OptimalShip's Helpful Shipping Tips

The U.S. Department of Commerce has instituted a new regulation for the export, re-export, and in-country transfer of products to the People’s Republic of China, Russia, and Venezuela. These new controls enable the U.S. government to more closely monitor exports, re-exports, and in-country transfers of certain items, broadening the scope of export-controlled items to include electronic and telecommunications equipment. These changes include but are not limited to: PC’s, mobile devices, smart watches, heart monitors, night vision goggles, and so on. These new controls apply to all shipments to these countries even if there is no military end use for the products, and is effective as of June 29. 2020.

For several months now special restrictions have been in place for exports of personal protective equipment (PPE), medical, and general COVID-19 relief supplies from China. Although these restrictions have been in place for some time, businesses are still experiencing delays as a result of incorrectly processed shipments. In this post we will cover in detail how to correctly process a shipment affected by this restrictions.

If you are already familiar with these restrictions please note that the only change is the lifting of the China/ Hong Kong weight restrictions. You may now process shipments that are above 150 lb (70 kg) per piece and 660 lb (300 kg) per shipment. However, the 1100 lb (500 kg) cap per account number is still in place. Shippers will need to follow the cap guideline in order to have their shipments picked up.

DHL introduced an Emergency Situation Surcharge (ESS) back in April of 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Today they have announced new changes that will be effective as of May 24th, 2020.

If you ship to China regularly, you know well that the Chinese New Year impacts international shipping during the holiday. If you plan on shipping to China or Southeast Asia soon, here's what you need to know about the Chinese New Year, closures, and DHL's hours during the holiday. If you are new to shipping to China, here's some important information for you. And, whether or not you ship to China, I'll share a checklist for shipping during any holidays that impact countries you export from and to that you can keep on file.