Cross-border logistics is the core link of foreign trade and cross-border e-commerce. Its core is divided into four basic modes: international sea freight, air freight, land freight and international express, plus the combined form of multimodal transport. Different modes vary significantly in cost, timeliness and cargo capacity, accurately matching the circulation needs of different goods. Here is the core summary:
 
🚢 International Sea Freight
 
The mainstream mode of cross-border logistics and the core choice for B2B foreign trade
✅ Features: Lowest cost, virtually no upper limit on cargo capacity, supporting FCL/LCL; slow timeliness (30-60 days for regular shipping, 15-30 days for fast shipping), highly susceptible to port conditions, weather and other external factors
🎯 Suitable for: Low-value, heavy, non-urgent and bulk goods (furniture, building materials, industrial raw materials, etc.), B2B foreign trade with cost sensitivity and low timeliness requirements
 
✈️ International Air Freight
 
A balanced choice between timeliness and cost, meeting the needs of urgent orders and cross-border e-commerce dedicated lines
✅ Features: Fast timeliness (3-5 days for direct flights, 5-10 days for regular routes), convenient customs clearance and high stability; higher cost than sea freight, limited cargo capacity by aircraft hold, unable to transport oversize/overweight goods
🎯 Suitable for: High-value, light, urgent goods (electronic products, precision instruments, samples, etc.), urgent replenishment for foreign trade and dedicated line transportation for cross-border e-commerce
 
🚛 International Land Freight
 
A unique advantage for neighboring/regional trade, a core logistics form under the Belt and Road Initiative
✅ Features: Moderate timeliness and cost (7-20 days), stable routes with high on-time rate; road freight supports door-to-door delivery to reduce cargo damage; limited coverage (only for land-bordering countries/regions with dedicated rail/road lines), no transoceanic transportation
🎯 Suitable for: Cargo transportation between China and land-connected regions such as Southeast Asia and Europe, balancing cost performance and transportation convenience
 
📦 International Express
 
The ultimate timeliness choice for small cross-border parcels, the core mode for cross-border e-commerce C-end
✅ Features: Fastest timeliness (3-7 days to major global regions), door-to-door full-chain service and efficient customs clearance; highest cost, limited cargo capacity, suitable for small parcels
🎯 Suitable for: Small C-end parcels in cross-border e-commerce, urgent samples/parcels with high requirements for logistics experience and small batch sizes
 
🔗 Multimodal Transport
 
A combined form of sea/air/land freight, an advanced choice for cross-border logistics
✅ Features: Integrates the advantages of various modes to achieve an optimal balance of cost, timeliness and coverage, and supports one-stop door-to-door cross-border cargo transportation
🎯 Suitable for: Cross-border cargo transportation with complex routes, mixed requirements for cost and timeliness, and large batch sizes