from China (German-speaking Switzerland). |
| réexpédition de colis depuis la Chine | Parcel forwarding from China (French-speaking Switzerland). | |
| inoltro pacchi dalla Cina | Parcel forwarding from China (Italian-speaking Switzerland). | |
| Netherlands | pakketdoorstuurservice | Parcel forwarding service. |
| pakketten bundelen | Bundling parcels into one shipment. | |
| Poland | przesyłki z Chin | Parcels from China. |
| konsolidacja paczek | Parcel consolidation. | |
| pośrednik Taobao | Taobao intermediary or agent. | |
| Italy | inoltro pacchi dalla Cina | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| spedizione consolidata | Consolidated shipment. | |
| Spain | reenvío de paquetes desde China | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| consolidación de paquetes | Parcel consolidation. | |
| agente de compras de Taobao | Taobao shopping agent, a service that also buys for you. | |
| Mexico and Latin America | casillero en China | A “locker” in China: the Latin American name for a forwarding address abroad. |
| reenvío de paquetes desde China | Parcel forwarding from China. | |
| consolidación de paquetes | Parcel consolidation. | |
| Sweden | vidarebefordran av paket från Kina | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| samfrakt | Combined shipping of several orders. | |
| Belgium | pakketdoorstuurservice uit China | Parcel forwarding from China (Dutch-speaking Belgium). |
| réexpédition de colis depuis la Chine | Parcel forwarding from China (French-speaking Belgium). | |
| Portugal | reencaminhamento de encomendas da China | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| consolidação de encomendas | Parcel consolidation. | |
| Brazil | redirecionadora de encomendas | A parcel forwarder: the Brazilian name for a company that receives orders abroad and redirects them to Brazil. |
| redirecionamento de encomendas da China | Parcel forwarding from China. | |
| agente de compras do Taobao | Taobao shopping agent, a service that also buys for you. | |
| Denmark | videresendelse af pakker fra Kina | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| samlet forsendelse | Combined shipment of several orders. | |
| Norway | videresending av pakker fra Kina | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| samlet frakt | Combined shipping of several orders. | |
| Finland | pakettien edelleenlähetys Kiinasta | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| yhdistetty lähetys | Combined shipment. | |
| Czechia | přeposílání balíků z Číny | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| spojení zásilek | Combining parcels into one shipment. | |
| Greece | προώθηση δεμάτων από την Κίνα | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| Hungary | csomagtovábbítás Kínából | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| csomagok összevonása | Combining parcels into one shipment. | |
| Romania | redirecționare colete din China | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| consolidare colete | Parcel consolidation. | |
| Slovakia | preposielanie balíkov z Číny | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| Slovenia | posredovanje paketov iz Kitajske | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| Croatia | prosljeđivanje paketa iz Kine | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| Bulgaria | препращане на пратки от Китай | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| Estonia | pakkide edasisaatmine Hiinast | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| Latvia | paku pārsūtīšana no Ķīnas | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| Lithuania | siuntinių persiuntimas iš Kinijos | Parcel forwarding from China. |
| Luxembourg | réexpédition de colis depuis la Chine | Parcel forwarding from China (French). |
| Paketweiterleitung aus China | Parcel forwarding from China (German). | |
| Chile | casillero en China | A “locker” in China: the Latin American name for a forwarding address abroad. |
| courier desde China | Courier shipping from China. | |
| Malaysia | 集运 | Consolidated shipping, the everyday term among Chinese-speaking shoppers in Malaysia. |
| penghantaran bungkusan dari China | Parcel delivery from China. | |
| South Korea | 중국 배송대행 | China shipping agency: forwarding of Chinese orders to Korea. |
| 배대지 | Short for the forwarding address (배송대행지) you use at checkout. | |
| 합배송 | Combined shipping of several orders. | |
| Japan | 中国転送サービス | China forwarding service. |
| 同梱発送 | Shipping several orders in one box. |
Package forwarder, shopping agent, freight forwarder: who does what
Five services sit close to package forwarding. The difference is who buys the goods and what volume they handle.
| Service | Who buys the goods | What it does | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Package forwarder | You | A China address, receiving, consolidation and international shipping | You already know what to buy and can pay Chinese sellers yourself. |
| Shopping agent (buying agent, daigou) | The agent, on your behalf | Purchase, then usually the same receiving and shipping | You cannot pay a Chinese store, or want someone to place the order. |
| Freight forwarder | A business | Pallets, cartons and containers by air or sea, customs brokerage | You import commercial volumes rather than a few personal parcels. |
| Dropshipping agent | The agent, sourcing for a store | Sourcing, buying and shipping each customer order | You run a store and want the supplier chosen for you. |
| Fulfillment service / 3PL | A merchant | Receiving supplier stock, storing it, packing customer orders | You run a store with your own suppliers and repeat orders. |
WooliiPorter covers three of these: package forwarding for individuals, a separate Buy for Me buying service with no service fee, and fulfillment for DTC and e-commerce merchants who ship from their own China suppliers.
What package forwarding costs
A forwarded order has up to four cost layers: the goods and the seller’s domestic delivery, paid to the seller; any warehouse services you request, such as unpacking and photographing items; international shipping, priced from the packed box; and the destination’s import VAT, duty and carrier clearance fee, assessed when the parcel enters your country. Storage while you wait matters too: at WooliiPorter personal storage is free with no time limit, so slower sellers never cost extra.
Consolidation saves money by turning several international parcels, each with its own minimum charge and carton, into one measured box. It cannot reduce import taxes, and a truthful declaration of every item is still required.
Common questions
What is the difference between a package forwarder and a shopping agent?
A package forwarder ships goods you have already bought; you pay the Chinese seller yourself. A shopping agent, also called a buying agent or daigou, places and pays for the order on your behalf and then ships it. Many communities use “agent” for both. WooliiPorter offers package forwarding as its core service and Buy for Me as a separate buying service with no service fee and a confirmed quote before payment.
Why use a package forwarder instead of shipping each order directly?
Many Chinese sellers on Taobao, 1688, JD and Pinduoduo only ship inside China. A forwarder gives you a domestic address those sellers accept, and consolidating several orders into one box usually costs less than shipping them one by one, because each international parcel carries its own minimum charge and packaging.
Does consolidation always save money?
Not always. Consolidation removes duplicate cartons and per-parcel minimums, but a large or heavy combined box can move into a higher price band, exceed a route’s size limit, or mix cargo types that a route will not carry together. Compare using the measured box rather than adding the weights printed on the domestic labels.
How is international shipping priced?
Forwarders price from the packed box. Some charge the greater of actual and volumetric weight (length × width × height ÷ a divisor such as 6000); WooliiPorter personal shipments use the greater of the packed box’s actual and volumetric weight, rounded up in 100 g steps. Import VAT, duty and carrier clearance fees in the destination country are separate from the shipping price.
What is 集运?
集运 (jíyùn) is the Chinese word for consolidated shipping: parcels from several sellers are collected at one warehouse and shipped abroad together. Chinese-speaking shoppers outside China use it the way English speakers use package forwarding. 转运 (zhuǎnyùn) means forwarding, and 代购 (dàigòu) means buying on someone’s behalf.
What is a casillero?
Casillero, Spanish for locker, is the usual Latin American name for a forwarding address abroad. A casillero in China is the same thing as a China package forwarding address: stores deliver to it and the forwarder ships the parcels on to Mexico or another country.
Is package forwarding legal?
Yes. Package forwarding is a normal logistics service. The goods still have to be legal to export from China and to import into your country, and every parcel needs a truthful declaration of its contents and value. Counterfeit goods and prohibited items cannot be forwarded.