Notes of Express
DHL
DHL is the only one that clients can insure the goods. The insurance is divided into two categories: If the insured amount is less than 8000RMB, the insurance will cost 80RMB, and the compensation will include the declared value and freight. If the insured amount is 8000RMB or more than that, the insurance should be 1% of the declared value, and the compensation will include the declared value and freight.
But there is a huge problem. Through the international business regulation and law, if the declared value is more than 600USD, this transportation will be took as export, and individual can not handle it. That is to say, we need to declare the goods if the declared value is more than 600USD. And documents needed in the process are as follows: verifying and writing-off instrument, custom declaration, waybill, printed commercial invoice, forwarding order (with the Express Agency) and the Procurement Contract (with the seller). If the purchased goods have brand, (no matter if it is international brand or not) we should provided producing authorize. We can buy verifying and writing-off instrument, which can be divided into three categories, if it is less than 5000USD, the price is 100RMB per copy, if 5000USD-10000USD, the price is 150RMB per copy, if more than 10000USD,the price is 350RMB.Generally speaking, if the declared value is more than 600USD, the insurance process is quite complex.

Federal Express
There is no insurance policy in Federal Express, but there is compensation which is not more than 100USD or 20USD/KG for each transportation sheet. There is some special policy for special articles. For example the compensation for LCD products can be 500USD at most for each sheet. Besides LCD products, other special articles also can increase the compensation, such as diamond, jewelry, gold, etc.

TNT
There is no insurance policy in TNT, but compensation in TNT is the highest. Compensation in TNT is 20USD/KG, and the maximum is 3000USD, it does not relate with declared value. But TNT has strictest requirements when you claim for compensation.

UPS
There is no insurance policy. The compensation for each transportation sheet is at most 100USD/KG, which depends on the declared value.

All the compensation policies above are based on the express company is in full charge of the damage or loss. That is to say, when the article is totally lost or partly lost, there will be compensation. As for damage or broken, only TNT compensate the damaged article which meanwhile has its packing broken. Other three express companies have no specific standard. It depends on the situations and whether the consignee takes the timely evidence or not.
Except DHL, you can find the consignee’s detailed address including the house number and street name in the website of TNT, Federal Express and UPS.
As for DHL, you can only find the consignee’s name and the time of endorsement. The four biggest Express companies can all provide a service called confirmation of endorsement address. That is to say, as long as you can provide the document number, they can verify the endorsement address and fax endorsement which contains the signature of the consignee.
The 4 biggest Express companies all pay compensation to the party who pay the freight. For example, if spot payment, they will pay compensation to the addresser, if freight collect, the compensation will be paid to the consignee.

So, our suggestions are as follows:
1. When you receive the goods, you must open and check in front of the courier. If you believe the goods are significantly not as described in the contract, you should photo the goods and the packing while you are checking. Then you must not sign the bill, and leave the packing for future investigation. To guide the consignee to obtain the evidence is one obligation of the courier.

Best regards

Sincerely Yours,
Joyce.Qu

Replying to [MAGBAZA]:Hey, you are really helpful!
Thanks a lot! That is just what I am trying to find out, I also heard that chinese transportation agencies can get huge discount from these express companies! May be about 50%-55 % percent off, is that true?

Replying to [MAGBAZA]:Hey, MAGBAZA,through your article do you mean that if I do not insure the purchased products that means I don't need to pay the tariff and other taxes, right? Super! Then I can make small purchasing from china without problems! But how can my products pass the custom? Who can tell me the common way chinese do?

Replying to [Tome]:Yes, acctually you are right! in China there are lots of transportation agencies, and such agencies can get huge discount from DHL, FEDEX, UPS, TNT, OR AIR FRANCE , exactly they can get about,30%-45% off , Also they stuy different customs carefully , they know from which place such as HONGKONG the transportation of goods are safe and effective. So if you can find the right transportation agency, you can save a lot when you use DHL, FEDEX, ups, TNT, OR AIR FRANCE, etc.

I recently got hooked up with eshipper.com. They give nearly 50% off on fedex, ups, dhl and others. Also linked it to my shopping cart.

If you try the website eshipper.com they require a one time payment of 20$ but go through an agent they will waive it. Try this guy hassan@canadaworldwide.com